MLS Fantasy Boss A Fantasy MLS Community
Christian Ward ~ @wardx.bsky.social | @xward on Discord
Wow, it’s been a minute, but all that waiting is finally over. MLS Fantasy is back for the 2025 season, and the MLS Fantasy Boss team is HYPED! We remain dedicated to helping you make informed decisions, and as we rapidly approach the season kickoff on Saturday, February 22nd, it’s time to roll out the Round 1 Player Positional Rankings.
Ahead of every round this season, I’ll be publishing a ranked list of players by position to consider for your fantasy team. To keep things familiar, I’ve decided to follow the same content format used by Schuyler Redpath in his excellent Player Positional Rankings series published on mlssoccer.com. So, if you’ve been around MLS Fantasy for a while, this should all seem like business as usual.
HOWEVER … I’ve added a new twist that I’m hoping fantasy managers will appreciate …
INTRODUCING SLEEPER PICKS!
I mean, wowzers, am I right? Now, if you’re a regular fantasy sports enthusiast, you already know what a “sleeper pick” is. For those unfamiliar, a sleeper pick is a player who normally flies under the radar, but for one reason or another is poised to score a respectable amount of fantasy points in the upcoming round. These reasons can be rather obvious or they can be rather debatable, but it’s my intention to detect whenever special circumstances apply to players, do some analyses and make recommendations that ultimately help you reach fantasy greatness.
For an example of what I mean by “special circumstances”, let’s say a regular starter in attacking midfield becomes unavailable. I’m already assessing the backup for sleeper potential. If a player is expected to play out of position, and I believe that change significantly raises their point ceiling, that player automatically becomes a sleeper pick. Sometimes a player will appear the list if their individual matchup is too good to ignore. Pretty much anything that could significantly affect a human being’s performance on the pitch will be considered, and if I think a player warrants your consideration due to these types of reasons, he will be ranked as a sleeper pick. Sounds fun, right? Well, not so fast …
SLEEPER PICKS DISCLAIMER
This is not an exact science and the risk factor is often too high for comfort. If sleeper picks were a type of food, the three main ingredients would be rumor, speculation and vibes, and the jar would come with warning labels like, “Consume at own risk” and “May contain poison.” On the other hand, a spicy sleeper pick can be quite tasty.
Okay, so I might have overdone it with the culinary metaphors. Let’s just move on.
- Teams on a DGW: None
- Teams on a BYE: None
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Get more advice on the MLS Fantasy Insider Podcast – Round 1 Preview
Round 1 Note:
There are a LOT of players still not added to the FMLS player database at this time, and this list would look very different if certain players were selectable. Availability is also a bit hazy at the moment with CCC and new players arriving all the time. This is a best-guess effort at this point, so WATCH THOSE LINEUPS! Players marked with (Q) are either carrying a knock, a rest/rotation risk or are recent arrivals who might not be ready to debut. Some of the value players I’ve listed are not guaranteed to start, and those are marked with a (?). No price (TBD) will be listed next to anyone who’s not yet in the game database.
GOALKEEPERS
2024 brought some significant changes to the fantasy game’s scoring model for players seldom involved in the attack, and this was especially true for goalkeepers. MLS has retained this rather stingy defensive scoring model in 2025, which means clean sheets are still your key performance factor when selecting netminders.
Hugo Lloris had a respectable 2024, equaling MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Kristijan Kahlina’s league-high 12 clean sheets, and racking up 97 saves over 2,970 minutes. He’ll be facing a determined opponent when LAFC welcomes Minnesota United to BMO Stadium, where the Loons haven’t won a league match since 2019, having scored only 3 goals while conceding 11 in just 4 matches over that time period.
Premium Goalkeepers
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hugo Lloris | LAFC | vs MIN | $6.5 |
| 2. Patrick Schulte | CLB | vs CHI | $6.5 |
| 3. Brad Stuver | ATX | vs SKC | $6.5 |
| 4. Stefan Frei | SEA | vs CLT | $6.5 |
Value Goalkeepers
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Oscar Ustari | MIA | vs NYC | $4.0 |
| 2. James Pantemis (?) | POR | vs VAN | $5.5 |
Sleeper Goalkeepers
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Daniel | SJE | vs RSL | $6.0 |
| 2. Novak Micovic (?) | LAG | vs SDFC | $6.0 |
DEFENDERS
As with goalkeepers, center backs will rely heavily on clean sheets for the bulk of their points in 2025. There is hope, however, since this season comes with several new head coaches who seem to prefer running formations involving 5 defenders (3 center backs + 2 wingbacks) instead of 4 (2 center backs + 2 fullbacks). This means we get to choose from a larger pool of starting defenders, with more options at the wider positions getting involved in attacking play.
Luca Orellano is classified as a defender in the fantasy game, but will line up as an attacking midfielder alongside Evander in FC Cincinnati’s expected 3-4-2-1 formation, making him a must-own asset until further notice, and despite his questionable availability status for the weekend, he’s still the top defender in this round’s Player Positional Rankings (if he starts).
