MLS Fantasy Rankings: Week 3

MLS Fantasy Rankings: Week 3

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 3. 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.

MATCHES (EDT)

For detailed stats and odds, check out the MLS Fantasy: Week 3 Cheat Sheet.

Forwards
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Wayne RooneyDCU v. RSL10.5With one of the week's best home fixtures and a seemingly locked in role as the corner kick taker, Rooney locks in the top forward spot this week.
2Carlos VelaLAFC at NYC11.3Vela is simply a more certain fantasy factor here on the road than most of the forward options in their home stadium this weekend. LAFC's quality and style of play combined with Vela's energized start to the season completely outweigh the travel to Yankee Stadium.
3Carlos Darwin QuinteroMIN at LA12.0With Zlatan and Alessandrini set to miss another match, Minnesota don't have much to focus on stopping defensively. Queue Quintero pushing forward as Minnesota is emboldened by their early success away from home.
4Bradley Wright-PhillipsNYRB v. SJ10.5With a Week 2 bye and early CCL match, concerns shouldn't be high for Red Bulls rotation. Against a struggling San Jose side, the Red Bulls could romp.
5Alexandru MitritaNYC v. LAFC10.2The floodgates are going to open soon if he continues shooting at such an aggressive rate. I'm thinking Dome would prefer he take some higher percentage opportunities, but that'd work for us too!
6Raul RuidiazSEA at CHI10.8 
7Josef MartinezATL v. PHI10.5It's hard to figure out what a rational Atlanta take is right now, but I think they're going to be ok and could win this one by multiple goals. That said, the Union are playing better than their results and there are enough question marks in the 5 Stripes attack that some other forwards take priority for me this week.
8Diego RossiLAFC at NYC9.5To my eye, Rossi has taken a big step forward in the off-season. His positioning and decision making has been great through two weeks and it should lead to more consistent fantasy performances.
9Dom DwyerORL v. MTL9.1 
10Jeremy EbobissePOR at FCC7.4Cincy will have some extra juice since it's their home opener, but I'm not certain they're sophisticated enough yet to handle the possession that Portland will cede to them. The Timbers counter is always dangerous and should have a field day on the road this week.
11Maximiliano UrrutiMTL at ORL8.9Montreal continue their cruel road trip (SJ-Houston-Orlando) to begin the year, but I think they can handle this one.
12Mauro ManotasHOU v. VAN9.9 
13Gyasi ZardesCLB v. DAL9.7Dallas probably will keep a closer eye on him than the Revs' pathetic defense did.
14Jordan MorrisSEA at CHI8.8Good upside but it almost has to be from your bench. Putting him in your lineup is asking for a two-point outing.
15Cristian PenillaNE at TOR8.9 
16Alberth ElisHOU v. VAN8.7 
17Romell QuiotoHOU v. VAN8.3 
18Kei KamaraCOL v. SKC9.7 
19Christian RamirezLAFC at NYC7.2Like me trying to open a jar lid before my coworker got it the other day, Ramirez is really good at loosening up the opposition before Diomande comes in to feast! (Ok that's not fair to Ramirez but can you tell I'm a big Diomande fan yet?)
20Krisztian NemethSKC at COL7.1 
Midfielders
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Luciano AcostaDCU v. RSL11.4The debate will be fun, but I'm going to bat for Lucho over Rooney if you can only pick one this week.
2Nicolás LodeiroSEA at CHI11.8I wouldn't be concerned about his fantasy outing last week. Jumping out to a very quick 2-0 lead wasn't great for his output.
3Diego ValeriPOR at FCC11.5His role on set pieces is absolutely worth the 0.8 more than it costs to get Blanco.
4Maximiliano MoralezNYC v. LAFC10.3No shots last week but he created six chances.
5Sebastian BlancoPOR at FCC10.7 
6Paul ArriolaDCU v. RSL9.5Arriola has always been a workhorse on the wing, but he looks extra dangerous through two matches. This vaults him into fantasy consideration.
7Ignacio PiattiMTL at ORL11.0 
8KakuNYRB v. SJ9.0I'm very curious to see how Kaku handles San Jose's man-marking.
9NaniORL v. MTL9.4Montreal defend fairly narrowly which should give Nani plenty of crossing chances from the wing. His quality is unquestioned after 109 minutes and despite very little preseason acclimation.
10Saphir TaiderMTL at ORL11.5It would be tough to pay 0.5 more for Taider than Piatti, but if this keeps up we may have to start adjusting our thinking.
11Pity MartinezATL v. PHI9.8He will almost surely be a fantasy factor this season, BUT let's just wait and let him show us once before we continue putting our faith in him. The main reason is that we can't risk another big price drop with two bad totals weighing him down in the unnecessarily mysterious FMLS formula.
12Victor RodriguezSEA at CHI9.0If you want to save 2.8 by using VRod over Lodeiro, that'd be reasonable this week. Just know you're giving up both some safety and some upside.
13Julian GresselATL v. PHI8.5Wingbacks are going to be crucial in Frank de Boer's stubborn new system which is an interesting choice since, frankly, Gressel might be their only quality one.
14Albert RusnakRSL at DCU11.0 
15Lee NguyenLAFC at NYC8.2 
