MLS Fantasy Week 28 positional rankings and gaming advice

Schuyler Redpath

The last double game week of the season is upon us and it is a BIG one. With just two rounds to go, Week 28 of MLS Fantasy offers up one last chance to make a surge up the leaderboards. There are 12 matches on Wednesday night, so let’s dive right back in and look at the top plays and values at each position.

Goalkeepers

Andre Blake compiled 11 saves and notched a rare goalkeeper assist to finish with 13 points in Week 27. Philadelphia are one of five teams with both matches at home this week, planting Blake back atop the GK rankings with a pair of favorable matchups vs. Atlanta and Nashville.

Player

Team

Opponent

Price

1. Andre Blake

PHI

vs. ATL, vs. NSH

$8.5

2. Stefan Frei

SEA

vs. LA, vs. VAN

$7.4

3. Jonathan Sirois

MTL

vs. HOU, vs. POR

$8.4

4. Chris Brady

CHI

vs. MIA, vs. CLT

$7.8

5. Maarten Paes

DAL

vs. COL, vs. SJ

$7.5

Value Goalkeepers

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Kristijan Kahlina	CLT	vs. TOR, at CHI	$6.8
2. Yohei Takaoka	VAN	vs. STL, at SEA	$5.6
3. Earl Edwards Jr.	NE	vs. CLB, at ORL	$5.8

Defenders

Álvaro Barreal has two assists and one goal across his last two appearances, and he’s played an integral role in helping FC Cincinnati clinch the Supporters' Shield. With two matches this week, he has big potential to top double-digit fantasy points as an attacking threat with the ability to collect a clean sheet too.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Álvaro Barreal	CIN	vs. RBNY, at MIA	$11.8
2. Walker Zimmerman	NSH	vs. ORL, at PHI	$9.7
3. Jackson Ragen	SEA	vs. LA, vs. VAN	$10.9
4. Jack Elliott	PHI	vs. ATL, vs. NSH	$7.6
5. John Tolkin	RBNY	at CIN, vs. TOR	$10.4
6. Jack Maher	NSH	vs. ORL, at PHI	$8.7
7. Yeimar	SEA	vs. LA, vs. VAN	$10.9
8. Julian Gressel	CLB	at NE, at ATL	$9.1
9. Brooks Lennon	ATL	at PHI, vs. CLB	$12.5
10. Ryan Hollingshead	LAFC	vs. MIN, at ATX	$9.8

Value Defenders

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Carlos Terán	CHI	vs. MIA, vs. CLT	$4.4
2. Kamal Miller	MIA	at CHI, vs. CIN	$5.9
3. Kyle Duncan	RBNY	at CIN, vs. TOR	$5.7

Midfielders

Luciano Acosta is tied for the league lead in goals and ranks third in assists (15g,13a), and he’s scored or assisted in five of his last six appearances. He’s been another pivotal piece to an FC Cincinnati attack side that clinched their first-ever Supporters' Shield over the weekend, and with two matches incoming this week, look for Lucho to continue to rack up the stats as the regular season comes to a close.

NOTE: Worth monitoring is a knock that Acosta suffered over the weekend. Keep an eye out for starting lineups on Wednesday and lock Lucho in if he’s good to go.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Luciano Acosta	CIN	vs. RBNY, at MIA	$15.2
2. Carles Gil	NE	vs. CLB, at ORL	$14.0
3. Dániel Gazdag	PHI	vs. ATL, vs. NSH	$11.2
4. Ryan Gauld	VAN	vs. STL, at SEA	$13.9
5. Thiago Almada	ATL	at PHI, vs. CLB	$14.6
6. Hany Mukhtar	NSH	vs. ORL, at PHI	$12.6
7. Emanuel Reynoso	MIN	at LAFC, vs. LA	$10.4
8. Connor Ronan	COL	at DAL, at HOU	$10.2
9. Lionel Messi	MIA	at CHI, vs. CIN	$14.4
10. Sebastián Driussi	ATX	vs. DC, vs. LAFC	$10.2
11. Alan Velasco	DAL	vs. COL, vs. SJ	$7.6
12. João Paulo	SEA	vs. LA, vs. VAN	$8.9
13. Facundo Torres	ORL	at NSH, vs. NE	$11.6
14. Nicolás Lodeiro	SEA	vs. LA, vs. VAN	$7.5
15. Diego Rossi	CLB	at NE, at ATL	$9.5
16. Xherdan Shaqiri	CHI	vs. MIA, vs. CLT	$7.2
17. Mateusz Klich	DC	at ATX, vs. NYC	$9.4
18. Frankie Amaya	RBNY	at CIN, vs. TOR	$8.7
19. Jonathan Osorio	TOR	at CLT, at RBNY	$11.1
20. Tomas Chancalay	NE	vs. CLB, at ORL	$9.0

