By AVI CREDITOR

Chicago made its big moves and brought in the hired guns. All the Designated Players have to do now is perform.

The Chicago Fire have made two of the bolder moves during the transfer window, bringing in Freddie Ljungberg and Nery Castillo to breathe some life into an otherwise mediocre season. With a two-match slate this week, the Fire can really state their case as playoff contenders, and that's something that could have a monstrous fantasy impact.

Aside from all-star midfielder Marco Pappa, the Fire's attack has been lacking. After having a bye week to work out some of the kinks, Chicago should be able to perform at full throttle in matches at home against New England and at surprisingly beatable Houston.

With Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders off with CONCACAF Champions League duty this week, take a look at the Fire for some of your Week 21 replacements. Here are this week's player rankings by position:

FANTASY MLS WEEK 21 PLAYER RANKINGS

GOALKEEPERS

1. Sean Johnson, CHI – Rookie has been stealing the headlines since he replaced Andrew Dykstra in goal
2. Kevin Hartman, DAL – El Gato is a difference-maker in Dallas, and Chivas will be hard-pressed to crack the organized defensive unit in front of him at Pizza Hut Park
3. Donovan Ricketts, LA – One shy of tying the team record for clean sheets in a season, though an improved San Jose should make him work for it
4. Matt Reis, NE – Make that three clean sheets in four matches for Reis, with a punchless Kansas City side one of his two opponents this week
5. Will Hesmer, CLB – Actions speak louder than words for Hesmer, and he'll need to come up big against the Rapids to get the Crew back on track
6. Bouna Coundoul, NY – Decent matchup against a team struggling to find consistent offense
7. Stefan Frei, TOR – Busy week for the Reds, but Frei & Co. just held the Red Bulls to a single goal at RBA last week and are much better at BMO
8. Jimmy Nielsen, KC – Revolution are playing well, but they're not lighting it up offensively by any means
9. Chris Seitz, PHI – Union have yet to record a shutout on the season; Matchup at D.C. might be the team's best chance
10. Matt Pickens, COL – Already managed to shut out Columbus once this season, but that's a tough task to replicate at Crew Stadium, even though the Crew will have played a Champions League match earlier in the week

DEFENDERS

1. Wilman Conde, CHI – Will benefit greatly from Gonzalo Segares' return, an under-the-radar move that stabilizes Chicago's defensive unit
2. C.J. Brown, CHI – Vocal leader should see an upward spike in fantasy numbers with an improved team around him
3. Heath Pearce, DAL – Pearce not making the World Cup roster was one of the better things that could have happened to FCD
4. George John, DAL – A solid fantasy contributor considering FCD hardly loses, meaning his +/- is typically solid
5. Sean Franklin, LA – Offensive contributions have been limited as of late, but his defense on the wing is still rock solid
6. Omar Gonzalez, LA – Playing well and riding the momentum of a week he'll never forget.
7. Todd Dunivant, LA – Missed last week's match but isn't on the injury report this week; If he's good to go for the Galaxy coaching staff he should be good to go for you
8. Darrius Barnes, NE – Two road matches for the stingy Revolution, who have allowed one goal in their last four games since Barnes returned from a six-game absence
9. Chad Marshall, CLB – Champions League match complicates things, but as long as he's healthy, Marshall is typically a must-start if you've got him
10. Tim Ream, NY – Was part of NY's clean sheet against Toronto last week, and there's no indication that things will go differently this week

MIDFIELDERS

1. Marco Pappa, CHI – Already owns a goal against New England this season, has scored five goals in his last seven games, and has two matches this week in which he can work with his new prolific teammates
2. Sebastien Le Toux, PHI – Had a hat trick against D.C. in their earlier meeting and hasn't slowed since
3. David Ferreira, DAL – Perhaps no midfielder is hotter than Ferreira, who has scored a goal or had an assist in eight of his last 10 matches
4. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, CLB – Quietly having another standout season, though he hasn't scored since Week 13 against D.C.
5. Marko Perovic, NE – Free-kick specialist/Jabulani master has been integral to Revs' turnaround
6. Brek Shea, DAL – No longer a risky play; U-20 winger brings it every match
7. Michael Stephens, LA – Not producing as much as he was, but as long as the team is successful he's a nice fantasy asset
8. Freddie Ljungberg, CHI – Fantasy bust of the year has been given a new lease on life and should be able to contribute with his new Chicago mates this week
9. Dwayne De Rosario, TOR – Still waiting for De Rosario to rediscover his early-season form; All personnel moves to improve the team haven't helped DeRo's production
10. Shalrie Joseph, NE – Two matches this week for a team that hasn't lost in its last eight matches (all competitions) and he has a new goalscorer up top in Ilija Stolica to feed
11. Joel Lindpere, NY – Scored on Toronto last week and is already benefiting from his new teammates' presence
12. Chris Wondolowski, SJ – Broke his long goalless spell last week and should be put into more scoring chances with his new offensive-minded teammates
13. Khari Stephenson, SJ – Impressive in his team debut, but things get a bit tougher in this week's matchup with the Galaxy.
14. Baggio Husidic, CHI – Will go overlooked with all the attention drawn by his more notable teammates, but he's quietly put together a nice season with three goals and three assists
15. Fred, PHI – Just when United fans thought it couldn't get any worse, Fred finds a way to strike at RFK