16Federico HiguainCLB v. DAL9.3 
17Johnny RussellSKC at COL9.1 
18Carles GilNE at TOR9.2Toronto looked dreadful in preseason and CCL, but with a week one win and a bye week to prepare, I'm not sure we need to be excited about the Revolution this week.
19Daniel RoyerNYRB v. SJ7.5 
20Tomas MartinezHOU v. VAN8.4 
Defenders
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Aaron LongNYRB v. SJ6.7Will be plenty rested after CCL and has one of the league's best clean sheet chances.
2Michael MurilloNYRB v. SJ7.2Less bonus points but more attacking potential than Long.
3Leonardo JaraDCU v. RSL7.0Twice the attacking upside of Joseph Mora, but Jara is expensive and both are good plays this week.
4Joseph MoraDCU v. RSL6.0 
5Tim ParkerNYRB v. SJ6.7No reason to pay for Parker when Long is the same price - unless you want both which wouldn't be crazy.
6Graham ZusiSKC at COL7.1Set piece role keeps Zusi in contention every week.
7Kemar LawrenceNYRB v. SJ6.5 
8Larrys MabialaPOR at FCC6.5A set piece threat and a solid clean sheet chance against the league's newcomers. Gimme.
9Brad SmithSEA at CHI5.8Seattle have been attacking heavily down the left wing, which does get Smith more involved but has allowed Leerdam to get into the box from the opposite flank. If this continues, you're going to have to keep choosing between higher goal potential and the safer points from Smith (crosses, assists, chance creation, passing).
10Leandro Gonzalez PirezATL v. PHI6.6With Marco Fabian out for the Union, Atlanta could have a get right game here, at least on defense. A 1-0 win against Monterrey, despite losing the CCL series, is promising.
11Kelvin LeerdamSEA at CHI6.0See Brad Smith's note.
12Jorge VillafañaPOR at FCC5.9If Portland decide to uncharacteristically dominate Cincy via possession, Villfana could enjoy some success higher up the pitch.
13Kim Kee-HeeSEA at CHI5.8 
14Steven BirnbaumDCU v. RSL7.0 
15Miles RobinsonATL v. PHI5.6You bet I'm taking the 1.0 savings on LGP and going with Robinson. He should remain in the mix for the 2pt passing bonus nearly every match (so will LGP and probably Parkhurst too).
16Matt BeslerSKC at COL7.4 
17Francisco CalvoMIN at LA7.0Would be significantly higher if this match were at home. Still like him but not for 7.0.
18Chad MarshallSEA at CHI6.4 
19Ike OparaMIN at LA7.4 
20Zarek ValentinPOR at FCC5.0The price is right!
Goalkeepers
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Luis RoblesNYRB v. SJ6.0Not only is Robles the best keeper play, he gets to play early so we know if we need to spend on another goalkeeper!
2Bill HamidDCU v. RSL6.9If you are paying for a nearly 7.0 keeper this early, share your budgeting tricks with me!
3Jeff AttinellaPOR at FCC5.3Will be a popular second wave of most keeperoos. Unless you're a #HomeDrone.
4Stefan FreiSEA at CHI6.5 
5Brad GuzanATL v. PHI5.6Maybe you're more comfortable with Atlanta at home than Portland on the road. I'd refer you to Guzan's week one gaffe before locking in your pick.
6Tim MeliaSKC at COL6.5Glad he's getting buzz for being snubbed from USMNT. Has deserved a call-up for a while.
7Joe WillisHOU v. VAN5.2 
8Zack SteffenCLB v. DAL6.7 
9Alex BonoTOR v. NE5.6 
10Brian RoweORL v. MTL4.6You might be able to get away with a Rowe/Attinella keeperoo to saves cash. I'm not thrilled about Orlando even at home, though.
Value Rankings
(forwards and midfielders under $7.5, defenders under $6.0; not ranked above)
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Julio CascantePOR at FCC4.3$2.2 savings over his centerback partner Mabiala. Should be safe in terms of price change if he picks up a few bonus points.
2Ezequiel BarcoATL v. PHI7.3I'd actually be really tempted if the price change formula didn't penalize 1-minute substitute appearances the same as 1-pt 90 minute matches (I'm assuming it does based on prior movements). I'm not at a point where I can risk a big drop yet.
3Romain MetanireMIN at LA5.7 
4Jesus MedinaNYC v. LAFC7.3NYCFC are going to find some solutions soon, and they may be forced to early if LAFC's attack keeps clicking.
5Yohan CroizetSKC at COL5.7Not guaranteed to rotate into the lineup, but he's a solid play if he does.
6RuanORL v. MTL4.8Keep an eye on this Orlando wingback! Looks like he could be an exciting player.
7Paxton PomykalDAL at CLB6.2Impressed in his first start of 2019.
8George BelloATL v. PHI4.5 
9Chris MavingaTOR v. NE5.4 
Captain Rankings
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Luciano AcostaDCU v. RSL11.4Safer than Rooney with as much upside.
2Wayne RooneyDCU v. RSL10.5 
3Nicolás LodeiroSEA at CHI11.8Roll your eyes at all my road captain choices...
4Diego ValeriPOR at FCC11.5...and let me laugh at you put the armband on BWP.
5Carlos VelaLAFC at NYC11.3Vela is making a case to just keep the armband on every week.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JD Bazzo
JD is a former RotoWire contributor. He was a finalist for the 2017 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year award. JD had been writing for RotoWire since 2015. He is a proud Pittsburgh native, purveyor of fantasy sports, and likely the first Penn State Basketball fan you've ever met.
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