By AVI CREDITOR

Six weeks remain in the Major League Soccer season, and although the focus is largely on the teams in the playoff hunt, the fantasy focus should shift to a team that's likely on the outside of the postseason picture for the first time.

The way the schedule shapes up for the last-place-in-the-West Houston Dynamo, Dom Kinnear's men could have more to do with your team achieving fantasy success then you might expect.

The Dynamo host reeling and tired Toronto FC this week and get Kansas City and D.C. next week, followed by games against Philadelphia, New England, San Jose and Seattle. What does that mean exactly? It means that guys like Brad Davis, Brian Ching and Geoff Cameron should be among the targets for your remaining transfers over the next few weeks. Although the Dynamo have had a trying season, there's no denying that a strong finish could be in the cards.

Here are this week's player rankings by position:

FANTASY MLS WEEK 25 PLAYER RANKINGS

GOALKEEPERS

1. Donovan Ricketts, LA – Galaxy defense of old showed up against Columbus, and the matchup with D.C. is the one-sided game of the week
2. Matt Pickens, COL – Great opportunity for Rapids to keep pace in playoff race with a home match against lowly New England
3. Pat Onstad, HOU – Dynamo faces vulnerable opponent with motivation of getting out of the West's cellar
4. Jon Busch, SJ – Has two clean sheets in his last four matches and gets a Union side that has struggled on the road
5. Nick Rimando, RSL – If Philadelphia can blank Chicago, then what can the No. 1 fantasy keeper do to the Fire at the fortress that is Rio Tinto?
6. Will Hesmer, CLB – After getting trampled by L.A., Columbus needs to regroup and get ready for Fredy Montero & Co.
7. Kevin Hartman, DAL – Has four consecutive clean sheets but faces a stern test in New York's juggernaut of an attack
8. Kasey Keller, SEA – Owner of five clean sheets in his last eight matches, but stopping Columbus on the road won't be simple
9. Zach Thornton, CHV – Has three clean sheets in his last five matches and faces a Kansas City side that isn't stellar on the road
10. Stefan Frei, TOR – TFC's most consistent performer this season needs to step up in Houston to get the Reds back on track

DEFENDERS

1. Sean Franklin, LA – Tied with Heath Pearce for most assists by a defender (5) and played one of his best games of the year against D.C. United earlier in the season
2. Todd Dunivant, LA – Back to full fitness and safe to have in your lineup, as it looks like L.A. has righted its ship
3. Omar Gonzalez, LA – Galaxy's set-piece threat should be able to lock down United's attack
4. Drew Moor, COL – Great matchup for Rapids' top defender
5. Kosuke Kimura, COL – Rapids tend to beat up the league's minnows, and they face another one at home this weekend
6. Geoff Cameron, HOU – Nice matchup for Dynamo not only because of the opponent's current state, but also because TFC faces RSL in Champions League play earlier in the week
7. Mike Chabala, HOU – With the way the schedule works, Chabala could finish the season as well as he started, when he was among the top-scoring MFLS defenders
8. Brandon McDonald, SJ – Like Dynamo, Earthquakes also have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, starting Wednesday night at home against Philadelphia
9. Chris Wingert, RSL – It's tough to guess how Jason Kreis will use his roster with two competitions this week, but Wingert played in league play the last time RSL had CCL and MLS matches in the same week, and RSL has a solid home matchup 
10. Andy Iro, CLB – Chad Marshall's the linchpin for the Crew's backline, but Iro is the one more involved offensively, with three goals and an assist on the year 

