Fantasy Soccer Advice

MLS Fantasy Week 23 positional rankings and gaming advice

Messi MLS

Round 23 of MLS Fantasy kicked off on Wednesday with the postponed LAFC vs. Colorado Rapids match. The change in schedule meant LAFC were the only team that plays twice this round, so if you rolled with DĆ©nis Bouanga, Carlos Vela or Ryan Hollingshead, you are already sitting pretty after their 4-0 thrashing of Colorado on Wednesday night.

There are several single-game players that could make a big fantasy impact this round, so letā€™s dive back in and look at the best of the rest to help your squad make some moves this weekend.

Get more advice on the _MLS Fantasy Insider Round 23 preview_ podcast

Goalkeepers

Patrick Schulte made three saves and kept a clean sheet in Sundayā€™s 3-0 win over FC Cincinnati, and heā€™ll have a good chance to make it two in a row against Toronto FC. The Reds have scored just 20 goals in 25 games played this season, an Eastern Conference worst in the goal-scoring department.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Patrick Schulte
CLB
vs. TOR
$7.6
2. Roman Celentano
CIN

vs. NYC

$7.4
3. Maarten Paes
DAL

vs. ATX

$7.5
4. Brad Guzan
ATL
vs. NSH
$7.6
5. Zac MacMath
RSL
vs. HOU
$8.6
Value Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Aljaz Ivacic
POR
vs. VAN
$6.0
2. Jonathan Bond
LA
vs. CHI
$6.6
3. Drake Callender
MIA
at RBNY
$5.9

Defenders

Julian Gressel was an attacking sparkplug in his Columbus debut, registering eight crosses and creating two chances to go along with a clean sheet on the defensive end. With Lucas ZelarayĆ”n out of the equation, look for Gressel to continue deputizing on set pieces ā€“ making him a strong two-way threat to pile up points across the board.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Julian Gressel
CLB
vs. TOR
$9.7
2. Brooks Lennon
ATL
vs. NSH
$11.9
3. Ɓlvaro Barreal
CIN
vs. NYC
$10.5
4. John Tolkin
RBNY
vs. MIA
$9.6
5. Kai Wagner
PHI
at DC
$10.3
6. Steven Moreira
CLB
vs. TOR
$8.7
7. Jordi Alba
MIA
at RBNY
$9.5
8. Pedro Santos
DC
vs. PHI
$9.0
9. Malte Amundsen
CLB
vs. TOR
$8.4
10. Justen Glad
RSL
vs. HOU
$10.0


Value Defenders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Griffin Dorsey
HOU
at RSL
$5.2
2. Luis Abram
ATL
vs. NSH
$5.6
3. Kamal Miller
MIA
at RBNY
$4.2

Midfielders

Round 23 could see the introduction of several newcomers to MLS that could make a big impact down the stretch, including the potential regular-season debut of Lionel Messi. Heā€™s been automatic since making his first appearance for Inter Miami, netting 10 goals and adding six assists along the way en route to lifting the Leagues Cup trophy, as well as leading Miami to the US Open Cup final.

Thereā€™s some rotational concern with Miamiā€™s congested schedule over the last month, but as good as heā€™s been ā€“ if heā€™s in the starting lineup, Iā€™ll be finding a way to squeeze out $15 million to ensure the GOAT is in my squad for his MLS debut.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Lionel Messi
MIA
at RBNY
$15.0
2. Emanuel Reynoso
MIN
vs. SEA
$10.1
3. Riqui Puig
LA
vs. CHI
$10.1
4. Carles Gil
NE
at MTL
$13.4
5. Luciano Acosta
CIN
vs. NYC
$14.0
6. Thiago Almada
ATL
vs. NSH
$13.3
7. Cristian Espinoza
SJ
at SKC
$12.9
8. Hany Mukhtar
NSH
at ATL
$13.2
9. HĆ©ctor Herrera
HOU
at RSL
$11.0
10. Eduard Lƶwen
STL
at ORL
$11.6
11. SebastiƔn Driussi
ATX
at DAL
$9.8
12. Lorenzo Insigne
TOR
at CLB
$9.8

