Leo Messi is inevitable. LAFC took a 1-0 lead to Miami and before long saw themselves up 2-0 on aggregate with the away goal tiebreaker. And yet. And yet! Messi scores a banger out of nowhere, a really weird ball in bounces over everyone and LAFC can't clear it off the line, and finally LAFC give up a late PK and Messi calmly buries it for the 3-2 lead and eventual win. This was his third full 90 match in a week, leaving us with the question: will he show up to Chicago? If so, how many minutes are in his legs? It is unfortunately the second-to-last game of the week, so there are not a lot of options if you wait for him. It worked out for Messi believers last weekend, but will it work out again this week?
And how about those Whitecaps! Fresh off a last-second dagger to finish off Pumas, who thought they had their own winner just a few minutes before, they are hosting a very strong Austin side who could catch up to them at the top of the Western Conference with a win. It’s a weird world we live in where these are two of the powerhouses in the conference. This game is a highlight because both teams have good defenses, and Austin's has maybe been best in the league, so we could see a clean sheet from either side (maybe both?). Where you lean probably depends on how exhausted you think Vancouver will be after their trip to Mexico.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy gave their best shot to Tigres, getting gashed for three goals but coming back with two of their own. They showed fight in defeat, but they still have one single win in 2025, against Herediano at home (you can add one more if you count their five preseason games). They continue to be a team to target, especially coming off a draining road loss in Mexico.
Week 8 quick rankings
Goalkeepers
Brad Guzan (ATL $5.6m), Joe Willis (NSH $8.8m), CJ Dos Santos (SD $7.1m), Patrick Schulte (CLB $7.1m)
Wildcards: Jonathan Sirois (MTL $6.4m), Yohei Takaoka (VAN $7.9m) or Brad Stuver (ATL $8.1m)
Defenders
Luca Orellano (CIN $8.7m), Brooks Lennon (ATL $6.3m), Andy Najar/Jeisson Palacios (NSH $7.7m/$6.0m), Paddy McNair (SD $8.5m), Yevhen Cheberko (CLB $9.8m), Alex Freeman (ORL $6.1m)
Wildcards: George Campbell (MTL $7.1m), Ali Ahmed (VAN $8.0m) or Brendan Hines-Ike (ATX $8.8m)
Midfielders
Martin Ojeda (ORL $11.0m), Anders Dreyer (SD $11.0m), Hany Mukhtar (NSH $10.5m), Cristian Espinoza (SJ $9.8m), Jack McGlynn (HOU $9.6m), David Da Costa (POR $9.3m), Miguel Almiron (ATL $9.3m), Federico Bernardeschi (TOR $9.3m), Philip Zinckernagel (CHI $9.1m), Quinn Sullivan (PHI $8.9m)
Budget: Dennis Gjengaar (RBNY $6.9m), Pedro de la Vega (SEA $6.4m)
Forwards
Leo Messi (MIA $11.9m), Christian Benteke (DC $11.8m), Hugo Cuypers (CHI $10.7m), Kelvin Yeboah/Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi (MIN $10.4m/$8.4m), Chucky Lozano (SD $8.7m)
Budget: Jesus Ferreira (SEA $6.6m)
Week 8 schedule
Two early games to start on Saturday, Toronto against Minnesota and Atlanta against New England, at 11:30 am/11:45 am Pacific. I think we can expect Minnesota and Atlanta to win, perhaps handily so by Minnesota, but I can see both underdogs being dangerous. Midafternoon has Orlando against Red Bulls at 1:30 pm. Their meeting four weeks ago was a 2-2 draw in New York that flattered the visitors a bit. I think the edge here goes to Orlando at home but this one could go either way.
The 4:30 pm games are highlighted by Montreal's home opener against Charlotte (missing Zaha to hand surgery) and Vancouver hosting Austin, as mentioned above. 5:30 pm has Dallas against Sounders for the joint Ferreira/Chu revenge game/exchange program meetup, depending on how you see these moves. We could see more of why their teams were willing to send them on, or maybe have a taste of why they were sought after by their new teams. We also have Nashville vs. Salt Lake, with the home team a big favorite. 6:30 pm has another mismatch in Colorado with San Diego visiting. At 7:30 pm both LA teams are in action as Galaxy host Houston and San Jose visits LAFC. I think both visitors may be favorites? Weird thing to say.
