MLS Fantasy Boss A Fantasy MLS Community
Christian Ward ~ @wardx.bsky.social | @xward on Discord
Ricky Bobby: “You can’t have two No. 1s.”
Cal Naughton, Jr: “Yeah, ’cause that would be eleven.”
It’s the final round of the 2025 MLS Fantasy season, one that’s shaping up to be one of the most challenging rounds in recent history. To find out exactly why this one’s so tricky, your best bet is to check out the MLS Fantasy Insider podcast episode for Round 31, then try not to panic.
If your fantasy goal is within reach, you need to be thinking of ways to apply all the confidence, skill and wisdom you’ve gained throughout the season, because you’re going to need it for this beast of a final round. It might be useful to review a few of the Fantasy Strategy Clinic articles and maybe spend some time hanging out in the MLSFB Discord. No matter how you choose to spend your time leading up to kickoff, you’ll want to be prepared for an unusually large number of player absences due to international call-ups, injuries and suspensions, and you’ll also want to pay close attention to which players are currently on yellow card warnings. I expect starting lineups to be interesting and unusual, so be sure to check them as soon as they’re released on matchday. Be wary if a team rolls out a starting XI that’s full of new or seldom-seen faces, as this can render moot any statistics you’re relying on and affect the production of your target player(s) in some very unexpected ways.
One last bit of advice: pick players on teams that still have something to play for. Teams with nothing to play for, like Philadelphia Union, having clinched the Supporters Shield, will likely rest key players in preparation for the MLS Cup playoffs. Another traditional motivator for teams at the bottom of the table is avoiding the Wooden Spoon trophy, which goes to the team finishing dead last in the league. You can identify these teams by checking the current, official MLS standings in each conference. But keep in mind that some players will bring their A-game regardless of what’s at stake. These are guys are always worth your consideration. Carles Gil is one of those players, for example. Finally, don’t underestimate the motivation each Golden Boot candidate has. Each of these players, Lionel Messi, Denis Bouanga and Sam Surridge, will only get one game this round**, on Decision Day. You should give special consideration to these three because they could outscore most of your DGW picks … or they might not.
THANK YOU!
On behalf of my partner in fantasy and co-author of this article series, Isaac Jensen (@ZenVikingFC on Discord), we’d like to offer you our sincerest gratitude for allowing us to be your “guides of last resort” throughout the 2025 MLS Fantasy season. If you found value in the information we provided along the way, we invite you to join us again next season … because it’s pretty obvious that it’s actually 2026 when we’ll always be right, when every player will get ranked in the correct hauling order, and when we’ll both occupy first place in the overall rankings for the entire season … hey, those are totally achievable goals so I don’t even know what you’re laughing about.
Every MLS call-up: October 2025 international window
- Teams on a DGW:
- Home + Away + Away: LAFC
- Home + Home: LAG
- Home + Away: ATX, MIA, ORL, SEA
- Away + Home: ATL, TOR, VAN
- Away + Away: DAL, RSL
- Teams on a BYE: None
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Note: (?) means the player might not start due to injury, lack of fitness, availability status or loss of starting spot. (OOP) means the player is expected to play out of position. (YCW) means the player is one booking away from suspension. (+) means the player is ranked only if they become available for selection before their match locks.
