Fantasy Soccer Advice

MLS Fantasy Week 21 positional rankings and gaming advice

Carles Gil - Fantasy - 7.11.23

Another big double-game week starts on Wednesday, and with 18 teams scheduled to play twice this round, this is the last chance to rack up big points before the MLS All-Star break and Leagues Cup.

There are several new stars being added to the game with Secondary Transfer Window movement, so keep your eyes peeled to see how quickly they adjust to their new settings and how they will impact fantasy.

Let’s get right into it and look at the top plays and values at each position.

Goalkeepers

Chris Brady has kept a clean sheet in two of his last three outings and he’s one of three goalkeepers who could make two starts at home this week. On top of that, Montréal and Toronto FC have both been shut out in each of their last three matches.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Chris Brady
CHI
vs. MTL, vs. TOR
$7.4
2. Djordje Petrovic 
NE

vs. ATL, vs. DC

$8.8
3. Yohei Takaoka
VAN

vs. ATX, vs. LA

$6.6
4. John McCarthy
LAFC
vs. STL, at MIN
$7.1
5. Roman Bürki
STL
at LAFC, vs. MIA
$9.7
Value Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Joe Bendik
PHI
at NSH, vs. NYC
$4.5
2. Kendall McIntosh
SKC
vs. RSL, at ATX
$5.1
3. Stefan Cleveland
SEA
at SJ, vs. DAL
$4.8

Defenders

Brooks Lennon has scored a goal in back-to-back games, keeping two clean sheets in that span to tally 29 points across his last two games. With two goals and an assist across his last four outings, Lennon continues to prove he’s one of the top two-way defenders in MLS regardless of matchup.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Brooks Lennon
ATL
at NE, vs. ORL
$11.4
2. Rafael Czichos
CHI
vs. MTL, vs. TOR
$8.1
3. Álvaro Barreal
CIN
at RBNY, vs. NSH
$11.3
4. Yeimar
SEA
at SJ, vs. DAL
$12.3
5. Kai Wagner
PHI
at NSH, vs. NYC
$10.6
6. Brandon Bye
NE
vs. ATL, vs. DC
$7.4
7. Justen Glad
RSL
at SKC, vs. RBNY
$9.5
8. Ranko Veselinovic
VAN
vs. ATX, vs. LA
$9.0
9. Diego Palacios
LAFC
vs. STL, at MIN
$8.8
10. Tim Parker
STL
at LAFC, vs. MIA
$9.2


Value Defenders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Caleb Wiley
ATL
at NE, vs. ORL
$5.1
2. Joshua Yaro
STL
at LAFC, vs. MIA
$5.4
3. Kyle Duncan
RBNY
vs. CIN, at RSL
$5.3

Midfielders

Carles Gil comes into the double-game week with fresh legs after serving his suspension in Week 20. The MLS All-Star midfielder will look to pick up where he left off and he’s well-positioned to add to his seven-goal, nine-assist haul with attractive home matchups versus Atlanta and D.C.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Carles Gil
NE
vs. ATL, vs. DC
$12.9
2. Ryan Gauld
VAN
vs. ATX, vs. LA 
$11.2
3. Thiago Almada
ATL
at NE, vs. ORL
$14.0
4. Emanuel Reynoso
MIN
at HOU, vs. LAFC
$9.1
5. Sebastián Driussi
ATX
at VAN, vs. SKC
$9.6
6. Héctor Herrera
HOU
vs. MIN, at COL
$11.1
7. Hany Mukhtar
NSH
vs. PHI, at CIN
$13.6
8. Luciano Acosta
CIN
at RBNY, vs. NSH
$13.4
9. Pablo Ruiz
RSL
at SKC, vs. RBNY
$10.6
10. Nicolás Lodeiro
SEA
at SJ, vs. DAL
$9.4
11. Frankie Amaya
RBNY
vs. CIN, at RSL
$8.1
12. Albert Rusnak
SEA
at SJ, vs. DAL
$9.2

