Fantasy Soccer Advice

MLS Fantasy Week 24 positional rankings and gaming advice

cucho hernandez fantasy

A massive double-game week starts with 13 matches scheduled for Wednesday, giving fantasy managers a ripe opportunity to rack up some huge point hauls. Round 24 marks the final week of Fantasy Champions League qualifiers, and with multiple teams playing twice there are sure to be some big moves on the leaderboards. Letā€™s get right into it and look at the top plays and values to target this week.

Get more advice on the _MLS Fantasy Insider Round 24 preview_ podcast

Goalkeepers

With home-field advantage being a real factor in MLS, Iā€™m targeting three goalkeepers that could play both matches at home. Luis Barraza and Daniel are solid options that wonā€™t break the bank, and with Djordje Petrovic off to Chelsea, Earl Edwards Jr. is a good bargain bin grab to free up funds elsewhere.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Luis Barraza
NYC
vs. MTL, vs. VAN
$6.5
2. Daniel
SJ

vs. LA, vs. MIN

$6.5
3. Roman BĆ¼rki
STL

vs. DAL, at SKC

$9.9
4. Andre Blake
PHI
at TOR, vs. RBNY
$7.7
5. Jonathan Bond
LA
at SJ, vs. HOU
$7.0
Value Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Earl Edwards Jr
NE
vs. RBNY, vs. ATX
$5.1
2. Yohei Takaoka
VAN
at CHI, at NYC
$5.6
3. Gavin Beavers
RSL
at POR, vs. COL
$4.0

Defenders

Kai Wagner whipped in 10 crosses and created four chances in last weekendā€™s dismantling of D.C. United, and he continues to be one of the top crossers in the league despite having just two assists to his name this season. Philadelphia have a pair of favorable Eastern Conference clashes at Toronto on Wednesday before hosting the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Kai Wagner
PHI
at TOR, vs. RBNY
$10.2
2. Rodrigues
SJ
vs. LA, vs. MIN
$10.4
3. Brooks Lennon
ATL
vs. CIN, at DAL
$12.4
4. Thiago Martins
NYC
vs. MTL, vs. VAN
$7.6
5. Julian Gressel
CLB
at HOU, at MTL
$10.2
6. Ɓlvaro Barreal
CIN
at ATL, vs. ORL
$10.1
7. DeJuan Jones
NE
vs. RBNY, vs. ATX
$9.6
8. John Tolkin
RBNY
at NE, at PHI
$10.1
9. Yeimar
SEA
at ATX, vs. POR
$11.2
10. Jakob Glesnes
PHI
at TOR, vs. RBNY
$8.9


Value Defenders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Noah Allen
MIA
vs. NSH, at LAFC
$5.0
2. Brad Smith
HOU
vs. CLB, at LA
$4.3
3. Raheem Edwards
LA
at SJ, vs. HOU
$5.9

Midfielders

Lionel Messi is set to make his first MLS regular season start against Nashville on Wednesday, and with two matches incoming this week the GOAT is a fade-at-your-own-risk player. Heā€™s scored or assisted in all nine appearances since joining Inter Miami, and we can expect the Messi show to roll on with the Herons making a last-ditch Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs push.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Lionel Messi
MIA
vs. NSH, at LAFC
$14.6
2. Carles Gil
NE
vs. RBNY, vs. ATX
$13.5
3. Cristian Espinoza
SJ
vs. LA, vs. MIN
$12.8
4. Thiago Almada
ATL
vs. CIN, at DAL
$13.8
5. Riqui Puig
LA
at SJ, vs. HOU
$10.6
6. Emanuel Reynoso
MIN
vs. COL, at SJ
$10.5
7. Luciano Acosta
CIN
at ATL, vs. ORL
$14.4
8. Hany Mukhtar
NSH
at MIA, vs. CLT
$12.7
9. Eduard Lƶwen
STL
vs. DAL, at SKC
$12.1
10. Ryan Gauld
VAN
at CHI, at NYC
$12.6
11. HĆ©ctor Herrera
HOU
vs. CLB, at LA
$10.8
12. Maxi Moralez
NYC
vs. MTL, vs. VAN
$8.3

