DraftKings MLS: Saturday MLS Strategies

Lineup No. 1: Frugal Forwards

The way that DraftKings pricing has been working lately, it's quite difficult to build a roster with fewer than three value picks in the attack. Lineup construction is as important as ever, and oftentimes the decision on which position - midfield or forward - to save salary with is a critical one. It's no secret that the forward position is loaded with game changers like Sebastian Giovinco, David Villa and Kei Kamara, all of whom are capable of respectable point totals even without a goal. Otherwise, the midfield is the most consistent way to find points. If you can pick cheaper forwards that score a goal, and then load up on an expensive midfield, then success is imminent. I'm assuming Giovinco doesn't put up another 56 points, of course.

Four forwards jump out as potential goal threats in the low $4,000 range this week: Juan Agudelo, Tesho Akindele, Ola Kamara, and Herculez Gomez. My pick of the litter is Agudelo, who now plays alongside Kamara, or rather in his shadow, but he remains an attacker with more potential than almost any young forward in the league. He's made just six starts on the year, but has two goals and two assists. In a blossoming attack, with defenses and our opponents focusing on Kamara, Agudelo could be a great value.

I considered the other three forwards, but ultimately reached a little higher for the second spot. Khiry Shelton at $4,600 had some appeal in the Hudson River Derby, but Kevin Doyle ($5,100) makes my lineup for possibly the first time. I can't deny Doyle's role in the Colorado Rapids' attack, as he finally looks to have acclimated to Major League Soccer and the team around him looks to have vastly improved. Shkelzen Gashi is the bandwagon choice, and for good reason, but remember that Doyle spearheads the Rapids attack. Doyle is very capable in the air but also chips in with many small point scoring actions.

Let's knock our two cheap midfielders out quickly. Marco Donadel ($4,100) and Gonzalo Veron ($3,500) are two fine choices. Donadel does have a tough road fixture in Orlando, but he should be on corner kick duty for crossing points and also has a long range cannon that has yet to be unleashed this season. Orlando are a really tough out at home, but Montreal are a seasoned side that will put up a good fight on the road. If Veron were a regular starter for New York Red Bulls, he'd be priced around $6,000. The dynamic young winger should start this weekend as manager Jesse Marsch looks to aggressively pressure NYC FC's mediocre back line. Veron has gone silent for stretches in his substitute appearances, but it's highly unlikely he doesn't create a few big moments while playing significant minutes in this important match.

This next part is both the most fun, and the most excruciating, as we can afford a trio of $6,000+ midfielders. With a plethora of viable options, choosing is not easy. While I think Kaka could have a huge match, it's tough to justify the $7,800 price tag. On the other side of the field, albeit the away side, Ignacio Piatti costs $1,200 less. Piatti has historically produced more without Didier Drogba in the lineup, as will be the case this weekend, and when it comes to potential for gargantuan scores, Piatti is the cream of the midfield crop.

I went out on a bit of a limb this week and ranked Sacha Kljestan as my top midfielder. He doesn't have the playmaking chops of a Mauro Diaz or Federico Higuain, but he is more of a goal threat from open play. He's on most corner kicks as well. I'd be quite surprised if Kljestan goes quietly against NYC FC. I've been pretty vocal about the Red Bulls being a superior club in this young rivalry, so maybe take my Red Bulls love with a grain of salt.

At $6,600, we've come across our toughest decision yet: Lee Nguyen versus Giles Barnes. Barnes is poised to leave to play Copa America with Jamaica while Nguyen is probably sensing that he will get snubbed for the USA squad. While Nguyen gives us a better floor, is at home and now gets a prime target to cross to in Kamara, I am leaning Barnes, who has a more appealing opponent, even on the road, in the Chicago Fire. They played midweek and are very possibly the league's worst team. Nguyen must overcome Dallas' standout defensive midfield, who have shut down countless star playmakers the past several seasons. We'll get our New England exposure with Agudelo and target the Chicago Fire defense with Barnes.

Our defense is nothing to boast about, so we'll rifle through it. If some surprise and cheap starts pop up throughout the day, definitely consider pivoting to them instead. Connor Lade ($3,500) and Saad Abdul-Salaam ($3,400) both like to join the attack and even can be found making runs into the box or taking some semi-dangerous shots. They should get us a few crosses, at worst. Walker Zimmerman is an aerial threat who accumulates a fair amount of defensive points as well. Finally, Nick Rimando is significantly underpriced in goal. He plays on the road to Sporting Kansas City, a team that floats a lot of shots towards goal, but unsuccessfully. I'll take the heaping helping of save points and hope for even more.

