Fantasy Soccer Advice

MLS Fantasy & Gaming Round 5: Positional Rankings, Squad Pick & Parlay Predictor advice

Mukhtar fantasy pt 2

Your Matchday 5 fantasy and gaming advice roundup is here! Check out MLS Fantasy positional rankings as well as MLS Squad Pick and MLS Parlay Predictor recommendations below.

MLS Fantasy

MLS Fantasy

The first FIFA international window of 2023 is upon us, giving MLS Fantasy managers an added challenge in Round 5. Be sure to get familiar with whoā€™s in and whoā€™s out to avoid any lineup whammies to your squad. Letā€™s dive right in and look at the top plays and values at each position.

Get more advice on the _MLS Fantasy Insider Round 5 preview_ podcast

Teams on a BYE: MTL

Goalkeepers

Brad Stuver has kept a clean sheet in each of his last two home appearances (including Concacaf Champions League). Hosting a Colorado Rapids attack that hasn't scored in three of four matches this season, Stuver is in a good spot to run his streak to three consecutive shutouts at Q2 Stadium.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Brad Stuver 

ATX

vs. COL
$7.3
2. John McCarthy
LAFC
vs. DAL
$7.1
3. Joe Willis
NSH
vs. CIN
$8.5 
4. Zac MacMath
RSL
vs. STL

$6.5

5. Drake Callender 
MIA
vs. CHI
$7.9
Value Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Joe Bendik
PHI
vs. ORL
$4.6
2. Clint Irwin
MIN
vs. VAN
$5.0
3. George Marks
CLT

vs. RBNY

$5.2

Defenders

Kai Wagner is off to a slow start in 2023 after a breakout campaign last season saw him deliver 15 assists. He ranks second in the league in crosses (36) but has yet to make an impact on the scoresheet. Look for the attack-minded defender to break through in Saturdayā€™s clash with an Orlando City SC side coming off a 2-1 loss to Charlotte FC.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Kai Wagner
PHI
vs. ORL
$7.9
2. Jon Gallagher
ATX
vs. COL
$7.3
3. Walker Zimmerman
NSH
vs. CIN
$8.5
4. Julian Gressel
VAN
at MIN
$9.2
5. Sergi Palencia 
LAFC
vs. DAL
$6.0
6. Brooks Lennon
ATL
at CLB
$7.7
7. Brandon Bye
NE
at DC
$8.0
8. Justen Glad
RSL
vs. STL
$7.5
9. Graham Zusi
SKC
vs. SEA
$7.5
10. John Tolkin 
RBNY
at CLT
$8.1
Value Defenders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Caleb Wiley 
ATL
at CLB
$5.5
2. Bill Tuiloma
CLT
vs. RBNY
$5.0
3. Steve Birnbaum
DC
vs. NE
$5.3

Midfielders

SebastiĆ”n Driussi has gone three MLS matches without a goal or an assist, setting the stage for a breakout performance against a Colorado Rapids side that has been outscored 5-0 in two road losses this season. With Austin FC leaning on the Argentine for attacking production, itā€™s only a matter of time before Driussi gets back to the form that saw him turn in a 25-goal, seven-assist 2022 campaign.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. SebastiĆ”n Driussi 
ATX
vs. COL
$9.0
2. Hany Mukhtar
NSH
vs. CIN
$9.5
3. Cristian Espinoza
SJ
vs. TOR
$10.0
4. HĆ©ctor Herrera
HOU
vs. NYC
$9.0
5. Carles Gil
NE
at DC
$9.5
6. Erik Thommy
SKC
vs. SEA
$8.1
7. Santiago Rodriguez
NYC
at HOU
$8.6
8. Mateusz Klich
DC
vs. NE
$9.0
9. Riqui Puig
LA
at POR
$8.8
10. Luciano Acosta
CIN
at NSH
$8.8
11. Alan Velasco 
DAL
at LAFC
$9.2
12. Damir Kreilach
RSL
vs. STL
$8.1
13. Ryan Gauld
VAN
at MIN
$8.2
14. Nicolas Lodeiro
SEA
at SKC
$8.2
15. Eduard Lƶwen
STL
at RSL
$8.5
16. Jean Mota
MIA 
vs. CHI
$7.9
17. Eryk Williamson
POR
vs. LA
$7.8
18. Timothy Tillman 
LAFC
vs. DAL
$7.7
19. Gabriel Pereira
NYC
at HOU
$8.2
20. Rodolfo Pizarro
MIA
vs. CHI
$7.4
Value Midfielders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Martin Ojeda
ORL
at PHI
$6.0
2. Leon Flach
PHI
vs. ORL
$6.3
3. Indiana Vassilev
STL
at RSL
$6.0

Forwards

While Carlos Vela is a far cry from the fantasy monster he once was, the former Landon Donovan MLS MVP continues to play an integral role in LAFC's attack. With DĆ©nis Bouanga away on international duty, look for Vela to pick up the slack at home, where LAFC have scored seven goals in two games.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Carlos Vela
LAFC
vs. DAL
$9.2
2. Federico Bernardeschi
TOR
at SJ
$10.2
3. Jeremy Ebobisse
SJ
vs. TOR
$9.3
4. Jefferson Savarino
RSL
vs. STL
$8.0
5. Mikael Uhre
PHI
vs. ORL
$7.7
6. Willy Agada
SKC
vs. SEA
$7.4
7. Kwadwo Opoku
LAFC
vs. DAL
$7.7
8. Jesus Ferreira
DAL
at LAFC
$9.5
9. Luiz Araujo
ATL
at CLB
$9.0
10. Enzo Copetti
CLT
vs. RBNY
$8.0
Value Forwards
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Cade Cowell
SJ
vs. TOR
$5.8
2. Maxi Urruti
ATX
vs. COL
$6.0
3. Amine Bassi
HOU
vs. NYC
$5.8
Captain
1. Sebastian Driussi
ATX
vs. COL
$9.0
2. Hany Mukhtar
NSH
vs. CIN
$9.5
3. Carlos Vela
LAFC
vs. DAL
$9.2
MLS Squad Pick

Playing MLS Squad Pick is quick and easy. Pick 5 players for your squad. If they all score in the same matchday, you could win a $160 MLSstore.com gift card!

Donā€™t forget, each round you play gives you one (1) entry into the end-of-season Grand Prize drawing for $10,000!

Expert advice:

Be mindful of international absences to avoid any potential landmines. This round weā€™re banking on the big names to lead the way at home. Willy Agada is knocking at the door with five shots in back-to-back outings, and 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar will look to open his 2023 account against an FC Cincinnati side that conceded three goals to Chicago Fire FC last round.

Round 5 Squad pick
MLS Parlay Predictor

Playing MLS Parlay Predictor is simple. Pick the results of all 6 games correctly in a single matchday, and you could win a 2023 MLS Season Pass full-season subscription on Apple TV!

Each round you predict gives you one (1) entry into the end-of-season Grand Prize drawing for $10,000!

Expert advice:

Home dominance continued in Round 4, with the hosts winning four of the six matches in Parlay Predictor. With no obvious mismatches on the Round 5 slate, Iā€™m counting on the home sides to continue to roll. Be sure to check out the ā€œStatsā€ section for each matchup to learn more about that matchup and pick up useful bits of information to influence your predictions.

Round 5 stats image

Check out my predictions for Round 5:

Round 5 Parly