This article is part of our MLS Fantasy Rankings series.
The rankings below are based on Major League Soccer's official fantasy game and cover all games in Week 25. While they can be used for DFS purposes, they are done with a focus on the league's season-long game.
If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below, or hit up JD on Twitter @dfsMLS.
Forwards | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Carlos Vela | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 14.5 | A majority of competing fantasy teams will have both of the top two here. |
2 | Heber Araujo dos Santos | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 10.4 | |
3 | Wayne Rooney | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 10.0 | Does Wazza take out his frustration over officials and charter flights on his opponents this week? He's just barely ahead of Rossi in my estimation. |
4 | Diego Rossi | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 9.8 | |
5 | Valentin Castellanos | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 7.5 | In great form, but I still am not 100% confident he'll start both matches. |
6 | Alexandru Mitrita | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 8.0 | Typically safer playing time than Castellanos, but there's a chance that's changing. |
7 | Adama Diomande | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 8.9 | With Brian Rodriguez still working on getting his work visa, Dio is probably safe for both this week. |
8 | Gyasi Zardes | CLB at NYC, at FCC | 9.7 | Zardes owes Columbus a stellar outing against FCC after some key blown chances when the two faced off recently. |
9 | Chris Wondolowski | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 6.9 | Hoesen is primed to give Wondo a rest in one of these matches. |
10 | Josef Martinez | ATL at ORL | 14.0 | Josef thrives against Orlando. |
11 | Brian Fernandez | POR v. SEA | 10.7 | |
12 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | LA at LAFC | 11.3 | Zlatan has LAFC's number in the rivalry thus far, but at some point the better side will have a statement match and shut the Galaxy down. He'll still make his way, justifiably, into many teams' third forward spots but I'd suggest using him from the bench with a safer cheap option (Artur?) also able to sub in. |
13 | Danny Hoesen | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 5.6 | |
14 | Gustavo Bou | NE v. CHI | 10.5 | |
15 | Ola Kamara | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 8.6 | |
16 | Raul Ruidiaz | SEA at POR | 10.7 | |
17 | Kacper Przybylko | PHI v. DC | 8.1 | |
18 | Bradley Wright-Phillips | NYRB at DC, at NYC | 5.9 | Likely to split time with Brian White this week. |
19 | Jozy Altidore | TOR v. MTL | 10.0 | |
20 | Sam Johnson | RSL v. COL | 7.6 |
Midfielders | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Eduard Atuesta | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 12.6 | Won't bother writing much here since you have to have these top two. |
2 | Maximiliano Moralez | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 11.1 | |
3 | Vako | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 10.1 | He has received a bonus point for shots in an absurd 11 of his last 12 matches! |
4 | Magnus Eriksson | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 10.3 | Close to Vako. |
5 | Cristian Espinoza | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 9.9 | Close to Vako and Eriksson. Better assist potential, but less goals and shots. |
6 | Pedro Santos | CLB at NYC, at FCC | 10.1 | In my team for the FCC match alone, after his heroics last time. |
7 | Latif Blessing | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 9.4 | I would listen to arguements for Blessing as high as #4. |
8 | Mark-Anthony Kaye | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 9.8 | Kaye here starts a new tier, after Vako-Blessing. I'd much prefer Latif to Kaye. |
9 | Alexander Ring | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 8.7 | With James Sands out, it's possible Ring picks up a few more defensive responsibilities. |
10 | Daniel Royer | NYRB at DC, at NYC | 9.1 | |
11 | Marc Rzatkowski | NYRB at DC, at NYC | 8.1 | Still don't fully trust Rza's playing time during DGWs. |
12 | Paul Arriola | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 8.1 | |
13 | Keaton Parks | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 5.7 | If for some reason you're not using your third NYC spot, get Parks on your bench at least! |
14 | Kaku | NYRB at DC, at NYC | 8.2 | |
15 | Lucas Rodriguez | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 7.6 | |
16 | Wil Trapp | CLB at NYC, at FCC | 8.4 | Assists in back to back games is unusual for Trapp. I'd just go Artur for less. |
17 | Cristian Casseres | NYRB at DC, at NYC | 7.1 | |
18 | Sean Davis | NYRB at DC, at NYC | 7.2 | |
19 | Luciano Acosta | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 7.6 | May only be good for 100-120 since he's entered Ben Olsen's dog house, but I think Olsen gives him a shot soon and he will be motivated. |
20 | Carles Gil | NE v. CHI | 13.2 | If you must squeeze in a single game week guy, here's my favorite. |
Defenders | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Ronald Matarrita | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 5.6 | LAFC are the better side, but their matchups are tougher. Give me the defense that plays Gyasi Zardes and a recovering BWP. |
2 | Eddie Segura | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 6.5 | Zimmerman received a red card last week so Segura is likely the only LAFC center back to play both matches. |