GOALKEEPERS
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hugo Lloris | LAFC | vs TOR, @ ATX, @ COL | $6.90m |
| 2. Yohei Takaoka | VAN | @ ORL, vs DAL | $9.40m |
| 3. Brad Stuver | ATX | vs LAFC, @ SJE | $6.20m |
| 4. Pedro Gallese | ORL | vs VAN, @ TOR | $6.30m |
Sleeper Goalkeepers
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jayden Hibbert | ATL | @ MIA, vs DCU | $5.80m |
| 2. Sean Johnson | TOR | @ LAFC, vs ORL | $7.40m |
DEFENDERS
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ryan Porteous | LAFC | vs TOR, @ ATX, @ COL | $8.70m |
| 2. Sergi Palencia | LAFC | vs TOR, @ ATX, @ COL | $8.80m |
| 3. Eddie Segura | LAFC | vs TOR, @ ATX, @ COL | $8.80m |
| 4. Nkosi Tafari | LAFC | vs TOR, @ ATX, @ COL | $7.30m |
| 5. Jordi Alba (OOP, YCW) | MIA | vs ATL, @ NSH | $10.00m |
| 6. Mathias Laborda (YCW) | VAN | @ ORL, vs DAL | $10.90m |
| 7. Edier Ocampo (YCW) | VAN | @ ORL, vs DAL | $8.20m |
| 8. Stian Gregersen (?) | ATL | @ MIA, vs DCU | $6.20m |
| 9. Sigurd Rosted | TOR | @ LAFC, vs ORL | $6.50m |
| 10. Ryan Hollingshead (?) | LAFC | vs TOR, @ ATX, @ COL | $7.90m |
Sleeper Defenders
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pedro Amador (OOP) | ATL | @ MIA, vs DCU | $5.80m |
| 2. Bongokuhle Hlongwane (OOP) | MIN | @ LAG | $6.60m |
MIDFIELDERS
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Thomas Müller | VAN | @ ORL, vs DAL | $12.10m |
| 2. Martin Ojeda | ORL | vs VAN, @ TOR | $18.40m |
| 3. Sebastian Berhalter (YCW) | VAN | @ ORL, vs DAL | $12.80m |
| 4. Djordje Mihailovic | TOR | @ LAFC, vs ORL | $12.90m |
| 5. Mark Delgado | LAFC | vs TOR, @ ATX, @ COL | $9.50m |
| 6. Diego Fagundez | LAG | vs DAL, vs MIN | $9.40m |
| 7. Owen Wolff | ATX | vs LAFC, @ SJE | $10.40m |
| 8. Timothy Tillman (OOP) | LAFC | vs TOR, @ ATX, @ COL | $6.80m |
| 9. Evander | CIN | vs MTL | $17.10m |
| 10. Hany Mukhtar | NSH | vs MIA | $17.90m |
| 11. Marcel Hartel | STL | vs RSL | $12.60m |
| 12. Carles Gil | NER | vs CHI | $14.80m |
Sleeper Midfielders
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pedro de la Vega | SEA | vs RSL, @ NYC | $7.30m |
| 2. Diogo Goncalves | RSL | @ SEA, @ STL | $7.70m |
| 3. Anders Dreyer | SDFC | @ POR | $17.20m |
FORWARDS
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lionel Messi (?) ** | MIA | (vs ATL), @ NSH | $17.80m |
| 2. Luis Suarez (YCW) | MIA | vs ATL, @ NSH | $11.50m |
| 3. Petar Musa (YCW) | DAL | @ LAG, vs VAN | $13.50m |
| 4. Tadeo Allende | MIA | vs ATL, @ NSH | $7.20m |
| 5. Luis Muriel | ORL | vs VAN, @ TOR | $9.30m |
| 6. Gabriel Pec (?) | LAG | vs DAL, vs MIN | $10.00m |
| 7. Hueng-Min Son | LAFC | @ COL | $14.50m |
| 8. Denis Bouanga | LAFC | @ COL | $15.70m |
| 9. Sam Surridge | NSH | vs MIA | $14.20m |
| 10. Brenner | CIN | vs MTL | $11.20m |
Sleeper Forwards
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jordan Morris | SEA | vs RSL, @ NYC | $6.20m |
| 2. Jesus Ferreira | SEA | vs RSL, @ NYC | $7.80m |
CAPTAIN
| PLAYER | TEAM | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lionel Messi (?) ** | MIA | (vs ATL), @ NSH | $17.80m |
| 2. Thomas Müller | VAN | @ ORL, vs DAL | $12.10m |
| 3. Martin Ojeda | ORL | vs VAN, @ TOR | $18.40m |
| 4. Ryan Porteous | LAFC | vs TOR, @ ATX, @ COL | $8.70m |
** Lionel Messi’s position in the forward and captain rankings is contingent upon his participation in both league matches. Despite his call-up to the Argentina national team, Messi could be available for selection in both of Inter Miami CF’s matches in Round 31. Argentina will play in two friendlies, with the first match vs Venezuela at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL on Friday, October 10th, but the location of the second match vs Puerto Rico on Monday, October 13th is no longer listed, and is rumored to have been relocated to a venue in Florida as well. That second match was originally scheduled at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, however due to the current social tension in Chicago, the match sanctioning authority has opted to relocate it. If both international friendlies end up in Florida, it becomes feasible for Messi to be present at all four matches, however it’s pure speculation to suggest that he features in all four of them.
