2022 MLS Fantasy Round 17 Positional Rankings

Schuyler Redpath

Heineken Rivalry Week never fails to add to the fantasy hype, and a jam-packed Round 17 looks to be no different.

Fantasy managers have several new toys to tinker with in the form of Giorgio Chiellini, Cucho Hernandez and Hector Herrera, to name a few. While some of the new acquisitions could take time to become fantasy-relevant, there are multiple high-profile players that could make an impact right away.

Let’s zero in on the top plays and values at each position that could help your side make some moves up the standings.

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Goalkeepers

Andre Blake landed on the Round 16 Dream Team, leading all goalkeepers with 17 points after stopping a penalty kick and shutting out the Columbus Crew last time out.

The Philadelphia Union host a D.C. United side Friday night (7:30 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes) that erupted for five goals out of nowhere in their last outing. But that should be little reason to hesitate considering the Union have conceded a league-low 13 goals and are one of just two teams still unbeaten at home in 2022.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Andre Blake	PHI	vs. DC	$9.6
2. Pedro Gallese	ORL	vs. MIA	$6.6
3. Sean Johnson	NYC	vs. NE	$9.3
4. Stefan Frei	SEA	vs. POR	$7.9
5. Gabriel Slonina	CHI	vs. CLB	$7.6

Value Goalkeepers

Value Goalkeepers
Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Sebastian Breza	MTL	vs. SKC	$5.1
2. Cody Cropper	VAN	vs. MIN	$5.9
3. Quentin Westberg	TOR	vs. SJ	$5.6

Defenders

Kai Wagner came through with 13 points last round, and he’s now even with NYCFC center back Alexander Callens on 123 points to lead all defenders entering Round 17.

As long as Philly's left back continues to play an integral role on set pieces, he’ll continue to be high on the radar as a defender capable of consistently producing both attacking and defensive fantasy points.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Kai Wagner	PHI	vs. DC	$10.8
2. Alexander Callens	NYC	vs. NE	$11.2
3. Justen Glad	RSL	vs. COL	$10.9
4. Nouhou Tolo	SEA	vs. POR	$7.0
5. Giorgio Chiellini	LAFC	vs. LA	$8.5
6. Julian Araujo	LA	at LAFC	$9.8
7. Alex Roldan	SEA	vs. POR	$7.3
8. Ranko Veselinovic	VAN	vs. MIN	$8.6
9. Adam Lundkvist	HOU	vs. DAL	$8.2
10. Guzman Corujo	CLT	vs. NSH	$8.5

Value Defenders

Value Defenders
Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Marcus Godinho	VAN	vs. MIN	$5.2
2. Alistair Johnston	MTL	vs. SKC	$5.7
3. Kyle Smith	ORL	vs. MIA	$5.5

Midfielders

Luciano Acosta has been on such a tear that he’s unavoidable, even in a tough Saturday night matchup against Eastern Conference frontrunners New York Red Bulls (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+). He leads the league with 10 assists and has produced a goal or an assist in each of his last nine starts.

At this point, Acosta is worth riding the hot hand until the wheels fall off – and with FC Cincinnati pushing for their first-ever Audi MLS Cup Playoffs appearance, it would be surprising if he fades anytime soon.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Luciano Acosta	CIN	vs. RBNY	$12.5
2. Nicolas Lodeiro	SEA	vs. POR	$10.8
3. Carles Gil	NE	at NYC	$13.9
4. Maxi Moralez	NYC	vs. NE	$10.3
5. Hany Mukhtar	NSH	at CLT	$12.5
6. Emanuel Reynoso	MIN	at VAN	$11.3
7. Lucas Zelarayan	CLB	at CHI	$9.6
8. Sebastian Driussi	ATX	at ATL	$11.1
9. Xherdan Shaqiri	CHI	vs. CLB	$10.8
10. Thiago Almada	ATL	vs. ATX	$10.2
11. Santiago Rodriguez	NYC	vs. NE	$10.1
12. Mauricio Pereyra	ORL	vs. MIA	$11.2
13. Paul Arriola	DAL	at HOU	$10.8
14. Lewis Morgan	RBNY	at CIN	$11.2
15. Facundo Torres	ORL	vs. MIA	$9.5
16. Jamiro Monteiro	SJ	at TOR	$11.5
17. Pablo Ruiz	RSL	vs. COL	$9.5
18. Jonathan Osorio	TOR	vs. SJ	$9.3
19. Cristian Roldan	SEA	vs. POR	$9.6
20. Daniel Gazdag	PHI	vs. DC	$9.4

Value Midfielders

Value Midfielders
Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Chris Mueller	CHI	vs. CLB	$7.7
2. Felipe Hernandez	SKC	at MTL	$5.8
3. Lassi Lappalainen	MTL	vs. SKC	$5.3

Forwards

This might be an unpopular opinion after missing their last game with a knock, but Carlos Vela is seemingly fully fit and 100% for Friday’s clash with crosstown rival LA Galaxy (10 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes).

The LAFC forward has at least a goal or an assist in all of his last four starts and – if he’s back in the starting lineup – he’s sure to be heavily involved in the latest version of El Trafico.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Carlos Vela	LAFC	vs. LA	$10.1
2. Valentin Castellanos	NYC	vs. NE	$10.4
3. Raul Ruidiaz	SEA	vs. POR	$10.0
4. Cristian Arango	LAFC	vs. LA	$8.7
5. Josef Martinez	ATL	vs. ATX	$10.2
6. Jefferson Savarino	RSL	vs. COL	$9.9
7. Brenner	CIN	vs. RBNY	$7.5
8. Ercan Kara	ORL	vs. MIA	$9.4
9. Luiz Araujo	ATL	vs. ATX	$9.6
10. Chicharito	LA	at LAFC	$8.2

Value Forwards

Value Forwards
Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Dejan Joveljic	LA	at LAFC	$6.0
2. Thor Ulfarsson	HOU	vs. DAL	$4.5
3. Andre Shinyashiki	CLT	vs. NSH	$6.3

Captain

Captain
Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Carlos Vela	LAFC	vs. LA	$10.1
2. Luciano Acosta	CIN	vs. RBNY	$12.5
3. Nicolas Lodeiro	SEA	vs. POR	$10.8

MLS Fantasy Weekly Winner

Congratulations to MLS Fantasy Manager of the Week, Sean Curtis! Coach Robinhood Fraser loaded up on DGW players, including a whopping 46 points from captain Luciano Acosta, to lead all fantasy teams with 187 points. Curtis scored a $150 MLSstore.com gift card for winning the Round 16 prize.