Fantasy Soccer Advice

2023 MLS Fantasy Round 1 Positional Rankings

Fantasy_Matchday 1_ Driussi

The slate has been wiped clean and a fresh new MLS Fantasy season is upon us! The tried and true fantasy gems like Carles Gil, Kai Wagner and Hany Mukhtar are back to deliver the fantasy goods, tasking fantasy managers with some tough decisions to make in Round 1.

We also have some shiny new toys to play with in the form of Evander, Dante Vanzeir, and Giorgos Giakoumakis to name a few. Letā€™s dive right in and take a closer look at the top plays and values at each position heading into the first matchday of 2023.

Get more advice on the _MLS Fantasy Insider Round 1 preview_ podcast

Goalkeepers

Brad Stuver has the luxury of facing expansion side St. Louis CITY SC in their first-ever MLS game (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass). There are a lot of unknowns surrounding St. Louis, but what we do know is that Stuver and Austin FC have a strong track record at home, and they are once again projected to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Expect a strong showing from the heavy home favorite that gives the Verde & Black all three points on opening day.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Brad Stuver
ATX
vs. STL
$6.5
2. Andre Blake
PHI
vs. CLB
$7.0
3. Roman Celentano
CIN
vs. HOU
$6.0
4. Joe Willis
NSH
vs. NYC
$6.5
5. Maarten Paes
DAL
vs. MIN
$6.5
Value Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Tyler Miller OR Alex Bono*
DC
vs. TOR
$5.5
2. Luis Barraza
NYC
at NSH
$5.5
3. Evan Bush
CLB
at PHI
$5.0

* D.C. United starting GK to be announced on opening day


Defenders

Kai Wagner posted video game-like numbers in 2022, totaling more fantasy points than the likes of Carles Gil, SebastiƔn Driussi, and Luciano Acosta along the way. Philadelphia return the same core group that fell just short of lifting MLS Cup, and with sky-high expectations for 2023, we can expect more of the same from Wagner.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Kai Wagner
PHI
vs. CLB
$7.5
2. Julian Gressel
VAN
vs. RSL
$7.5
3. Walker Zimmerman
NSH
vs. NYC
$6.5
4. Brooks Lennon
ATL
vs. SJ
$6.5
5. Alvaro Barreal
CIN
vs. HOU
$7.0
6. Matt Miazga
CIN
vs. HOU
$6.0
7. Jack Elliott
PHI
vs. CLB
$7.0
8. Julio Cascante
ATX
vs. STL
$6.0
9. Pedro Santos
DC
vs. TOR
$7.0
10. Marco Farfan
DAL
vs. MIN
$6.0
Value Defenders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Jackson Ragen
SEA
vs. COL
$5.0
2. Zan Kolmanic
ATX
vs. STL
$5.0
3. Matai Akinmboni
DC
vs. TOR
$4.5

Midfielders

SebastiĆ”n Driussi had a coming-out party last season, bagging 22 goals and falling just one shy of winning the Golden Boot presented by Audi. He recently inked a new contract that will keep him in Austin through 2025, and with arguably the best matchup on the schedule in Round 1, heā€™ll look to pick up back where he left off in Saturdayā€™s clash with St. Louis CITY SC.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. SebastiƔn Driussi
ATX
vs. STL
$9.0
2. Hany Mukhtar*
NSH
vs. NYC
$10.0
3. Luciano Acosta
CIN
vs. HOU
$9.0
4. Evander
POR
vs. SKC
$9.0
5. Riqui Puig
LA
vs. LAFC
$9.5
6. Lorenzo Insigne
TOR
at DC
$10.0
7. Daniel Gazdag
PHI
vs. CLB
$9.0
8. Carles Gil
NE
at CLT
$9.5
9. Ryan Gauld
VAN
vs. RSL
$9.0
10. Thiago Almada
ATL
vs. CLB
$9.0
11. Nicolas Lodeiro
SEA
vs. COL
$8.5
12. Alan Velasco
DAL
vs. MIN
$8.5
13. Lucas ZelarayƔn
CLB
at PHI
$9.5
14. Diego Fagundez
ATX
vs. STL
$8.5
15. Facundo Torres
ORL
vs. RBNY
$8.5
16. JoĆ£o Paulo
SEA
vs. COL
$8.0
17. Erik Thommy
SKC
at POR
$8.5
18. Jonathan Osorio
TOR
at DC
$8.0
19. Lewis Morgan
RBNY
at ORL
$8.0
20. Jamiro Monteiro
SJ
at ATL
$8.0

* Mukhtar is questionable to start due to injury 

Value Midfielders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Martin Ojeda
ORL
vs. RBNY
$6.5
2. Jared Stroud
STL
at ATX
$4.5
3. Nathan Saliba
MLT
at MIA
$5.5

Forwards

Brandon Vazquez flashed his scoring prowess with 18 goals in 2022, leading FC Cincinnati to their first postseason appearance in the process. With strike partner Brenner arriving late to full preseason training camp, Vazquez could be the feature forward until Brenner is back up to speed. Look for Vazquez and FC Cincinnati to come out swinging in a favorable home matchup vs. Houston Dynamo FC on opening day (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Brandon Vazquez
CIN
vs. HOU
$9.0
2. JesĆŗs Ferreira
DAL
vs. MIN
$8.5
3. DĆ©nis Bouanga
LAFC
at LA
$8.0
4. Federico Bernardeschi
TOR
at DC
$9.5
5. Gyasi Zardes
ATX
vs. STL
`$8.0
6. JuliƔn Carranza
PHI
vs. CLB
$8.5
7. Karol Swiderski
CLT
vs. NE
$8.5
8. Josef MartĆ­nez
MIA
vs. MTL
$8.5
9. Mikael Uhre
PHI
vs. CLB
$8.0
10. Christian Benteke
DC
vs. TOR

$8.5

Value Forwards
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Kwadwo Opoku
LAFC
at LA
$7.0
2. HĆ©ber
SEA
vs. COL
$7.0
3. Cade Cowell
SJ
at ATL
$7.0
Captain
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. SebastiƔn Driussi
ATX
vs. STL
$9.0
2. Luciano Acosta
CIN
vs. HOU
$9.0
3. Evander
POR
vs. SKC
$9.0