For the purposes of this article, all prices and points are via our partners Mondogoal.
After a brief Wednesday blip on the fantasy map, we're back to a full-strength schedule for this last weekend of August. And what a weekend it's shaping up to be. Even if you're not a serious fantasy player (but you are, admit it), the matches this weekend will be entertaining to watch regardless if you have a player to cheer for or not. But if you are searching for players to root for this round, Mondogoal has you covered for a variety of formats; we have Saturday and Sunday exclusive events, as well as events that span the entire weekend if you have a bit more patience.
Here are the games we have on tap:
Saturday, August 29
Toronto v Montreal
NYCFC v Columbus
Philadelphia v New England
Orlando v Chicago
Dallas v Salt Lake
Colorado v SKC
Houston v Vancouver
Sunday, August 30
Seattle v Portland
NYRB v DC
The excitement for these games continues to build as the season settles into the final stages. The first two games of the day will feature Sebastian Giovinco, Kei Kamara and David Villa, three of the top four players in the chase for the Golden Boot prize. Also, Orlando and NYCFC could both move into the playoff positions with wins -- which would be a historic achievement for two separate maiden clubs. Then we have Seattle and Portland with another round of Cascadia Cup action. And all of that is rounded out by the #1 club in the East taking on the #2 club with NYRB v DC. Like I said, it's going to be a very exciting weekend in MLS action.
And it's no secret that teams will try harder to win when the games matter. And these games matter. If nothing else, expect more than a few inspired performances this weekend from several players.
Of course, the ultimate goal for readers of this site is to convert that excitement into real money, so here's what we have to offer for all of your daily fantasy needs.
Clean Sheet Potential
Full disclosure: the bookies aren't really making any clear cases for shutouts this weekend. The two matches that are slated to be the lowest scoring games are Dallas v RSL and Seattle v Portland -- and of those matches, Dallas are the biggest favorites to win under a low goal-total condition. And perhaps this all ties back into that theory that many of these games do have a bit of added importance, so the teams will be trying a bit harder to snag that winning goal. As is often the case when one of these situations pops up on the bookies' number lines, I find it's best to just focus in on home teams that won't break your budget with their cost.
#1) GOALKEEPER AND DEFENDER TIPS
Saturday -- I'm going with
Dan Kennedy ($4.5) for a lack of a better option in goal, and for his wonderful price that will save you money to invest up front. Like I said, Dallas have been given the nod to win the match, and they're getting an impressive -145 betting line to do so. Add to that the fact that this game is expected to stay low in scoring...and I like the off-chance that Dallas can shut down RSL in the heat for 90 minutes. Everybody will be thinking of Javier Morales spoiling the party for Dallas, but Dallas have fared well at home in recent weeks. Their last loss at home was a 2-1 defeat against LA, and I figure you have to give them props for holding LA to just two goals, no? Prior to that, Dallas won by scores of 4-1, 2-1 and 3-0 in their previous three home matches leading up to that Galaxy loss. Like I said, nothing is nailed down for a clean sheet on Saturday, so why not take a chance on a team that's at least talented enough to pull out a low scoring victory?
In defense for Saturday's matches, I like
Steven Beitashour ($8.4) for Vancouver. Even though Beitashour is on the road, he's averaged 8.22 points per game in his previous three road fixtures. Vancouver are only a point of of first place in the West, and a lot of that is due to their great core of defenders.
Also, if you wanted to pair a defender with Kennedy, I like
Zach Loyd ($7.9). In the two games he's started in August, he's posted an average of 7.33 points per game. Loyd is also in the Top 15 of the players listed this weekend in the Passes Intercepted category -- and remember that's 0.25 points per interception. Let's just say that he'll have to be active and up to the task to shut down RSL this weekend, so this stat bodes well for him.
Sunday -- I like
Luis Robles ($6.2) in goal for NYRB this weekend against DC. He may not be the most popular pick after NYRB conceded three goals to Chicago midweek (which resulted in a score of 1.8 points for him), but I think Robles will bounce back at home. I honestly don't think that NYRB prepared well for the addition of Gilberto into the Chicago lineup this week, but they'll do a better job preparing to meet DC. And here's a tip you probably won't see anywhere else: DC have been horrible on the road this year. The proof? The last time that DC scored more than a one goal in an away match was all the way back on April 25, a game in which they beat Vancouver 2-1. That means that since April 25, DC have played ten road fixtures. Five of those fixtures ended with DC scoring a single goal, and five ended with DC being shutout. Maybe the better way to frame this pick in your mind is to say that you aren't picking Robles as much as you're picking the team playing against DC.
For defenders, I like
Connor Lade ($7.0) to pair with Robles. Lade isn't too expensive and he's been scoring at a decent clip lately. Putting aside his match against Chicago, Lade is averaging 7.51 points per game at home in the month of August.
Also, Portland's
Alvas Powell ($9.6) is really starting starting to pull away from the field with both his ability and his stats. Out of all of the defenders eligible for selection this weekend, Powell leads the pack with 102 Tackles Won. The next closest defender? Raymond Gaddis with 57. Powell has nearly doubled the pack this year in a stat category that that is worth 1 point all by itself. His price shouldn't come as a surprise once you put it into that context.