3 | Maxime Chanot | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 5.9 | It will be tough to get two defensive pieces from NYC, with Heber and Maxi demanding spots in the lineup. If you need to catch up, I would fade Maxi (playing time?) and double down on Pigeons' clean sheet potential. |
4 | Jordan Harvey | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 7.1 | |
5 | Steven Beitashour | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 6.0 | |
6 | Tommy Thompson | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 7.3 | Very slight concern that San Jose rotates some players in for the Vancouver game. The starters have been getting a lot of action lately. |
7 | Florian Jungwirth | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 6.7 | |
8 | Nick Lima | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 5.3 | |
9 | Anton Tinnerholm | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 8.0 | Considering that he sat out last match with a hamstring injury, I'd be skeptical of him starting both matches this week. |
10 | Guram Kashia | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 6.6 | |
11 | Leonardo Jara | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 6.7 | Don't love either fixture but DC are quality enough to grab a clean sheet in one of them. Use Jara for the added attacking potential. |
12 | Steve Birnbaum | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 6.1 | |
13 | Alexander Callens | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 6.0 | Sat out the last match with what sounds like a small matter. |
14 | Ben Sweat | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 4.0 | A candidate to fill in for both Sands (definitely out) and Callens (questionable - calf). Sebastien Ibeagha could also jump in, though. |
15 | Aaron Long | NYRB at DC, at NYC | 7.3 | Red Bulls center backs are going to get plenty of bonus points this week, even if a clean sheet is doubtful. |
16 | Frederic Brillant | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 8.1 | |
17 | Joseph Mora | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 4.7 | |
18 | Michael Amir Murillo | NYRB at DC, at NYC | 6.0 | Entered the last match for a potentially injured Kemar Lawrence, so keep an eye on starting lineups Wednesday. Before last match, Murillo was benched in favor of Reece Buckmaster. |
19 | Tim Parker | NYRB at DC, at NYC | 6.4 | |
20 | Josh Williams | CLB at NYC, at FCC | 5.5 | Williams/Mensah might be the only centerbacks left for the Crew at this point. |
Goalkeepers | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Sean Johnson | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 6.0 | This doesn't factor into my rankings, but Johnson is a better strategic play than Miller because you'll be able to see both of his scores before some good single week keepers kick off (Rimando/Gonzalez). Miller's second game is the final match of the week. |
2 | Tyler Miller | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 7.4 | |
3 | Daniel Vega | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 5.1 | |
4 | Eloy Room | CLB at NYC, at FCC | 4.4 | Room is a viable option this week so that you can fit three other NYC, LAFC, and SJ field players. Cheap too! |
5 | Bill Hamid | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 6.9 | Viable play as a keeperoo option, similar to Sean Johnson. |
6 | Luis Robles | NYRB at DC, at NYC | 6.7 | |
7 | Matt Turner | NE v. CHI | 6.4 | This would be a solid matchup even if Nico Gaitan weren't out due to his red card last match. |
8 | Jesse Gonzalez | DAL v. HOU | 6.7 | |
9 | Andre Blake | PHI v. DC | 5.2 | |
10 | Nick Rimando | RSL v. COL | 8.0 |
Value Rankings | ||||
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(forwards and midfielders under $7.5, defenders under $6.0; not ranked above) | ||||
Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Artur | CLB at NYC, at FCC | 5.2 | Should be a steady 7-9 points, which isn't too shabby for the price. |
2 | Luis Diaz | CLB at NYC, at FCC | 6.4 | More upside than Artur. Slightly less safe playing time. |
3 | Jackson Yueill | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 7.2 | |
4 | Youness Mokhtar | CLB at NYC, at FCC | 7.5 | Playing time is uncertain but he'd be a good play if guaranteed 150 minutes. |
5 | Felipe Martins | DC v. NYRB, at PHI | 6.4 | |
6 | Maximiliano Urruti | MTL at TOR | 6.6 | |
7 | Dominique Badji | DAL v. HOU | 5.6 | Dallas have played more games than all the playoff teams they're chasing. In a rivalry match against a Houston side right chasing them, they need to secure three points. |
8 | Graham Smith | SKC v. MIN | 5.0 | If SKC can oust San Jose at home, they've got a shot against Minnesota. Smith has been a boon to the side. |
9 | Brooks Lennon | RSL v. COL | 4.3 | |
10 | Justin Meram | ATL at ORL | 6.9 | Revenge game! |
Captain Rankings | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Carlos Vela | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 14.5 | Even if you're chasing in the standings, I don't think I'd advocate for a non-Vela captain this week. Risk it another way and/or another week. |
2 | Eduard Atuesta | LAFC v. SJ, v. LA | 12.6 | Safer playing time than Maxi who has been rested at times this season. |
3 | Maximiliano Moralez | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 11.1 | |
4 | Heber Araujo dos Santos | NYC v. CLB, v. NYRB | 10.4 | If you have to fade Vela, I'd go Heber. He's the only one with upside to reasonably out-duel him in fantasy this week. |
5 | Vako | SJ at LAFC, v. VAN | 10.1 |