Devil's Advocate: I do this all the time - fade Giovinco. Often it comes back to bite us. It's not interesting writing an article with two lineups that squeeze him in though, and with his ownership levels through the roof we can definitely benefit when he has a fairly quiet week. That said, we still are fading Giovinco, Kamara and Villa. Piatti and Barnes have also been known to lay an egg once in a while.

Why We'll Win: This lineup isn't the high percentage play. Gambling on two cheap forwards requires a bit of a "perfect storm" scenario to pay off. The appeal, however, is that when it does happen, we have an excellent shot at finishing in first place. This is a swing-for-the-fences lineup, but it's also one that could certainly cash if just one forward scores. The midfield talent is immense and Agudelo and Doyle both have an underrated (sometimes even by me) goal scoring pedigree.

Lineup No. 2: My Editor is Going to Fire Me If I Don't Start Including a Giovinco Lineup

The ruthless Andrew Laird told me I had to either write up a Giovinco lineup or watch Sebastian Le Toux highlights, so here we are.

Giovinco will be on everyone's minds after his recent 56-point outing. He was held in check midweek, to the tune of 21 points. Yes, that is considered being held in check for Seba. He now costs $10,400, which is nearly as much as he did last season before DraftKings expanded the roster size. It won't be easy to fit him in, but it might be necessary.

At the other forward spot, we need to start saving straight away, and Ola Kamara ($4,300) can help us do just that. He sits atop a dangerous Columbus front four, and while he may not be the fantasy producer of the banished Kamara, he's still a quality forward. While everybody else waits to see him produce before buying in, we can get on board early.

Our three cheapest midfielders are Adrian Winter ($4,300), Lucas Ontivero ($3,600) and Jimmy Medranda ($3,500). Right off the bat, let me mention that I think Medranda could play in Sporting Kansas City's front three rather than left back as he did recently. If that's not the case, it's possible we could pivot to his possible replacements, Jacob Peterson or Diego Rubio (each $3,000 and forward eligible). Sporting KC will be eager to avenge their last embarrassing home loss to Real Salt Lake and should be smart enough not to play both Brad Davis and Graham Zusi. The pair just do not work well against most teams. Medranda will provide some agility and fresh legs to an attack that desperately need it.

Orlando City have looked their best when Winter lines up on a wing. Antonio Nocerino didn't cut it last match and I wouldn't pivot to him if Winter does not start; however, I would consider Carlos Rivas, who is a more attack-minded winger with speed to burn. Kaka looks to be rallying the troops, and Orlando like to put on a show for their outstanding home crowd, so goals could be plentiful on both sides here. On that note, I'm banking on Montreal playing Lucas Ontivero as Dominic Oduro moves from the wing to the forward spot. Ontivero has had limited production in his minutes for the Impact, but he's found chances and is a positionally smart winger. He's a cheap way into this attack against an Orlando City side that have yet to find their defensive footing this season.

We do have the budget for two pricier midfield picks, though not top tier. I grabbed Shkelzen Gashi ($6,000) and Justin Meram ($5,200). Both are capable of scoring and assisting in equal measure, and while they play solid teams on the road, I don't think their production will wane much. It may be worth considering a Meram downgrade to turn Gashi into an elite midfield pick, but that's a matter of personal preference when constructing your lineup. Gashi hasn't yet had the two-goal game he has looked ever-capable of producing, so it might be worth it just to stay put and bank on him truly breaking out.

In the back, I'm grabbing two set-piece threats in Jonathan Campbell and Aurelien Collin. We don't have the cash for quality fullbacks, so targeting some centerbacks that are dangerous in the air is better than nothing. Both face opponents that are pretty poor at defending set pieces. Alongside them, I have just enough to fit Rodrigo Ramos ($3,900) and Zac MacMath ($3,200) but I toyed around with several final combinations for this fullback/keeper combo. Nick Rimando will be very popular among Giovinco owners, since he offers the most extreme savings so going a bit higher for a differential like MacMath is a positive value move more often than not. Ramos has free reign in Chicago to get up the flank, and has proven to cross with enough volume that he deserves to be a weekly consideration.

Devil's Advocate: Seriously though, is Giovinco that much more valuable than a rested David Villa in a rivalry match, or a still-fired-up Kei Kamara? Our back four is quite forgettable, too. Maybe we really should fade Giovinco and build a better balanced roster.

Why We'll Win: Of course we shouldn't fade Giovinco! Columbus aren't a great defensive team, and Toronto FC have been playing quite well of late. In fact, we should hope that Mo Babouli or another cheap TFC attacker give us an option to pair with Giovinco. If one or two extreme values (low $3,000s and under) open up as rosters are released, we can even field a dangerous midfield. The biggest challenge is differentiating ourselves from other Giovinco owners, and the goalkeeping spot may be an ideal spot to do just that.