Value Midfielders

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Cole Bassett	COL	at DAL, at HOU	$6.3
2. Quinn Sullivan	PHI	vs. ATL, vs. NSH	$4.0
3. Jesús Bueno	PHI	vs. ATL, vs. NSH	$4.7

Forwards

Cucho Hernández is just one goal back in the Golden Boot presented by Audi race and he continues to bang out shots in bulk. He’s bagged eight goals on 31 shots across the Crew’s last five matches, and even with two road matches he stands out as arguably the most dangerous forward in the league at the moment.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Cucho Hernández	CLB	at NE, at ATL	$13.0
2. Jesús Ferreira	DAL	vs. COL, vs. SJ	$9.0
3. Giorgos Giakoumakis	ATL	at PHI, vs. CLB	$10.2
4. Dénis Bouanga	LAFC	vs. MIN, at ATX	$11.4
5. Julián Carranza	PHI	vs. ATL, vs. NSH	$9.0
6. Teemu Pukki	MIN	at LAFC, vs. LA	$10.3
7. Brian White	VAN	vs. STL, at SEA	$10.8
8. Christian Benteke	DC	at ATX, vs. NYC	$8.6
9. Karol Swiderski	CLT	vs. TOR, at CHI	$8.9
10. Brandon Vazquez	CIN	vs. RBNY, at MIA	$8.4

Value Forwards

1. Georgios Koutsias	CHI	vs. MIA, vs. CLT	$4.0
2. Calvin Harris	COL	at DAL, at HOU	$5.3
3. Jáder Obrian	DAL	vs. COL, vs. SJ	$6.0

Captain

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Luciano Acosta	CIN	vs. RBNY, at MIA	$15.2
2. Carles Gil	NE	vs. CLB, at ORL	$14.0
3. Cucho Hernández	CLB	at NE, at ATL	$13.0

MLS Squad Pick

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Expert advice

Dénis Bouanga – and LAFC's entire attack for that matter – are due for a breakout performance. A home match against a Minnesota United side that hasn't kept a shutout for over a month may be just what the doctor ordered.
Christian Benteke is on a hot streak (four goals in his last two matches), and D.C. have a virtual must-win home match that is sure to have the striker's full attention.

Cucho Hernández, September's MLS Player of the Month presented by CELSIUS, has become the focal point of one the league's most dominant attacks.

It's pretty well-known that Dallas have trouble getting players other than Jesús Ferreira on the scoresheet. With their season hanging in the balance, expect the squad to feed Ferreira over and over again.

Julián Carranza played 45 minutes off the bench in Matchday 35, so he should be plenty rested for a crucial home fixture against an Atlanta United side that struggles to keep clean sheets.

Check out my squad for Round 35:

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Expert advice:

FC Cincinnati will likely rest players after sewing up the Supporters' Shield on Saturday, but they have the depth to give the Red Bulls problems, especially at home.
Philadelphia have tied five straight and, sitting two points above Atlanta in the Eastern Conference table, have every incentive to keep that streak going in order to prevent the Five Stripes from overtaking them.
Miami have injuries issues up and down their roster, giving Chicago a prime opportunity to make their claim for a playoff spot in front of a sold-out Soldier Field.
Nashville haven't lit the world on fire of late, but they also haven't lost to an MLS opponent at home since July 15 and have a virtually must-win game if they hope to finish top four finish in East.
Seattle and LA have tied eight of their last 12 combined matches. Strong midfield play anchors both sides, but an inconsistent attack has plagued the Sounders while a leaky defense has kept the Galaxy out of the win column.
Expect a cagey affair at BC Place as Vancouver fight for top four in the West and No. 1 seed St. Louis (56 pts.) look to break the single-season points record for an expansion club (57, set by LAFC in 2018).