Matchups are one of the most important factors to consider when crafting your fantasy lineup each week. In MLS, where home field provides a greater advantage than most leagues, players frequently deal with cross country travel and multiple competitions, which can impact performance. It’s important to consider these factors, as well as performance metrics such as home/away form and player injuries to pinpoint favorable matchups.

Six teams play two home matches this double game week, so there’s no reason not to load up on their fantasy assets—especially if you’re looking to mitigate the growing risk of rotation. With the international break looming and fixture congestion becoming a real problem for many teams, rotation could hit harder than we’ve seen so far this season. Targeting players with two home matchups not only maximizes upside, but also offers some built-in protection against last-minute lineup surprises (looking at you, Nancy). With that being said, let’s dive in and dissect this Round 15 DGW slate:

FC Cincinnati vs FC Dallas (Wed, 6:30pm CT), vs DC United (Sat, 6:30pm CT)

Cincinnati’s first matchup this week is against FC Dallas, who will be playing their third road match in seven days. Cincy will be looking to bounce back after a 4-2 loss in Atlanta on Sunday, and this is a prime spot to do so against a tired (and potentially rotated) Dallas side. The juiciest fixture for Cincinnati will be this second one though—at home against a Benteke-less DC United side. Their defense is already one of the worst in MLS (4th most goals conceded) and missing the one player who offered any threat going forward doesn’t help anything in their case. Since Benteke went down injured early against NYCFC, DC have played nearly three full matches (two at home) and produced zero goals on just 0.62 xG per 90. That’s awful. Not much else needs to be said, these are golden matchups for Cincy and if you’re not maxing out on their fantasy assets this week, you’re doing something wrong. 

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Evander (MID)
• Luca Orellano (DEF)
• Kevin Denkey (FWD) *One YC away from suspension
• Roman Celentano (GK)

Inter Miami vs CF Montreal (Wed, 6:30pm CT), vs Columbus (Sat, 6:30pm CT)

Miami open the double game week at home against Montreal, a team with just one win and eight points through 15 games. Messi and Co. are averaging nearly two goals per game at home this season, and I fully expect them to pad that number on Wednesday against a struggling side playing their third game in a week. Saturday’s matchup against Columbus looks tougher on paper, but I’m leaning into the narrative that Miami’s stars will show up in a big time game when three points are needed. Columbus haven’t been invincible defensively, either. Their xGA numbers look good overall, but they’ve been a lot leakier on the road, keeping just one clean sheet in seven road trips. And with Schulte, Zawadzki, Farsi, Moreira, and Camacho all on Wednesday’s injury report, the Crew could be pretty thin at the back for this one in Miami. 

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Lionel Messi (FWD)
• Jordi Alba (DEF)
• Luis Suarez (FWD) *One YC away from suspension

LA Galaxy vs San Jose Earthquakes (Wed, 9:15pm CT), vs Real Salt Lake (Sat, 9:30pm CT)

Closing out my target matchups for this week, we’ve got the LA Galaxy, current frontrunners for the Wooden Spoon—but still a team worth considering thanks to two juicy home fixtures. First up is a rivalry match against San Jose, who, like the Galaxy, have a terrible defensive record. I’m expecting goals on both sides in this one, but I lean Galaxy due to home advantage and the likes of Reus, Pec, and Paintsil causing problems for the San Jose backline. Regardless of the result, this should be a high-scoring game with lots of fantasy points to go around. Then on Saturday, LA host Real Salt Lake, another team with lots of holes in their defense. RSL have conceded the 4th most xG in MLS through 15 games, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Galaxy tickle the twine a couple more times here. With two home games on deck, the Galaxy will be itching to deliver the fans a first win of the season (and hopefully some strong fantasy returns along the way).

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Gabriel Pec (FWD)
• Marco Reus (MID)
• Joseph Paintsil (MID)

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Contributor: Eli Redpath, @vurkes on Discord