13. Erik Thommy

SKC
vs. RSL, at ATX
$8.3
14. Mateusz Bogusz
LAFC
vs. STL, at MIN
$7.6
15. Daniel Gazdag
PHI
at NSH, vs. NYC
$10.5
16. Xherdan Shaqiri
CHI
vs. MTL, vs. TOR
$7.9
17. Gadi Kinda
SKC
vs. RSL, at ATX
$7.0
18. João Paulo
SEA
at SJ, vs. DAL
$9.4
19. Bryce Duke
MTL
at CHI, vs. CLT
$6.4
20. Diego Fagúndez
ATX
at VAN, vs. SKC

$6.5

Value midfielders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Aziel Jackson
STL
at LAFC, vs. MIA
$4.7
2. Ethan Finlay
ATX
at VAN, vs. SKC
$5.3
3. Kellyn Acosta
LAFC

vs. STL, at MIN

$4.6

Forwards

Dénis Bouanga converted a penalty kick in his last outing to finish with 13 points in Round 20, and LAFC’s leading goal-scorer has now registered over 20 shots across his last four appearances.

We also have some new heavy artillery to play with in the form of Teemu Pukki and Cristian Arango, who both have a good shot at making their mark this week with two games on the schedule.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Dénis Bouanga
LAFC
vs. STL, at MIN
$11.1
2. Alan Pulido
SKC
vs. RSL, at ATX
$9.4
3. Gustavo Bou
NE
vs. ATL, vs. DC
$8.9
4. Teemu Pukki
MIN
at HOU, vs. LAFC
$9.5
5. Cristian Arango
RSL
at SKC, vs. RBNY
$9.6
6. Carlos Vela
LAFC
vs. STL, at MIN
$8.8
7. Julián Carranza
PHI
at NSH, vs. NYC
$10.4
8. Jefferson Savarino
RSL
at SKC, vs. RBNY
$9.6
9. Bongi Hlongwane
MIN
at HOU, vs. LAFC
$8.1
10. Brian White
VAN
vs. ATX, vs. LA
$8.1
Value forwards
1. Dante Vanzeir
RBNY
vs. CIN, at RSL
$5.3
2. Kwadwo Opoku
MTL
at CHI, vs. CTL
$4.4
3. Stipe Biuk
LAFC
vs. STL, at MIN
$4.4
Captain
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Carles Gil
NE
vs. ATL, vs. DC
$12.9
2. Ryan Gauld
VAN
vs. ATX, vs. LA
$11.2
3. Dénis Bouanga
LAFC
vs. STL, at MIN
$11.1

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!

Don’t forget, each round you play gives you one (1) entry into the end-of-season Grand Prize drawing for $10,000!

Expert advice

I’m riding the hot hand with Alan Pulido, who is arguably the hottest striker in the league with nine goals over his last seven appearances. A fresh Carles Gil returns from suspension and will look to add to his team-leading 7g/9a haul in a good matchup at home with Atlanta. Cristian Espinoza has scored in two straight and just hit double-digit goals for the season as he continues to serve as San Jose’s top attacking threat. To round out my squad, I’m pulling for a barnburner between Vancouver and Austin at BC Place, and will be looking to club-leading scorers Brian White and Sebastian Driussi to find the back of the net.

Check out my squad for Round 24:

MLS Squad Pick - My Squad (24)

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:

  • Chicago have won three of their last four MLS matches, although CF Montréal have won each of their last four matches against the Fire.
  • Nashville SC are on an eight-match home unbeaten streak, while the Union have failed to win any of their last four road games (0W-3L-1D).
  • Real Salt Lake have won four of their five matches against Sporting KC since the start of 2021 (4W-1L-0D), and they are unbeaten in 10 straight away matches in all competitions (8W-0L-2D).
  • LAFC have won all six of their meetings against expansion teams, outscoring them 14-1 in those games. St. Louis CITY SC have won three straight matches – can they become the first expansion team to defeat LAFC?
  • San Jose have won two of their last three MLS matches against Seattle (2W-0L-1D), but they are in the midst of a five-game winless streak (0W-2L-3D) after drawing against LAFC on Saturday.
  • The Whitecaps have lost just one of their five meetings with Austin FC (3W-1L-1D).

Check out my predictions for Round 24:

MLS Parlay Predictor - My Predictions (23)