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Major League Soccer (MLS) Fantasy Soccer Picks: Sporting Kansas City vs. Minnesota United FC DraftKings DFS Showdown Strategy

Nikhil Kalro preps you for Thursday’s 8:30 p.m. ET Sporting Kansas City vs. Minnesota United FC Major League Soccer (MLS) soccer contest with DraftKings Captain’s Picks and flex options.

MLS: San Jose Earthquakes at Sporting Kansas City Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Sporting Kansas City and Minnesota United will face off in a Western Conference playoff game, a quarterfinal, on Thursday night. Here is a look at some players to consider for your DraftKings roster.

Set your DraftKings fantasy soccer lineups here: MLS Showdown $50K Playoff Special [$10K to 1st] (SKC vs MIN)


Captain
Johnny Russell ($15,600)

Russell has scored six goals this season, joint highest for Sporting Kansas City. He has played 21 matches, averaging 0.35 goals per 90 minutes. Russell has taken 50 shots this season, most for his club. Even though Alan Pulido ($16,200) has also scored six goals at 0.56 goals per 90 minutes, he isn’t my Captain because he is listed as questionable for this game. Although Russell isn’t an out-and-out striker, he could still be a valuable target as Captain.

Other to consider: Gianluca Busio ($14,700)


High-priced flex options

Gianluca Busio ($9,800)

Busio plays a vital attacking midfielder role, in a central position, for Sporting Kansas City. This position allows him the opportunity to drift wider to deliver passes into the box or even move straighter to take shots, just in or outside the box. He has taken 36 shots, six on target, this season. He has also scored one goal with three assists. Still, he could be an asset for your fantasy roster, considering he scored in the previous game, against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Kevin Molino ($9,400)

Molino is leading the goal-scoring for Minnesota this season. He has scored nine goals in 18 games, at a commendable average of 0.64 goals per every 90 minutes. He has taken 38 shots (with 17 on target). He also has four assists. These are rather stunning offensive numbers, by any standards. It’s hardly surprising that he is averaging 16 DKFP per game.

Robin Lod ($8,600)

While Lod doesn’t have as many shots on target as his colleagues, he is leading his club in shots taken (40). That is an indicator he is taking some speculative shots from outside the box too. However, he has scored seven goals with five assists this season. That level of offensive production, in itself, is reason enough to draft Lod into your roster for this playoff game. He is averaging 11.5 DKFP per game.

Other to consider: Alan Pulido ($10,800)


Value flex options

Tim Melia ($7,200)

Apart from the previous game, against San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City had kept three straight clean sheets. In 21 games this season, the team has conceded just 25 goals so far at an average of just over one goal per game. Melia has been a solid and reliable force at goal for his club. His defensive stability has helped him rack up 8.1 DKFP per game. That should continue against Minnesota.

Khiry Shelton ($6,800)

Shelton, like Pulido, has a terrific conversion rate (shots taken into shots on target). He has 14 shots on goal on 29 shots taken. He has scored five goals with one assist this season. He played as the solitary striker in the previous game, to good effect. Even though he is averaging just 7.8 DKFP per game, there is still immense value in a forward at this affordable price.

Other to consider: Jan Gregus ($7,600)

Set your DraftKings fantasy soccer lineups here: MLS Showdown $50K Playoff Special [$10K to 1st] (SKC vs MIN)


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Nikhil Kalro is the Founder and CEO of Altletics Esports.