MLS Fantasy Focus: We Rate Gazdags

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This round was led by The Other Stipe Buiks with 84 points as you see above, six ahead of second place.

Positional Leaders

Goalkeepers
Orlando’s Pedro Gallese ($7.0) and his cross-state counterpart Drake Callender (MIA, $6.5) split the positional lead with 10 points, each posting a clean sheet. David Bingham (POR, $5.5) did the same for 9 points. D.C.’s Tyler Miller ($5.5) — boy, that feels weird to write — scored 3 points.

Defenders
Both Henry Kessler (NE, $6.5) and Juan Mosquera (POR, $6.0) paired a goal with a clean sheet, sharing the lead for defenders with 15 points. Just behind them was Walker Zimmerman (NSH, $7.0), whose own clean sheet and goal got him 14 points. The United defenders were Matai Akinmboni ($4.6) with 3 points, Andy Najar ($5.4) with 2, and both Pedro Santos ($6.7) and Steven Birnbaum ($5.3) with 1. If you’re wondering, Mohanad Jeahze is not in the game at present.

Midfielders
Boy do I regret opting at the last moment, when the LAFC/Galaxy game was called off, for Lucas Zelarayan (CLB, $9.2, 3 points) instead of Daniel Gazdag (PHI, $9.5), who led the midfielders and all players with 20 points on two goals and two assists. Behind him was Thiago Almada (ATL, $9.5), with two late goals and 13 points, followed by Obinna Nwobodo (CIN, $7.0), with a goal, an assist, and 11 points. The DCU midfield was led by Ted Ku-Dipietro ($6.0) with 10 points; followed closely by Mateusz Klich ($8.5) with 9 points; then the trio of Russell Canouse ($6.7), Victor Palsson ($6.7), and Chris Durkin ($6.2) with 5 each, and Jackson Hopkins ($5.7) with 1.

Forwards
Jordan Morris (SEA, $8.5) led the forwards with 15 points on the strength of two goals, while Julian Carranza (PHI, $9.0) also scored twice on the way to 13 points. Federico Bernardeschi (TOR, $9.9) rounded out the top three with a goal, 9 points, and one loss. Christian Benteke ($8.6) topped the D.C. forwards with 6 points, ahead of Kristian Fletcher ($5.1) with 4, and Nigel Robertha ($5.4) with 2.

Looking Ahead
Minnesota’s on bye, and everyone else plays once. I quietly like John Pulskamp (SKC, $6.1) in goal at Colorado, and I like Andrew Gutman (ATL, $6.3) in defense vs. Toronto. Look at Cristian Espinoza (SJ, $8.5) in midfield vs. Vancouver, and Julian Carranza at forward at Miami.