Attacking Potential
Since the bookies couldn't peg a clean sheet this weekend, it shouldn't come as a surprise that many of the matches this weekend are expected to be higher than average in their scoring. And it also shouldn't be a surprise that the matches most favored to be high scoring involve the players from the Golden Boot chase listed above. Toronto, NYCFC and Columbus are all expected to score. But also, Orlando v Chicago is expected to be a high scoring affair. No matter which way you decide to go, you have options.
#2) MIDFIELDER TIPS
Saturday -- Let's get this out of the way first, but the biggest risk/reward gamble this week will be
Benny Feilhaber ($11.7) for SKC. After Feilhaber was shown the red card in his last match, fans have to wonder: is he finally over his superior run of form, or did the sanctioned rest benefit a tired superstar? I'm going to say that Benny needed the rest (SKC didn't appeal his red card to purposefully give him rest after all) and that he'll come out motivated. This is still the player that has averaged 9.23 points per game for his owners this season, and I think he'll be looking to get back to that mark of excellence. Besides, SKC are only five points clear of the cutoff for the MLS Playoffs, so they need to continue to win to maintain their fragile advantage. And Feilhaber is going to have to be the one to lead them to victory.
As a play based purely on what the bookies are calling for, I'm going to pick
Kaka ($9.4) as a higher-end differential this week. I don't think that Chicago are going to travel well to Florida, and I like the odds makers' prediction that the Orlando v Chicago game is going to be a high scoring event. And, due to Kaka's recent run of poor results, his price is now at a point where you can actually afford to gamble on him without making him a centerpiece of your team. As a testament to how dominant Kaka was at the start of the year, he's still the leading scorer for all midfielders listed for this weekend. So he has the capability to reach those insane scores - and maybe the playoff push will be sufficient motivation for him to actually achieve that potential.
Sunday -- As the old saying goes: "You never leave a heater". So
Sacha Kljestan ($10.7) is a must-have for this Sunday's action, in my opinion. His price continues to rise each week, but it's still not at a critical breaking point that would make you have to choose between him and an elite forward. Kljestan is averaging 11.92 points per game through his five matches in August, so his price is probably still too low. You simply can't afford not to have him now that he's also been tasked with taking penalty kicks for the NYRB side.
Next, I think
Darlington Nagbe ($10.8) is a good pick from the Timbers as they travel to Seattle. Nagbe is often overlooked in regular MLS Fantasy, but in daily leagues he's able to bring a certain set of skills that make him invaluable. In the month of August, Nagbe has seen a bit of a dip in his scoring, but he's still averaging 8.28 points per game through the four matches he's played. Nagbe is also still leading the league in Fouls Won, and that stat pays you 0.5 points each time somebody bowls him over. It's not the most attractive scoring type, but it has put Nagbe fourth on the list of midfielders for scoring this year.
#3) FORWARD TIPS
Saturday -- At the beginning of August,
Sebastian Giovinco ($14.3) scored a monster 33.63 points in a home match. The two home matches since then: 9.13 and 7.04 points. Obviously, for any other player, an 8 point average would be a welcome sign; but when the player costs as much as Giovinco does, it's a bit worrying. But based on the fact that Montreal are coming to town, I'm thinking this is going to be a good week for Giovinco. In Montreal's previous three away matches, they've conceded two goals in each of them. I think Giovinco and Co. can do a bit better than that.
The real fun is going to come when
David Villa ($13.4) and
Kei Kamara ($13.1) square off in NY. Just look at the total number of goals per game between a pair of teams when playing in Yankee Stadium: the previous four matches played in NY have resulted in goal tallies of 8, 8, 5 and 4 goals scored between the teams. And part of it is due to David Villa really figuring out the angles of his home field, and the other part is due to NYCFC having a horrible defense. If you did decide to not pick up Giovinco this week, then both Villa and Kamara should be in your squad instead.
Sunday -- It's now been two games since the return of
Obafemi Martins ($12.6), and we're left wondering what to make of the dynamic striker. Will we get the Martins that game back in a home fixture and scored twice en route to 19.6 points? Or will we get the woeful performance he followed that up with on the road that netted 2.81 points? A home fixture and a clash with Portland tends to be better for Martins, but he's still a question mark this soon into his return. He may not be the best pick in an event that spans the entire weekend, but he would be a savvy choice for a Sunday exclusive event.
Bradley Wright Phillips ($12.3) has played three games on the road in August -- and he's been awful, only scoring tallies of 2.66 and 4.13 points in the two most recent matches. But at home, BWP is another player entirely. In his two home matches this month BWP has tallies of 15.6 and 14.01 points. Logic would say to take the striker when the conditions are right. And they're definitely right when he's at home.
#4) Formation Tips
Last round, I took second in a GPP with a 4-5-1 formation. It was simply the right move given then conditions of the matches available. This weekend, with the lowered odds of clean sheets and the high-caliber attackers available, I'm advocating a 3-4-3 formation. I wouldn't even take a 4-5-2 unless you're absolutely sure that a defender is going to be getting forward the entire match. With this much attack at your disposal, invest up front.