Premium Defenders
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Luca Orellano (Q) | CIN | vs NYRB | $8.0 |
| 2. Jordi Alba | MIA | vs NYC | $7.3 |
| 3. Jackson Ragen | SEA | vs CLT | $7.3 |
| 4. Lukas Engel | CIN | vs NYRB | (TBD) |
| 5. Mohamed Farsi | CLB | vs CHI | $7.3 |
| 6. Kai Wagner | PHI | @ ORL | $7.5 |
Value Defenders
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Nouhou | SEA | vs CLT | $5.8 |
| 2. Teenage Hadebe | CIN | vs NYRB | $4.8 |
| 3. Matthew Edwards | ATL | vs MTL | $4.0 |
| 4. Femi Awodesu (?) | HOU | vs DAL | $4.0 |
| 5. Hector Martinez (Q) | MIA | vs NYC | $4.5 |
| 6. Zachary McGraw | POR | vs VAN | $5.3 |
| 7. Alvas Powell (?) | CIN | vs NYRB | $5.0 |
Sleeper Defenders
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Paul Arriola | SEA | vs CLT | $7.5 |
| 2. Jon Gallagher | ATX | vs SKC | $6.5 |
| 3. Bongokuhle Hlongwane | MIN | @ LAFC | $7.8 |
MIDFIELDERS
In a welcome act of mercy, MLS has decided to move about 30 forwards from 2024 into the pool of midfielders for 2025. Most of these players are wingers and attacking midfielders, so this makes all kinds of sense, especially given the dearth of viable midfielders last season. This move should significantly reduce the percentage of template teams each round, and that will make the game more competitive, challenging and fun.
I’m just going to say it. Evander trading up for an orange kit was not on my bingo card. Fashion sense aside, however, this is the kind of transfer that turns fantasy managers into fantasy sickos. The upgrade in firepower now surrounding the fantasy game’s most productive midfielder makes him a must-own for Round 1 and beyond.
Premium Midfielders
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Evander | CIN | vs NYRB | $9.0 |
| 2. Miguel Almiron | ATL | vs MTL | $8.5 |
| 3. Albert Rusnak | SEA | vs CLT | $8.3 |
| 4. Hany Mukhtar (Q) | NSH | vs NER | $8.0 |
| 5. Lucho Acosta (Q) | DAL | @ HOU | $8.5 |
| 6. Marco Reus | LAG | vs SDFC | $8.5 |
| 7. Myrto Uzuni (Q) | ATX | vs SKC | $8.3 |
| 8. Carles Gil | NER | @ NSH | $8.5 |
| 9. Marcel Hartel | STL | vs COL | $8.0 |
| 10. Djordje Mihailovic | COL | @ STL | $7.8 |
| 11. Martin Ojeda | ORL | vs PHI | $7.5 |
| 12. Cristian Espinoza | SJE | vs RSL | $7.5 |
| 13. Ryan Gauld (Q) | VAN | @ POR | $8.5 |
| 14. Emil Forsberg | NYRB | @ CIN | $8.0 |
Value Midfielders
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. David Martinez | LAFC | vs MIN | $6.0 |
| 2. Osman Bukari | ATX | vs SKC | $6.5 |
| 3. Dylan Chambost | CLB | vs CHI | $7.0 |
| 4. Maxi Moralez | NYC | @ MIA | $6.8 |
Sleeper Midfielders
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jack McGlynn | HOU | vs DAL | $7.8 |
| 2. Lewis Morgan | NYRB | @ CIN | $7.8 |
| 3. Saba Lobjanidze | ATL | vs MTL | $7.3 |
| 4. Federico Bernardeschi | TOR | @ DCU | $8.0 |
| 5. Anders Dreyer | SDFC | @ LAG | (TBD) |
FORWARDS
We learned a lot about Lionel Messi in 2024. We were able to confirm that his preferred diet consists of Lay’s potato chips, Michelob Ultra and hotel waffles prepared by Julian Gressel. We also learned why he’s considered to be the greatest footballer alive. But, most importantly, we learned what it feels like to fade him in fantasy. Some of us may never fully recover. Honestly, it should be seen as an act of extreme negligence on my part if I don’t include a healthy Messi in these Player Positional Rankings, and place him squarely at the top of the forwards list. The problem is, he might not start or play a full 90 on Saturday.
Premium Forwards
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lionel Messi (Q) | MIA | vs NYC | $10.0 |
| 2. Gabriel Pec | LAG | vs SDFC | $8.3 |
| 3. Denis Bouanga | LAFC | vs MIN | $8.8 |
| 4. Kevin Denkey | CIN | vs NYRB | $8.5 |
| 5. Christian Benteke | DCU | vs TOR | $8.5 |
| 6. Luis Suarez | MIA | vs NYC | $9.0 |
| 7. Brandon Vazquez | ATX | vs SKC | $8.3 |
| 8. Emmanuel Latte Lath | ATL | vs MTL | (TBD) |
| 9. Diego Rossi | CLB | vs CHI | $8.0 |
| 10. Chicho Arango | SJE | vs RSL | $8.3 |
Value Forwards
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jacen Russell-Rowe | CLB | vs CHI | $7.3 |
| 2. Jamal Thiare (?) | ATL | vs MTL | $6.3 |
| 3. Forster Ajago | RSL | @ SJE | $4.8 |
Sleeper Forwards
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jonathan Rodriguez (Q) | POR | vs VAN | $8.3 |
| 2. Cristian Ramirez | LAG | vs SDFC | $7.5 |
| 3. Alonso Martinez | NYC | @ MIA | $8.0 |
| 4. Chucky Lozano | SDFC | @ LAG | $8.5 |
CAPTAIN
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lionel Messi (if he starts) | MIA | vs NYC | $10.0 |
| 2. Evander | CIN | vs NYRB | $9.0 |
| 3. Gabriel Pec | LAG | vs SDFC | $8.3 |
| 4. Denis Bouanga | LAFC | vs MIN | $8.8 |