13. DƔniel Gazdag

PHI
at TOR, vs. RBNY
$11.2
14. SebastiƔn Driussi
ATX
vs. SEA, at NE
$9.9
15. Diego Rossi
CLB
at HOU, at MTL
$9.0
16. Mathieu ChoiniĆØre
MTL
at NYC, vs. CLB
$9.0
17. Facundo Torres
ORL
at CLT, at CIN
$11.0
18. Evander
POR
vs. RSL, at SEA
$9.2
19. Nicolas Lodeiro
SEA
at ATX, vs. POR
$8.8
20. Xherdan Shaqiri
CHI
vs. VAN. at DC

$8.2

Value Midfielders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Paul Arriola
DAL
at STL, vs. ATL
$5.2
2. Jan Gregus
MIN
vs. COL, at SJ
$4.9
3. Jack McGlynn
PHI

at TOR, vs. RBNY

$5.7

Forwards

Cucho HernĆ”ndez rattled off an eye-popping 12 shots in Saturdayā€™s 2-0 win over Toronto, finishing with six fantasy points despite being unable to find the back of the net. He continues to be a menace around the goal, and even though Columbus are on the road for both matches, I fully expect Cucho to persist in his attacking efforts.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Cucho HernƔndez
CLB
at HOU, at MTL
$11.0
2. Cristian Arango
RSL
at POR, vs. COL
$10.3
3. Giorgos Giakoumakis
ATL
vs. CIN, at DAL
$9.2
4. Jefferson Savarino
RSL
at POR, vs. COL
$10.3
5. JuliƔn Carranza
PHI
at TOR, vs. RBNY
$9.6
6. Diego Costa
RSL
at SJ, vs. HOU
$8.5
7. Brian White
VAN
at CHI, at NYC
$9.6
8. Josef MartĆ­nez
ATL
vs. NSH, at LAFC
$6.8
9. Jeremy Ebobisse
SJ
vs. LA, vs. MIN
$7.3
10. Teemu Pukki
MIN
vs. COL, at SJ
$8.4


Value Forwards
1. Leonardo Campana
MIA
vs. NSH, at LAFC
$6.1
2. Kwadwo Opoku
MTL
at NYC, vs. CLB
$5.5
3. Cade Cowell
SJ
vs. LA, vs. MIN
$4.9
Captain
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Lionel Messi
MIA
vs. NSH, at LAFC
$14.6
2. Carles Gil
NE
vs. RBNY, vs. ATX
$13.5
3. Cucho Hernandez
CLB
at HOU, at MTL
$11.0

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

  • Lionel Messi has scored in eight of nine appearances for Inter Miami, and with his first MLS start incoming, he should see multiple opportunities to repeat his Leagues Cup goal versus Nashville on Wednesday.
  • SebastiĆ”n Driussi continues to serve as Austin FCā€™s primary threat going forward, and with ATX clinging to the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, theyā€™ll look to their talisman to carry the goalscoring load down the stretch.
  • Giorgos Giakoumakis has scored two goals on eight shots (six on target) to go along with an assist across his last two outings, proving his worth as Atlanta Unitedā€™s marquee No. 9 since joining the club from Celtic.
  • Karol Swiderski leads Charlotte FC with seven goals on the season, and if they are to make a playoff push theyā€™ll need the Polish international to continue to find ways to score. Theyā€™ll be looking for a big result at home against Orlando on Wednesday, and I expect Swiderski to be involved.
  • Riqui Puig has been on fire of late, notching three goals and adding four assists across his last five appearances. Look for him to show out again in the California ClĆ”sico as the Galaxy clash with intrastate rival San Jose Earthquakes.

Check out my squad for Round 29:

squad pick round 29

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:

  • Atlanta United have lost just one of their 10 all-time matches against FC Cincinnati (5W-1L-4D).
  • Inter Miami CF are unbeaten in nine straight matches in all competitions (6W-0L-3D), the longest run in club history. Nashville have lost six of their last seven regular-season matches, including a club-record four in a row.
  • Austin FC have lost four straight matches in all competitions, while Seattle have won just two of their last 13 matches in all competitions (2W-6L-5D).
  • Minnesota United have lost just three of their last 20 regular-season home matches dating back to July 2022. The Rapids have won just one of their last 16 matches in all competitions (1W-11L-4D).
  • Portland have lost four straight matches in all competitions, with three of those defeats coming at home, while Real Salt Lake have lost four of their last five in all competitions ā€“ including the last three in a row.
  • The Galaxy are unbeaten in their last three road matches against the Earthquakes (2W-0L-1D), and the have lost just one of their last nine regular-season matches (4W-1L-4D).

Check out my predictions for Round 29:

parlay predictor round 29