Well, we have ourselves a bit of a one-off footballing date this weekend (at least for the MLS).  Whereas most leagues take off this weekend for international play, the MLS was only able to give 14 clubs the date off, but 6 clubs still have to play a match.  And if you can figure out how that's fair, then you're one step ahead of me.  From a fantasy point of view, it's a good thing; it does give us a fantasy contest to enter into. But the flip side of that coin is that we're severely restricted in our choices, so you're going to see a lot of 'meta' teams out there this weekend. But maybe you'll catch a break.  Most players will be playing in the 'sexier' international contests full of superstars, and maybe the MLS offerings will go relatively unnoticed.  Who can figure these things out?  In any event, I personally will be playing MLS, and here's what I'm thinking going into Saturday.

MATCH 1 - NEW ENGLAND @ NYC

Instead of a lot of preamble, let's just briefly touch on the matches and pick our best players.  The first match on the schedule is a bit of a head-scratcher for me.  New England are currently averaging +200 to win this game on the bookies' tables - but NYC aren't a real strong favorite, they're at +125 for the win.  No matter which way you look at this match, there isn't a ton of certainty either way.  I will say that NYC have scored 6 and conceded 6 through their first three matches, and New England have a -3 GD (they've scored three and conceded 6).  So with that alone, you have to look at NYC as the favorite to get the offense here - doubly so at home - but New England can't be completely discounted, and they'll probably net at least one if the stats hold true. There will be some key absences for this match for international duty to consider.  For New England, key man Lee Nguyen will be missing along with Je-Vaughn Watson.  NYC will be without Mix Diskerud and Khiry Shelton.  New England are getting the worst of this deal for sure, and you may want to shy away from them a bit more than you normally would.  But I like Diego Fagundez in this spot.  Fagundez should be forced to shoulder a bit more of the offense in Nguyen's absence.  Likewise, without Diskerud, expect a bit more from Andrea Pirlo in the crosses category. Key Players: David Villa ($8300 DraftKings, $13.8 Mondogoal) Diego Fagundez ($4900 DraftKings, $8.3 Mondogoal) Andrea Pirlo ($5200 DraftKings, $9.4 Mondogoal)

MATCH 2 - DALLAS @ DC

Dallas are coming into this game a bit staggered.  They're going to be without goal keeping phenom, Jesse Gonzalez, and they'll be missing key players like Figueroa and Atiba Harris as well.  But the bulk of the attack for Dallas is intact.  Mauro Diaz, Fabian Castillo and Max Urruti are all present and accounted for - and they'll have to work hard to make sure they outpace a limp DC attack. DC are going to be without Alvaro Saborio, but aside from that, they'll be at nearly full strength.  But does it really matter?  DC have only scored 2 goals this year, but they've conceded 5.  Nothing they've done is really working for them, but maybe a disjointed Dallas defense will cure their ails.  The bookies haven't given DC the benefit of home field in this match, DC are +150 to win while Dallas are just a tick higher at +170.  This game could go either way, but from a fantasy point of view, that's good news for folks betting on the road team. Key Players: Mauro Diaz ($7200 DraftKings, $13.6 Mondogoal) Max Urruti ($5100 DraftKings, $6.0 Mondogoal) Lamar Neagle ($4700 DraftKings, $4.3 Mondogoal)

MATCH 3 - HOUSTON @ VANCOUVER

Finally, we have a game that the bookies feel strongly about, and you should be confident about this match too from the offensive side.  Vancouver are the clear favorites with a -130 rating in the match, Houston are clear underdogs with a +350.  So what does that mean?  Right off the bat, this is the best bet for the win in any match, so you need to look at David Ousted as your keeper of choice to cash in on those points.  But it also means that with such a large rating in the betting lines, Vancouver are all but guaranteed to score a goal to earn that win.  So no shutouts here from the Houston side. But don't count out Houston yet.  They may not win the match, but they've yet to read the memo telling them that they shouldn't be leading the league in scoring.  Houston are sitting on 11 goals on the year to lead all teams - but they've conceded 7 goals as well.  So no matter how you look at it, we're going to see some serious offense here.  And even if Houston are miraculously shutout, they've developed a form to their team that at least let's them generate fantasy points through crosses and shots. Key Players: Pedro Morales ($5400 DraftKings, $10.3 Mondogoal) Will Bruin ($5800 DraftKings, $7900 Mondogoal) David Ousted ($4400 DraftKings, $7.6 Mondogoal)   There you have it folks, short and sweet (but then again, so is the MLS schedule this week).  We'll see you in the GPP's.