On Sunday, Kansas City plays Portland at 11:15 am, then Chicago hosts Miami at 1:30 pm, with St. Louis rounding things out at 4:00 pm against Columbus. SKC finally got a win! Can they keep rebounding against Portland, who are undefeated in four games? Will Messi start in Chicago? Can St. Louis figure out how to score a goal against the Crew? I think the answer is "no" to all of these questions, but we will see.
Thoughts and Players
Defenses
Atlanta – The Revs are in town and have easily the worst offense in the league. Atlanta's defense is suspect, but I think the Revs offensive futility outweighs the issue, especially if Atlanta is a little healthier than they've been. There's no consistency here so based on history I guess hope Brooks Lennon ($6.3m) breaks out of his slump.
Nashville – RSL is in town. They beat a bad Galaxy team at home, but Nashville is still the much superior team this year. They should bounce back after a couple of tough losses, though are likely without Walker Zimmerman, so temper expectations. Andy Najar ($7.7m) has the highest upside, while Jeisson Palacios ($6.0m) could be a budget-friendly replacement for Zimmerman if he's starting at CB next to Maher.
San Diego – They keep passing tests with no sign of letting up. In what should have been a more even game, San Diego was lethal when Seattle was disorganized. Yes, they are visiting Colorado, but they already proved their mettle by winning at RSL. I think they win again against a struggling Colorado. Take Paddy McNair ($8.5m), as despite McVey getting a goal recently, McNair is still averaging more points per match.
Columbus – Last game of the week, they travel to St. Louis, who have no ideas in the attack. I expect an organized and resilient Columbus team to stay top of the East with a win here. My recommendation as usual is Yevhen Cheberko ($9.8m), whose passing numbers give him a high floor. Farsi and Moreira are also plenty reasonable if you want to save some budget.
Wildcards: Montreal finally have their home opener and play Charlotte, who will be missing Zaha. And I expect one of Vancouver or Austin to get a CS in their battle. I'm leaning towards Austin based on their strength this year and Vancouver's travel draining them.
Luca Orellano (CIN $8.7m) – CS and 9 KPs last week. I am not expecting a CS this week at DC, but DC have conceded 17 goals on the year after shipping 6 to San Jose. I think Orellano should find room to attack in this one, especially if he's the focal point of the attack with Evander out another week.
Alex Freeman (ORL $6.1m) – I don't think Orlando have great CS odds this week, but Freeman has been involved in the attack, scoring twice on the year. He's also on a much more budget-friendly price than some other options. He’s probably competing for the same spot in your team as Lennon.
Midfielders
Martin Ojeda (ORL $11.0m) – Not his best outing last week, but he's still tied for the league lead in fantasy points. Getting on the scoresheet consistently will do that!
Anders Dreyer (SD $11.0m) – While Lozano was the star last week, Dreyer had plenty of influence when San Diego was attacking. He facilitates and takes shots. I expect San Diego's midfield to be dominant in this one, giving Dreyer a lot of opportunities.
Hany Mukhtar (NSH $10.5m) – He delivered on the road in Charlotte last week – in Fantasy, at least. He had 10 points from a goal and bonuses from passing and 8 KPs. Home to RSL should be a great matchup for him.
Cristian Espinoza (SJ $9.8m) – One goal, two assists against DC. 14 points is great, though you'd hope it was a little more in a six-goal stomping. LAFC is back home after an exhausting match trying to outlast Miami, so expect them to cede the ball to San Jose, giving Espinoza the time to rack up KPs as they try and push through.
Jack McGlynn (HOU $9.6m) – Another LA visitor, McGlynn gets the Galaxy's Swiss cheese defense. I dropped him last week due to weather concerns, and he promptly had probably the best performance of his young career, with a goal, clean sheet, 70+ passes, 14 KPs and a shooting bonus. Houston actually pushed him up from his usual box-to-box 8 role into the RW where Lodeiro had been playing. He had 11 shot-creating actions along with 78 passes, 15 of them progressive. I'll take McGlynn at whatever position he's playing at this point.
David Da Costa (POR $9.3m) – If you, like me, think Kansas City is the same bad team they have been the last few years, you can't expect them to completely change under a new manager. As incompetent as St. Louis has been on offense, giving SKC their first clean sheet this year, Portland has shown equally exciting flashes when they put it all together. Da Costa may deserve a chance on your team. Since he's a Sunday player, you could always take him out if your Saturday bench players do great.
Miguel Almiron (ATL $9.3m) – He didn't do a lot last week, but he did show that he can still take PKs. If he's going to be the designated PK taker (Latte Lath won the PK he scored), that is a big upside in an active offense, especially with a team where games can get sloppy at both ends. I think Atlanta earns three points and Almiron gets on the scoresheet against New England.