13. Facundo Torres

ORL
vs. STL
$10.5
14. Evander
POR
vs. VAN
$9.3
15. Santiago RodrĆ­guez
NYC
at CIN
$10.1
16. Ryan Gauld
VAN
at POR
$12.1
17. DƔniel Gazdag
PHI
at DC
$10.7
18. Aidan Morris
CLB
vs. TOR
$10.0
19. Erik Thommy
SKC
vs. SJ
$7.9
20. Xherdan Shaqiri
CHI
at LA

$8.5

Value Midfielders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Robert Taylor
MIA
at RBNY
$6.0
2. Ryan Raposo
HOU
at RSL
$5.9
3. Sebastian Lletget
DAL

vs. ATX

$5.3

Forwards

Cucho HernĆ”ndez fired off six shots (five on goal) and converted from the spot in last weekā€™s win over FC Cincinnati. Look for the Colombian striker to continue to be a menace around the goal in a favorable home tilt with Toronto.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Cucho HernƔndez
CLB
vs. TOR
$11.3
2. Giorgos Giakoumakis
ATL
vs. NSH
$8.7
3. Jefferson Savarino
RSL
vs. HOU
$10.1
4. Teemu Pukki
MIN
vs. SEA
$8.9
5. JesĆŗs Ferreira
DAL
vs. ATX
$9.0
6. Cristian Arango
RSL
vs. HOU
$9.0
7. Bongi Hlongwane
MIN
vs. SEA
$8.6
8. Aaron Boupendza
CIN
vs. NYC
$9.0
9. Alan Pulido
SKC
vs. SJ
$9.1
10. Brandon Vazquez
CIN
vs. NYC
$6.9


Value Forwards
1. Kwadwo Opoku
MTL
vs. NE
$5.3
2. Elias Manoel
RBNY
vs. MIA
$5.1
3. Sam Adeniran
STL
at ORL
$5.6
Captain
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Lionel Messi
MIA
at RBNY
$15.0
2. Cucho HernƔndez
CLB
vs. TOR
$11.3
3. Julian Gressel
CLB
vs. TOR
$9.7

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

  • Giorgos Giakoumakis bagged a brace in Sundayā€™s road win over Seattle, heading home two goals to lift Atlanta to a big road win. The target man will continue to see more set-piece opportunities come his way in Saturdayā€™s Eastern Conference clash with Nashville.
  • Lionel Messi has scored 10 goals in eight appearances since making his Inter Miami debut. Thereā€™s some rotational risk with this pick, but even in limited minutes, Messi comes with high goal-scoring upside.
  • Cristian Arango was brought in over the summer to score goals, and heā€™s already shown glimpses of how dangerous he can be for RSL. Expect a big bounce-back effort after Houston booted Real Salt Lake in the US Open Cup semifinal on Wednesday.
  • Teemu Pukki hasnā€™t scored in two regular-season games after opening his MLS account in his first start for Minnesota. With Bongi Hlongwane dealing with some knee soreness, Pukki could shoulder more of the scoring load at home against Seattle on Sunday.

Check out my squad for Round 27:

squad pick round 28

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:

  • Both meetings between D.C. United and Philadelphia in 2023 have ended in scoreless draws. Philadelphia won both meetings with D.C. last season, outscoring them 13-0 in the two games.
  • New York Red Bulls have won three straight home matches in all competitions, while Inter Miami are unbeaten in a club-record eight straight matches (5W-0L-3D) following the arrival of Lionel Messi.
  • Orlando City are unbeaten in nine straight home matches (5W-0L-4D) in all competitions and have won their last two matches against expansion teams.
  • LA Galaxy are unbeaten in 12 straight meetings with the Fire (7W-0L-5D), while Chicago have won their last five away games against Western Conference opponents in all competitions.
  • The Timbers have lost three straight games in all competitions, though they havenā€™t lost four in a row since 2019. The Whitecaps have won three of their last five road matches in all competitions, though they havenā€™t won consecutive road matches since 2017.
  • The Sounders have won 11 of 13 all-time matches against Minnesota United, including the last four in a row. Minnesota United have won three of their last five regular-season matches following a 2-0 win at NYCFC on Sunday.

Check out my predictions for Round 28:

squad pick round 28 (1)