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. Each week I’ll focus on a few matchups you should target to help your team collect those precious fantasy points. Here are some to keep an eye on in round eight:

DC United vs FC Cincinnati (Sat, 7:30pm ET)

DC United suffered an absolute dismantling at the hands of the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend, losing 6-1. Unless they’ve magically shored up their league-worst defense (17 GA and 13.1 xG in 7 matches) in six days, there’s no reason why the likes of Evander, Kevin Denkey, and Luca Orellano can’t tear them apart again. On the flip side, Cincy’s defense has struggled in the absence of key center backs Matt Miazga and Miles Robinson, though both have trained this week, and Christian Benteke will surely see this as an opportunity to boost his Golden Boot chances (5g/1a  in 7 matches). Either way, this one should deliver goals—and that usually means lots of fantasy points will be up for grabs.

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Evander (MID, CIN)
• Luca Orellano (DEF, CIN)
• Kevin Denkey (FWD, CIN)
• Christian Benteke (FWD, DC)

Colorado Rapids v San Diego FC (Sat, 9:30pm ET)

While not an obvious matchup to watch on the surface, SDFC visiting Colorado could be very interesting from a fantasy perspective. The Rapids defense has given up at least three goals in two of three home matches this season, and have averaged 1.7 xG/90 for the season–which is shaky. But they have also scored multiple goals in two of the three home matches. On the other side, San Diego is one of the hottest teams in the league. They’ve scored multiple goals in two of their three away matches, and are averaging almost 2 xG/90 away from home. Their normally stout defense has given up over 2 xG in–you guessed it–two of three away matches. Playing away at altitude definitely helps even out the odds, which means we could see solid fantasy output from both sides.

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Djordje Mihailovic (MID, COL)
• Rafael Navarro (FWD, COL)
• Anders Dreyer (MID, SD)
• Chucky Lozano (FWD, SD)

LAFC vs San Jose Earthquakes (Sat, 10:30pm ET)

San Jose will be looking to build on their big win last weekend in this matchup against LAFC, who traveled to Miami midweek for the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal. All that travel and fatigue could expose some cracks in LAFC’s defense, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see San Jose continue their hot goal-scoring form (league leading 15 goals and 14.6 xG). Of course, their own defense remains a massive liability—conceding a league-worst 2.11 xG/90. Even with some tired legs, LAFC have the firepower to punish San Jose’s defense on paper. I’m seeing plenty of paths to fantasy points in this Western Conference rivalry match.

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Denis Bouanga (FWD, LAFC)
• Cengiz Under (MID, LAFC)
• Cristian Arango (FWD, SJ)
• Cristian Espinoza (MID, SJ)

Sporting Kansas City vs Portland Timbers (Sun, 2:15pm ET)

This matchup may be flying under the radar this week, but it could quietly deliver for both fantasy and entertainment purposes. Since 2022, these two teams have combined for 29 goals in just six meetings—that’s nearly five goals per game! Neither side has looked especially threatening so far this season, but given the attacking tools on both squads, I think there’s potential here. Plus, with this game being played on Sunday, it makes for a great fallback option if your bench doesn’t pan out.

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Dejan Jovelijc (FWD, SKC)
• Shapi Suleymanov (MID, SKC)
• David Da Costa (MID, POR)
• Antony (MID, POR)

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Contributor: Eli Redpath, @vurkes on Discord