MLS Fantasy Week 26 Positional Rankings

Schuyler Redpath

It’s now or never with just two rounds to go in MLS Fantasy. A jam-packed Week 26 starts on Tuesday with LAFC hosting the Seattle Sounders (10:30 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes), so be sure to have players from that game set before the round kicks off.

There’s sure to be plenty of drama over the next two weeks as the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoff picture becomes clearer. Zeroing in on what’s at stake and who has something left to play for at this point in the season could pay off in the form of fantasy points, so let’s take a closer look at the top options and value plays for Week 26.

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Teams NOT on a DGW: ATX, CHI, HOU, LAFC, MTL, NE, POR, VAN

Goalkeepers

Brad Guzan has arguably the best schedule of goalkeepers, with two home game this round, as Atlanta’s schedule couldn’t be much more favorable as they go in search of a spot in the playoffs. First up is a matchup against an Inter Miami side that Atlanta shut out on September 29 before hosting a Toronto FC unit that Guzan posted a clean sheet against just two games ago.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Brad Guzan	ATL	vs. MIA, vs. TOR	$9.2
2. Sean Johnson	NYC	vs. CHI, at MIA	$8.2
3. Joe Willis	NSH	at CIN, at ORL	$10.0
4. Carlos Coronel	RBNY	at DC, vs. MTL	$8.8
5. Pedro Gallese	ORL	at CLB, vs. NSH	$7.7

Value Goalkeepers

Value Goalkeepers
Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Bill Hamid	DC	vs. RBNY, vs. CLB	$6.5
2. Jimmy Maurer	DAL	vs. RSL, vs. ATX	$5.6
3. David Ochoa	RSL	at DAL, vs. SJ	$6.7

Defenders

The tricky part about lineup building this week is determining which pieces of Atlanta we want to lean on. With the MLS Fantasy rules allowing a three-player per team maximum, a viable strategy could be to go for players that could pay dividends on both ends of the field. Enter Brooks Lennon, who has five assists on the season and continues to get involved going forward.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Brooks Lennon	ATL	vs. MIA, vs. TOR	$9.1
2. Kai Wagner	PHI	at TOR, vs. CIN	$10.3
3. George Bello	ATL	vs. MIA, vs. TOR	$8.0
4. Miles Robinson	ATL	vs. MIA, vs. TOR	$9.5
5. Jack Elliott	PHI	at TOR, vs. CIN	$9.0
6. Andrew Gutman	RBNY	at DC, vs. MTL	$9.3
7. Maxime Chanot	NYC	vs. CHI, at MIA	$8.2
8. Walker Zimmerman	NSH	at CIN, at ORL	$10.1
9. Alan Franco	ATL	vs. MIA, vs. TOR	$8.2
10. Ryan Hollingshead	DAL	vs. RSL, vs. ATX	$7.2

Value Defenders

Value Defenders
Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Alex Roldan	SEA	at LAFC, vs. LA	$6.0
2. Malte Amundsen	NYC	vs. CHI, at MIA	$4.0
3. Donovan Pines	DC	vs. RBNY, vs. CLB	$5.4

Midfielders

Marcelino Moreno has found the next in back-to-back games, amassing 24 fantasy points over those two matches. Ezequiel Barco’s return from suspension could eat into Moreno’s production, but with two juicy matchups and Atlanta fighting for their playoff lives, there should be plenty of fantasy goodness to go around.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Marcelino Moreno	ATL	vs. MIA, vs. TOR	$11.7
2. Hany Mukhtar	NSH	at CIN, at ORL	$12.2
3. Ezequiel Barco	ATL	vs. MIA, vs. TOR	$9.3
4. Emanuel Reynoso	MIN	at VAN, vs. SKC	$11.1
5. Albert Rusnak	RSL	at DAL, vs. SJ	$10.4
6. Jamiro Monteiro	PHI	at TOR, vs. CIN	$9.5
7. Julian Gressel	DC	vs. RBNY, vs. CLB	$10.5
8. Maxi Moralez	NYC	vs. CHI, at MIA	$9.3
9. Luiz Araujo	ATL	vs. MIA, vs. TOR	$9.1
10. Damir Kreilach	RSL	at DAL, vs. SJ	$10.6
11. Jack Price	COL	at NE, at HOU	$10.3
12. Lucas Zelarayan	CLB	vs. ORL, at DC	$9.1
13. Carles Gil	NE	vs. COL	$11.1
14. Nani	ORL	at CLB, vs. NSH	$7.9
15. Cristian Casseres Jr.	RBNY	at DC, vs. MTL	$7.7
16. Cristian Roldan	SEA	at LAFC, vs. LA	$8.1
17. Franco Fragapane	MIN	at VAN, vs. SKC	$10.9
18. Luciano Acosta	CIN	vs. NSH, at PHI	$9.8
19. Robin Lod	MIN	at VAN, vs. SKC	$10.9
20. Chofis Lopez	SJ	at POR, at RSL	$8.6

Value Midfielders

Value Midfielders
Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Daniel Gazdag	PHI	at TOR, vs. CIN	$5.5
2. Chris Mueller	ORL	at CLB, vs. NSH	$5.4
3. Federico Higuain	MIA	at ATL, vs. NYC	$4.0

Forwards

Taty Castellanos bagged a brace in New York City FC’s 6-0 romp at D.C. United on Saturday, forcing his name into the Golden Boot presented by Audi conversation. He currently trails D.C.’s Ola Kamara by just two goals, and a pair of favorable matchups (vs. CHI, at MIA) presents a good opportunity for the NYCFC hitman to close the gap.

Player	Team	Opponent	Price
1. Taty Castellanos	NYC	vs. CHI, at MIA	$10.8
2. Josef Martinez	ATL	vs. MIA, vs. TOR	$8.9
3. Kacper Przybylko	PHI	at TOR, vs. CIN	$6.9
4. Johnny Russell	SKC	vs. LA, at MIN	$11.0
5. Ola Kamara	DC	vs. RBNY, vs. CLB	$9.1
6. Chicharito	LA	at SKC, at SEA	$10.0
7. Gonzalo Higuain	MIA	at ATL, vs. NYC	$8.3
8. Daryl Dike	ORL	at CLB, vs. NSH	$8.7
9. Jesus Ferreira	DAL	vs. RSL, vs. ATX	$10.0
10. Cristian Arango	LAFC	vs. SEA	$9.2