MIDFIELDERS

1. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, CLB – Was rested in the Crew's Champions League tilt and should be ready to go at full throttle against the Sounders
2. David Ferreira, DAL – Could add another layer to his MVP candidacy with a convincing performance against the streaking Red Bulls, who have won three of their last four matches
3. Sebastien Le Toux, PHI – Has taken over as the top MFLS midfielder and is about as consistent a performer as there's been at his position
4. Brad Davis, HOU – His goal in Houston's last game could be the start of a monster finish to the fantasy campaign
5. Juninho, LA – Has a great home matchup in which a multiple-goal victory is quite possible and David Beckham isn't claiming a starting job just yet
6. Geovanni, SJ – DP is making a favorable impression in his short time with the Quakes
7. Chris Wondolowski, SJ – Great matchup this week for all of San Jose's midfield, which also includes Bobby Convey and possibly Khari Stephenson (ankle injury)
8. Steve Zakuani, SEA – Scored against Columbus in their earlier meeting and should enjoy an advantage on the flank
9. Dwayne De Rosario, TOR – Perhaps facing his old team in Houston will recharge the shockingly ineffective (as of late) superstar
10. Freddie Ljungberg, CHI – Fire desperately need a vintage Ljungberg performance to defeat Salt Lake and maintain postseason hopes
11. Brek Shea, DAL – Missed FCD's earlier match with RBNY this season and should be able to make a difference in swaying the midfield matchup
12. Kyle Beckerman, RSL – With Javier Morales suspended for RSL's match, Beckerman's offensive role must grow
13. Jovan Kirovski, LA – It's hard to get excited about Kirovski's prospects considering two-thirds of his season's fantasy output has come in two matches, but the old vet appeared to have given the Galaxy the shot in the arm that they needed; Given the matchup with D.C., you should load up on L.A. players this week
14. Dane Richards, NY – Jamaican speedster is in fine form and should create some problems for FCD
15. Davy Arnaud, KC – Has two goals and an assist in his last two games and has scored at least three fantasy points in each of his last three matches

FORWARDS

1. Omar Cummings, COL – Make that four goals in three games for the Rapids' on-fire striker
2. Edson Buddle, LA – Back on the scoring track and matches up against a team he's already scored on this season
3. Landon Donovan, LA – Assist opportunities should be aplenty at HDC
4. Conor Casey, COL – Nice matchup for Casey, who should be a handful for NE's centerbacks 
5. Fredy Montero, SEA – Has cooled off a bit but will still create problems for Crew's defense
6. Thierry Henry, NY – DP is playing as advertised and is the Red Bulls' best shot at cracking the FCD shutout streak
7. Alvaro Saborio, RSL – Saborio-Wilman Conde matchup is one to watch, but the Costa Rican striker gets the edge at home
8. Justin Braun, CHV – Notched a brace against Kansas City in their previous meeting and has scored twice in his last three games
9. Brian Ching, HOU – Scored against Toronto earlier in the season and should be well rested after the Dynamo's bye week
10. Juan Pablo Angel, NY – Tallied two goals (one PK) in helping deal Dallas one of its two losses this season back in April

COACHES

1. Bruce Arena, LA
2. Gary Smith, COL
3. Frank Yallop, SJ
4. Dom Kinnear, HOU
5. Jason Kreis, RSL
6. Schellas Hyndman, DAL
7. Robert Warzycha, CLB
8. Hans Backe, NY
9. Martin Vasquez, CHV
10. Sigi Schmid, SEA

Soccer By Ives League Standings (Top 10)
1. FC Byrd Turgler……………………………627 points
2. I <3 MLS……………………………………….626
3. Yankee Racers…………………………….615
4. Cpt. Pancakes and Lt. Waffles…….611
5. Skillz…………………………………………….609
6. Campione……………………………………608
7. MassiveVictory……………………………..562
8. ShaggyReAL………………………………..553
8. Latenite504 FC……………………………553
10. The Lanark Ave Creepers…………547

LAST WEEK'S SBI LEAGUE TOP SCORER

NY Ringers (40 points)

—————————–Johnson(5)————————–
—Ream(7)————Franklin(6)————Gonzalez(3)—
–Le Toux(5)–Morales(-1)–Ferreira(-1)–De Rosario(-3)–
—Braun(6)—————Buddle(6)—————Henry(6)—

Coach: Kreis(1)

Soccer By Ives Prediction League Standings (Top 10)
1. FC Byrd Turgler……………………….395 points
2. I <3 MLS…………………………………..386
2. Ludacris Speed……………………….386
4. The Cool Hands……………………..382
5. UTGunners……………………………..369
6. Orange Menace………………………368
6. The Royal Army………………………368
6. Morales' mullet……………………….368
9. Gene's Old Boys…………………….364
9. Artichokers……………………………..364

LAST WEEK'S SBI PREDICTION LEAGUE TOP SCORER

Springbok F.C. (26 points: 1 exact, 1 correct margin, 3 tie, 1 correct)

—————————

Do you think the Dynamo can put together a strong finish? Which player do you think has the best matchup? What's your lineup looking like?

Share your thoughts below.