This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
DraftKings has ushered in a new wave of changes to their soccer contests, namely expanded rosters and additional scoring categories. With these changes come a new set of challenges to deal with when building MLS lineups, particularly on smaller slates. On the bright side, adapting quickly can give us a few slates worth of significant advantage over our opponents, so let's dig right in.
Lineup No. 1: Battle-Tested
The majority of picks in this lineup have already participated in the 2015 MLS Playoffs. While I didn't plan it that way, there's something to be said about investing in a known quantity. I feel comfortable picking players who I have recently watched step up when the pressure was on. With three additional roster spots we will need to make sure we don't spread our tournament picks out between too many teams. At the same time, we must pay attention to the absolute best value plays with the salary cap feeling as tight as ever.
My first priority is to identify a few key players who not only have a good matchup, but also a great value. Exhibit A is Ignacio Piatti ($5,800), who comes in as the sixth most expensive midfielder on the slate and a full $1,200 below the top four despite averaging more than 20 points in his past three matches. Piatti will be overshadowed by the presence of Didier Drogba but deserves just as much credit for Montreal's fine season. They've elevated each other. In Piatti's last match, he was shifted to the wing and Toronto FC defenders are likely still having nightmares of him. Few players, let alone midfielders, offer the pure volume of shots that Piatti promises and certainly not in this price range.
My next priority is Andreas Ivanschitz ($3,800). The Austrian is averaging over 13 points per match over his last six games yet you'll have to scroll far down the midfielder list to find him. His last match against the Los Angeles Galaxy was extremely impressive and he was many observers' Man of the Match. With crosses now being credited even more frequently than before, Ivanschitz is almost a guarantee to double his $3,800 value even without a goal or assist. While we're here, I'll mention that Erik Friberg, Ivanschitz's teammate in the Sounders midfield, is even cheaper at $2,800. He scored the game winner against the Galaxy in Wednesday's match and has been playing well since joining Seattle this summer. I'm having a hard time not using both Friberg and Ivanschitz, and hoping they make up for whatever I might lose from not owning Obafemi Martins or Clint Dempsey against a tough Dallas team. Wishful thinking, sure, but it's impossible to grab all of the attacking talent we want this weekend, and these Seattle value plays are too good to pass up.
Next, we must make a very tough decision about which forwards to select. A key factor in my decision was that I believe New York Red Bulls exposure is a must. DC United will miss first-choice center back Bobby Boswell to suspension, and the Red Bulls have not lost to DC this season. Sacha Kljestan has been on fire, but it's difficult to select him over other midfield options in his price range. I'd rather select the main man up top, Bradley Wright-Phillips ($8,700). BWP has been disappointing as often as rewarding in daily fantasy this season, but he remains a premier scorer on the league's top team. He's admittedly over-priced, but nobody outside of Drogba presents as good a chance at a multi-goal game. Speaking of Drogba, I'll also be using him. The man is simply a scoring machine, one to rival Sebastian Giovinco it seems, and he has rarely let down DraftKings users. I don't buy the Crew's recent clean sheet form, and if I am not concerned, it's a guarantee that a man of Drogba's confidence could not be less worried. It was difficult to pass over Fabian Espindola, Kei Kamara, Obafemi Martins and Fabian Castillo, but each plays a tougher defense than BWP and Drogba.
DraftKings' recent changes have placed less emphasis on the clean sheet for defenders. With so much salary needed elsewhere, I've been approaching defender selections with frugality in mind. Crosses are second priority, but centerbacks are in play with interceptions and tackles won now being awarded points, too. Ultimately, I decided on a Montreal stack for this lineup. The Impact are a strong defensive team who have potential to shut down Columbus' high flying attack. Evan Bush ($3,600) is reasonably priced in goal and could face plenty of shots (save points). Ambroise Oyongo ($3,200) and Laurent Ciman ($3,000) bring attacking potential at a discounted price. Finally, I've grabbed Kendall Waston ($2,700) from the Vancouver Whitecaps. I think the Whitecaps will focus on playing a strong defensive game in the away leg at Portland. Waston earned his designation as a set piece force last match, and the Timbers are surprisingly poor at defending them. Waston has double-digit points in his past three, which is difficult to match at his price.
Rounding out the roster are Cristian Techera ($5,200) and Jorge Villafana ($3,100). Techera has eight games with double-digit points in his past 10 and is quick enough to take advantage of Portland's overeager midfield. The Timbers are tired and may miss Diego Chara once more, so I don't mind grabbing a piece of the Vancouver offense. On the other side of the field, I also want a piece of the Timbers despite a tough matchup and fatigue setting in. I think Fanendo Adi, Diego Valeri and company will be largely over-owned after doing so well for daily fantasy players recently, but I am certainly willing to buy into Jorge Villafana's price. He does play as an attacking fullback despite being listed as a midfielder, but he has been grabbing plenty of points lately and benefits from DraftKings' scoring changes. Without much salary cap left, he will have to do.
