Bonus Points: Who are the very best Fantasy picks at each position?

The MLS Fantasy Round 19 Dream Team might have been in a 5-4-1 “mullet” formation, but the four top scorers were all in the midfield: Diego Valeri ($11.2, POR), Sasha Kljestan ($12.2, NY), Fabian Castillo ($11.2, DAL) and Chris Pontius ($7.4, PHI). This week should be no exception, and since this week is straightforward – every team plays one match with no byes – I’m going to break down the top points scorers by positions, so we can see who’s still hot after last week’s crazy two-round week:

Goalkeepers

LA Galaxy, Colorado Rapids, and New York City FC have all been strong defensively as of late, but are going to face tough tests this weekend against potent offenses. The best matchup on paper looks to be Bill Hamid ($6.2, DC) at Toronto FC. Last week, TFC couldn’t score against San Jose with a two-man advantage for the final 37 minutes of the match. The Colorado Rapids and Houston Dynamo have also been stingy at home, so Tim Howard ($6.2, COL) or Joe Willis ($4.7, HOU) might be worth a look.

Defenders

As expected, defenders offer up more of the same story, as teams that have recently managed to keep clean sheets dominate the top spots. However, there are a couple of outliers: Justin Morrow ($7.9, TOR) has scored thrice in his last four starts, so keep that in mind in case you decide to pick up a Toronto defender in preparation for their Round 22 double-game week. One other player worth taking notice of is Dave Romney ($5.2, LA) – he has been racking up significant defensive stats despite playing outside back for the LA Galaxy, and at $5.2, he’s even cheaper than Daniel Steres ($5.5, LA) for nearly the same production.

Midfielders

Everyone is aware of what Valeri ($11.2, POR), Mauro Diaz ($11.4, DAL), and Ignacio Piatti ($11.1, MTL) are capable of. The top five midfielders are all at eight points per 90 minutes played, which outpaces all of the non-midfielders except Brian Rowe, Morrow and Ola Kamara.

What may be flying under the radar for some fantasy managers are the production values of Boniek Garcia ($7.4, HOU), Jack Harrison ($5.8, NYC), and Kellyn Acosta ($7.0, DAL). They’re producing solid points considering they’re all $7.4 or cheaper, so if you’re looking for an inexpensive sub to help cover the weeks when players go missing, look no further! Don’t worry, I haven’t overlooked Mr. Consistent: Michael Azira ($5.5, COL) didn’t make the list, but has scored a 4, 5 or 6 in his last nine matches.

Forwards

If you haven’t yet boarded the Ola Kamara ($8.7, CLB) train, it’s not too late to hop on. Kamara and Columbus Crew SC travel to Orlando City SC, which looks to be a battle to find out which team will give up the most goals. Real Salt Lake’s Yura Movsisyan ($9.0, RSL) and Burrito Martinez ($9.0, RSL) are two to look at with RSL’s upcoming double-game week, but rotation may come into play this weekend – RSL play in the US Open Cup mid-week.

Who are you looking at bringing in for Round 20? Let me know in the comments below, and as always, good luck this week!