FORWARDS

1. Edson Buddle, LA – Hasn't ever stopped being in form since the season's opening kick; Has a league-high 13 goals while missing five games for the World Cup
2. Landon Donovan, LA – Burned San Jose with a late equalizer in their previous meeting and has a league-high 11 assists
3. Nery Castillo, CHI – Rumored to be starting against New England and should have achieved a higher fitness level by now
4. Juan Pablo Angel, NY – Who better to take advantage of a TFC squad that should be a bit exhausted after a Champions League match earlier in the week?
5. Danny Mwanga, PHI – In a very talented rookie class, Mwanga has set himself above the rest with his incredible strike efficiency; Look for him to creep closer to the rookie goal record this weekend at D.C.
6. Thierry Henry, NY – If he doesn't score soon, the murmurs will turn to groans; His overall play has been fine, though
7. Jeff Cunningham, DAL – Not starting, but it doesn't even matter; Three goals in his last two matches as another late-season goal streak is underway
8. Kei Kamara, KC – The matchup is just OK considering NE's recent form, but any time the Wizards play at home against a not-top opponent, Kamara is a threat to score
9. Ilija Stolica, NE – Fantastic strike in his debut prompted an even more fantastic call from Revs play-by-play man Brad Feldman after Stolica's game-winner against Houston: "A cold shot of Stoli!"
10. Omar Cummings, COL – If anyone can take advantage of a defense's weary legs – and Columbus' should have them a bit after a midweek match – it's the speedy Jamaican striker

COACHES

1. Carlos de los Cobos, CHI
2. Schellas Hyndman, DAL
3. Robert Warzycha, CLB
4. Bruce Arena, LA
5. Steve Nicol, NE
6. Hans Backe, NY
7. Preki, TOR
8. Peter Nowak, PHI
9. Frank Yallop, SJ
10. Gary Smith, COL

Soccer By Ives League Standings (Top 10)
1. Cpt. Pancakes and Lt. Waffles………550 points
2. Campione………………………………………544
3. I <3 MLS………………………………………….541
4. Yankee Racers………………………………537
5. FC Byrd Turgler………………………………528
6. Skillz……………………………………………….521
7. MassiveVictory………………………………..488
8. Latenite504 FC……………………………….484
9. ShaggyReAL…………………………………..483
10. Timbers4Ever………………………………482

LAST WEEK'S SBI LEAGUE TOP SCORER

I <3 MLS (47 points)

————————-Rimando(8)—————————
—-Borchers(4)————Barnes(3)————Riley(2)—-
–Morales(10)–Ferreira(9)—Le Toux(6)–Schelotto(-2)–
—Buddle(5)————–Saborio(0)————Angel(-1)—

Coach: Backe(3)

Soccer By Ives Prediction League Standings (Top 10)
1. The Cool Hands…………………………..336 points
2. FC Byrd Turgler……………………………333
3. I <3 MLS……………………………………….327
4. Sonnenhof…………………………………..320
5. Gene's Old Boys………………………….318
6. Ludacris Speed…………………………..317
7. The Royal Army…………………………..311
8. 3.2's…………………………………………….299
9. UTGunners…………………………………296
10. Bluefish United…………………………295

LAST WEEK'S SBI PREDICTION LEAGUE TOP SCORER

UTGunners (32 points: 4 exact, 1 correct margin, 1 correct)

————————-

Do you think the Fire's new acquisitions will make a big impact? Who do you think is in for a big Week 21? What's your lineup looking like?

Share your thoughts below.