As notable as who we've selected is who we have not. We own zero players from DC United, FC Dallas and Columbus Crew. There are plenty of great players on those teams, but many of their prices are too high for uncertain production. Columbus and Dallas, in particular, spread their scoring out too much for me to invest so much salary in a single player on the road. Though I think this leg of DC United - New York Red Bulls will be competitive, I can also see a scenario in which the Red Bulls completely shut United down. Our forward selections really dictate the rest of the lineups on these short slates with the new rules, and you'll need to determine which of these eight quality sides you're willing to fade and which you cannot live without.
Devil's Advocate: Columbus won their last match 5-0 without Kamara and Federico Higuain, and is well rested. We have none of them. FC Dallas and Vancouver are also two rested sides we may not have enough of. In a scoring format that greatly benefits playmaking midfielders, we did not buy any of the five most expensive options. Montreal does not seem the strongest bet defensively.
Why We'll Win: Our results really come down to two things: BWP's and Montreal's performances. Montreal easily handled Toronto FC and shut down Giovinco, so I am encouraged by our investment. BWP should step it up in the playoffs and take advantage of a weakened DC United back line. These picks offer all of the upside, while the rest of our team offers a safe floor.
Lineup No. 2: Pivotal Players
The strategy here was simply to look toward the biggest playmakers on each team. I did not select anybody from the Portland/Vancouver match, as Portland are quite tired (did I mention that already?) and Vancouver could play for a draw on the road. I definitely think that could end as a scoreless draw, so I picked David Ousted ($3,500) in goal and selected three cheap defenders in Oneil Fisher, Zach Scott and Chris Klute ($2,500 or less). Klute likely won't play, but has a chance to substitute on. He's simply a min-price salary saver.
Defense out of the way, let's dive into some offensive selections.
Kei Kamara ($8,400) gets into this lineup. There are very few (maybe zero) matches in which he's been quiet this season. He's one of the more active forwards in the league, always making dangerous runs, drifting wide often, dominating in the air and pressuring back lines when Columbus does not have the ball. He sat out the last match, watching Giovinco win the Golden Boot, and has to be itching to put his stamp on MLS once more. Speaking of active forwards, Fabian Espindola ($7,200) is the 1B to Kamara's 1A. Espindola openly wished to play the Red Bulls after the New England Revolution, still harboring some bad blood from his one season in Thierry Henry's shadow. Espindola missed each of the three matches against the Red Bulls this year, a fixture that is one of the league's top rivalries. The attack largely runs through the Argentine, and DC United need to get a good result before traveling to Red Bull Arena for the second leg. Don't count out Espindola when considering top forward plays, as his floor is high even if he does not score.
We've snagged the two most active forwards, now let's try and do the same for midfielders. Ignacio Piatti ($5,800) leads the way for Montreal. As discussed in Lineup No. 1, he's likely the best value on the entire slate and I can't imagine leaving him out of a single lineup. We can't afford Bradley Wright-Phillips after selecting Kamara, so I'm looking to Sacha Kljestan ($7,100), who is also pivotal to the Red Bulls' offense. He not only has double-digit DraftKings scores in each of his last ten matches, five of those saw him score at least 20. I really don't see DC United keeping the Red Bulls off the score sheet, particularly given their unfamiliar centerback pairing.
The Dallas at Seattle match scares me a bit, as I think it could be disappointing offensively, but I'm still looking to grab players from each. David Texeira ($4,600) always seems to score against Seattle, and while he's been beating up on weaker sides and quiet against better ones of late, I love his price this weekend. Seattle's back line is weakened and the team will be playing it's third game in eight days. Texeira may not be Fabian Castillo or Mauro Diaz, but he certainly benefits from playing alongside them. On the other side of the match, a tired Seattle team will be desperate for a home result. Dallas will sell out to stop Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins, leaving the wings exposed. Andreas Ivanschitz ($3,800) thrived on the wing against the Galaxy and could be relied upon heavily once more. Whether or not anyone finishes his crosses, he'll be earning us plenty of points for the price. We have only $2,800 left, which leaves us hoping Erik Friberg can contribute to our side again. He's certainly a bargain and we can't be picky given all of the other great offensive options we've been able to squeeze in.
Devil's Advocate: The two main concerns with this lineup are that we almost completely punted our defender spots and have not truly stacked any offenses. Spreading out our attacking selections could limit our ceiling, unless 5-6 of the picks truly strike gold. Texeira is a bit worrisome, even at a great price, since he'll likely need a goal or assist to make him worth selecting. Also, no Drogba is always risky.
Why We'll Win: Kamara-Espindola-Piatti-Kljestan are an outstanding group of daily fantasy players. We simply need Texeira and Ivanschitz to have a good performance to set us up for a great final score. If our opponents spend the extra $1,500-$2,000 to grab competitive defenders, then they won't be able to match our firepower. Avoiding the Timbers feels like a decision that could really set us apart from the field, in a good way.
