MLS Fantasy Rankings: Top Midfielders

This article is part of our MLS Fantasy Rankings series.

There are a lot of complications come with trying to rank players for the season-long game. For simplicity's sake, we ignored potential absences for the many international tournaments coming up this summer. We also did not favor players with a generous opening schedule, but you certainly should look at that when putting together your team!

JD: I'm a firm believer that the midfield is the most important position to get right in fantasy MLS. The best mids score goals like a forward, but also hoard bonus points. Coincidentally, this season's accentuated scoring system rewards the elite midfielders even more. Passes completed, shots attempted, fouls won and crosses are new boosts to the attacking midfielder. If they join in on the defensive action as well, they should be able to collect a few additional marks for interceptions, tackles and recoveries.

All of the hype around the new scoring system is about how it will make defensive midfielders more playable and centerbacks even stronger. I've seen countless 4-3-3 and even 5-3-2 formations being proposed to start the fantasy season. Generally speaking, do you think shelling out for a top notch back line at the midfield's expense is a viable strategy, or are people overreacting/misinterpreting the effects of the new scoring format?

Schuyler: A well-rounded team is key if you want to make a run at the top of the leaderboard, but I'm not going to sacrifice paying up on defense at the expense of consistent, high-upside midfielders such as our top three in Diego Valeri, Mauro Diaz and Javier Morales. I'm usually drawn to a 3-4-3 because I'm naturally inclined to include as many attacking weapons as possible. However, I do think honing in on players who will benefit from the new scoring system will pay dividends over the course of the season. Midfielder's like Dax McCarty and Osvaldo Alonso see an instant boost in fantasy upside, two names I would usually not even consider in the past.

JD: Funny you should mention our "Top Three" because I wanted to discuss where you thought the top tier of midfielders ended. I look at the top five we've listed and think each can make a case. Valeri comes into the season with a clean bill of health and as dangerous a team around him as ever, but will Darlington Nagbe's rising star steal some of the spotlight? Javier Morales benefits as much as anyone from offensive bonus point changes, but he remains one of the most fouled players in the league and will be battling father time. Diaz is another player that is spectacular when healthy, but has had trouble staying on the field in each of the past few seasons. Ignacio Piatti won't have to carry the attacking responsibilities quite as heavily as he did for much of last year, and it's fair to question whether the late-season move to the wing will continue to elevate him or cause him to miss out on some of the fantasy scoring that central players tend to accumulate. Lastly, Lee Nguyen sits in a murky midfield situation sans Jermaine Jones and Xavier Kouassi, but he routinely dominates Major League Soccer for months at a time. Which player outside of that top five do you think has the best chance to finish as the top overall midfielder?

Schuyler: I think Kaka, with a full MLS season under his belt, could turn in a really strong campaign. With Kevin Molino healthy and Clye Larin always a goal threat, I don't think teams will be able to hone in on simply shutting Kaka down this season. That was a viable game plan against Orlando last season but I'm banking on big numbers from the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year. I also think Nguyen could elevate to No. 1 midfielder status if he can put together a complete season. He was an MVP (MV-Lee?) candidate two seasons ago but got off to a rocky start in 2015. He's auditioning for a role with the U.S. Men's National Team and, with the Revs lacking a star goal scorer, I wouldn't be surprised to see him put up double-digit goals and assists this season.

JD: I also see a tremendous year in store for Nguyen. Let's move to the wing, where the league has some dynamic talent that just doesn't seem suited to fantasy MLS scoring. While we still ranked players like David Accam and Fabian Castillo quite highly, we aren't projecting Ethan Finlay, Cristian Techera and Michael Barrios to hang with the top dogs. Finlay, in particular, was near the league lead in assists, plays in one of the best offenses in the league and recently broke into the U.S. National Team picture, but I am just not high on his fantasy MLS value. Does it make sense to pay elite prices for players that are highly likely to accrue fewer bonus points on the attacking wing? Which winger outside of Castillo and Accam could you see transcending that scoring gap and becoming a top play this season?

Schuyler: A somewhat under-the-radar winger that comes to mind is Kevin Molino, who was unfortunate to have missed the majority of last season after going down with an ACL tear in a friendly. Molino is a goal-scoring threat on the right wing and I expect him to come out hungry from the get-go. It certainly doesn't hurt that he's playing alongside Kaka, who will draw a ton of attention from the opposition and in turn free up Molino for more opportunities in the attack. Unless the matchup is enticing, it's hard to justify paying $10.5m for wingers like Finlay and Castillo when I can pay the same, or less, for the likes of Diaz, Morales and Valeri. Don't get me wrong, Finlay and Castillo are both very talented and will put up fantasy points, but it's more logical to roster central/attacking midfielders with higher upside based on the new scoring rules.