Federico Bernardeschi (TOR $9.3m) – Even through Toronto's struggles, he has been relevant in fantasy. An incredibly worked goal last week plus some solid BPs gave him his first double-digit score of the year. I am not really thinking Toronto will beat Minnesota, but he should be a strong option at home this week. You could pick up Lorenzo Insigne ($7.8m) instead, who has improved Toronto now that he's playing again (he's certainly being paid to improve them a lot). He's hard to rely on though, so I would pick Bernardeschi if you have the budget.
Philip Zinckernagel (CHI $9.1m) – Another 6-point week last week. Not the highest of highs but he's been producing (but maybe cut back on the fouls, my guy). It will be an exciting match for Chicago hosting Miami and Messi coming off their gutsy CCC comeback win. Zinck is about as good a bet as any between the midfielders in this one. Bamba may be the Ligue 1/La Liga vet, but Zinckernagel has as good or even better for Chicago thus far.
Quinn Sullivan (PHI $8.9m) – With Gazdag out the door to Columbus, it is fully Sullivan's show to run in Philly. He had only four points last week, but that was with 9 KPs. NYCFC have been somewhat generous this year and this should be a high-energy, high-stakes rivalry match.
Budget: Dennis Gjengaar (RBNY $6.9m) – Only played 21 minutes back last week, but was solid in his two earlier appearances against Atlanta and Orlando. If he's in the starting lineup could be a strong option at this price.
Pedro de la Vega (SEA $6.4m) – Crazy low price for a DP, but that's what happens when you have four straight one-point appearances. Probably a fair price given that he will be on a minutes restriction, but in his 30 minutes last week he again looked like the most dangerous Seattle attacker and will be playing with Morris at striker. Could easily see 8-ish points with an assist and some KPs. But do NOT start him – put him on your bench so you can sub him in if he does hit, since he's probably as likely to score 0 points as he is to score 8.
Forwards
Leo Messi (MIA $11.9m) – He's automatic. If he's in the starting lineup, he really needs to be in your team. Just make sure to have a backup plan if he isn't.
Christian Benteke (DC $11.8m) – Also automatic. Two weeks in a row with goals, he still hasn't scored fewer than 6 points this year. He’s averaging at least 2 BPs per match from KPs and shots. This week is a home match against Cincinnati's weak backline. You may be able to find players that hit bigger numbers this week but Benteke has been a model of consistency this year.
After those two, there are a lot of options I'm really not sure about.
Hugo Cuypers (CHI $10.7m) – Hasn't scored in his last two games, but Miami has shown vulnerability in the back and is on short rest. Chicago has a lot to prove in this one. I'm not certain Cuypers is the guy for Chicago, but he's still one of the better options this week.
Kelvin Yeboah/Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi (MIN $10.4m/$8.4m) – Tani has five goals in his last three games, while Yeboah has two, both against the Galaxy, in the game that Tani missed. I think at least one of them gets a goal against Toronto, but it's an open question as to which one. They both have 1.0 xG+xAG/90 with Yeboah having the advantage of taking PKs. Tani is the hot hand though. Take your pick.
Chucky Lozano (SD $8.7m) – Against Seattle, Lozano had a goal, assist and 5 KPs. He had more touches than Dreyer as well. Against Colorado, where they will likely have much more possession, I can see Lozano having another double-digit day.
Budget: Jesus Ferreira (SEA $6.6m) – Ferreira is expected to get the start on Saturday alongside Pedro de la Vega, with Morris up at forward. Ferreira has not been sharp at the #9 position, but he has looked dangerous as an attacking forward. He is returning to Dallas, the team that spurned him by shuttling him off to Seattle. Things are setting up nicely for Ferreira to be the focal point of Seattle's attack and have a breakout match, especially with de la Vega and Morris on minutes restrictions. Worth a shot in the dark at this price point if you want to use budget elsewhere.
Captain considerations
Leo Messi – I failed to follow my own advice last week and captain Messi when he started. I regretted it. If it's looking like he'll start he should be your primary consideration.
Christian Benteke – He's been Mr. Consistency this year, and though Cincy can be a tougher challenge, I think he still gets his points.
Hany Mukhtar – Home against RSL is a choice matchup and it's not like he's going to miss three PKs in a row, right? Right? right?
Jack McGlynn – I have a feeling that Houston is going to be all over LAFC, and McGlynn is going to run the show. This may be point chasing, but he could be a great differential captain choice, especially if he's starting at LW again.
