By AVI CREDITOR

With the schedule reverting back to the usual eight-game, one-per-team slate, this week is pretty straight-forward. There are the matchups that, on paper, look exploitable, and you should gear any transfers or lineup decisions toward those games.

Los Angeles-Philadelphia, New York-D.C., and to a lesser extent Kansas City-Houston, Chicago-Chivas, Salt Lake-Toronto and Colorado-San Jose all figure to have predictable win/loss outcomes.

The players on the right ends of those matchups carry all the fantasy value this week, and without any double gameweeks to complicate matters, your roster moves should be no-brainers – until next week, when six teams have a two-game schedule.

Here are this week's player rankings by position:

FANTASY MLS WEEK 6 PLAYER RANKINGS

GOALKEEPERS

1. Donovan Ricketts, LA – Front-runner for Goalkeeper of the Year has been stellar, gets Union at HDC this week
2. Jimmy Nielsen, KC – Credit the Wizards front office for putting faith in Nielsen after jettisoning Kevin Hartman; Danish netminder has proven to be the real deal
3. Bouna Coundoul, NY – Road rivalry match at D.C. isn't a gimme, but United has been shut out in three of four matches
4. Nick Rimando, RSL – Improving but unrefined Toronto attack at home will be a welcome sight for Rimando after facing early-season gauntlet
5. Andrew Dykstra, CHI – Inconsistent Chivas attack, combined with an in-form Fire may mean big things for VCU product
6. Preston Burpo, NE – Hoops struggling to score in run of play; If Revs avoid fouling in the box, Burpo could snatch second clean sheet
7. Dario Sala, DAL – New England will continue to struggle without Shalrie Joseph in the middle; Dallas could steal road points with sound defensive effort
8. Kasey Keller, SEA – No keeper can make up for the lackluster mistakes Sounders made at BMO Field; Crew attack is more potent than Toronto's though
9. Will Hesmer, CLB – Fantastic performance in shutting down Salt Lake, but it doesn't get easier at Qwest
10. Pat Onstad, HOU – Onus will be on defense to come through with Dynamo losing attacking players any way possible

DEFENDERS

1. Omar Gonzalez, LA – Anchor of league's co-stingiest unit (KC); Galaxy shouldn't have a problem shutting down Union attack that will be without Sebastien Le Toux
2. Todd Dunivant, LA – Right with Gonzalez in fantasy terms; Clean sheet a high possibility for league's top team
3. Matt Besler, KC – Deserves credit for stepping up with Jimmy Conrad out
4. Pablo Escobar, KC – Shouldn't be tested too frequently by less-than-full-strength Houston attack
5. Tim Ream, NY – Hobbled D.C. has been awful in final third thus far; Rookie should reap benefits
6. Roy Miller, NY – Left back has eased into the rotation to fill an offseason need
7. Wilman Conde, CHI – Fire have produced back-to-back clean sheets, welcome up-and-down Chivas to Toyota Park
8. C.J. Brown, CHI – Conde's central midfield partner deserves some credit for Fire's recent play
9. Robbie Russell, RSL – MLS Cup PK hero and his defensive unit have a great home matchup to get back on track
10. Chris Tierney, NE – MFLS glitch earns Tierney defensive shutout points even though he's a midfielder; Dallas matchup provides chance for a nice week

MIDFIELDERS

1. Javier Morales, RSL – Will return to the pitch mean a return to the top form he showed early on?
2. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, CLB – Age hasn't slowed down the maestro and MVP candidate at all, but Seattle's turf might; Make sure he's in Robert Warzycha's lineup before inserting him in yours
3. Juninho, LA – Team's success should dictate a nice fantasy day for Brazilian midfielder
4. Ryan Smith, KC – A couple of recent lackluster fantasy outputs are no cause for concern; Outside midfielder has a nice opportunity against Houston
5. Davy Arnaud, KC – Wizards have proven they're no fluke, and veteran Arnaud is getting the job done while incorporating new faces around him
6. Marco Pappa, CHI – Fire attack is in a groove of late, and Guatemalan has plenty of options to seek out in attacking third
7. Joel Lindpere, NY – Great matchup with winless United
8. Steve Zakuani, SEA – The bright spot in an inconsistent beginning to the Sounders' season
9. Dwayne De Rosario, TOR – Carrying Reds with recent play, but matchup at Salt Lake isn't stellar
10. Kyle Beckerman, RSL – Captain must step up with team in recent funk
11. Mehdi Ballouchy, COL – Rapids midfield becoming one of league's steadiest units
12. Sacha Kljestan, CHV – Martin Vasquez' latest formation gave USMNT hopeful room to show glimpses of brilliance
13. Marco Perovic, NE – Free kick against Rapids was a beauty; Revs desperately need a strong showing from newcomer with Joseph out
14. Brian Nielsen, NY – Nice showing in team debut; Golden chance to open scoring account at RFK
15. Brad Davis, HOU – Dynamo nation turns its lonely eyes to you

FORWARDS

1. Edson Buddle, LA – Who thought Buddle NOT scoring would be a major headline? Golden Boot pace-setter can get back on track at home against mistake-prone Philly defense
2. Landon Donovan, LA – Should team with Buddle to toy with Union back line
3. Juan Pablo Angel, NY – Will Kevin Payne's offseason Emilio/Angel comparison fuel monster game at D.C. for Red Bulls' star? Matchup is overwhelmingly in his favor
4. Kei Kamara, KC – Hey, on the bright side, more people know who he is now; Should atone for goal-line blunder against former club
5. Omar Cummings, COL – Speed/finishing combo should cause more trouble for Earthquakes than Conor Casey's target-forward style
6. Patrick Nyarko, CHI – Emerging as weekly threat as defenders focus on Brian McBride and Collins John
7. Fredy Montero, SEA – Most forwards would take what's being perceived as a slow start for Sounders' top threat
8. Alvaro Saborio, RSL – Nice home matchup with Toronto for Costa Rican striker
9. Zack Schilawksi, NE – Rookie has been silent since stunning hat trick, but Dallas D is beatable
10. Jeff Cunningham, DAL – PKs are nice, but when will the run-of-play threat emerge?

COACHES

1. Bruce Arena, LA
2. Hans Backe, NY
3. Peter Vermes, KC
4. Jason Kreis, RSL
5. Carlos de los Cobos, CHI
6. Gary Smith, COL
7. Steve Nicol, NE
8. Sigi Schmid, SEA
9. Robert Warzycha, CLB
10. Schellas Hyndman, DAL

Soccer By Ives League Standings (Top 10)
1. The Woolly Mammoths…………….158 points
2. FC Salukis………………………………..150
2. Zambezi Highlanders……………….150
4. BestofNW………………………………….149
5. Voyageur Express…………………….148
5. Lyn…………………………………………….148
5. NJ Quaker…………………………………148
8. SC Union 1982…………………………145
8. Rainbow Chickens…………………..145
10. Chubby United……………………….144

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What's your lineup looking like? Who do you think is in for the biggest week?

Share your thoughts below.