Fantasy Soccer Advice

MLS Fantasy & Gaming Round 8: Positional Rankings, Squad Pick & Parlay Predictor advice

Espinoza MLS fantasy

Your Matchday 8 fantasy and gaming advice roundup is here! Check out MLS Fantasy positional rankings as well as MLS Squad Pick and MLS Parlay Predictor recommendations below.

MLS Fantasy

MLS Fantasy

With injuries and suspensions starting to take a toll, it’s important to know who’s out and how individual matchups are affected from week to week. Round 8 is loaded with unpredictable matchups, so let’s get right into it to identify the top plays and values at each position.

Get more advice on the MLS Fantasy Insider Round 8 preview podcast

Teams on a BYE: MIA

Goalkeepers

FC Dallas' Maarten Paes registered his first clean sheet of 2023 in last week’s 1-0 win at Inter Miami CF. With a lack of standout mismatches, let’s see if Dallas and Paes can build off their first shutout at home against a Real Salt Lake side that's been all over the place this season. After winning their first road match on opening weekend, RSL have lost their last two road games by a combined score of 6-0.

If you’re short on funds, take a look at Carlos Coronel. He regularly flirts with a clean sheet and faces a weakened Houston Dynamo FC attack with Héctor Herrera suspended.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Maarten Paes 

DAL

vs. RSL
$7.4
2. John McCarthy
LAFC
at LA
$8.1
3. Brad Stuver
ATX
vs. VAN
$6.9
4. Dayne St. Clair
MIN
vs. ORL

$7.4

5. Roman Celentano
CIN
at STL
$8.9
Value Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Carlos Coronel 
RBNY
vs. HOU
$5.7
2. Luis Barraza
NYC
vs. NSH
$5.2
3. Patrick Schulte
CLB

vs. NE

$5.3

Defenders

Julian Gressel’s status as a defender in MLS Fantasy makes him a top option each matchday regardless of the matchup. He’s up to one goal and four assists in seven games, and, up against an Austin FC side that continues to give up big chances, we can expect Gressel to see more opportunities come his way on Saturday.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Julian Gressel
VAN
at ATX
$10.2
2. Álvaro Barreal
CIN
at STL
$10.2
3. Diego Palacios
LAFC
at LA
$8.1
4. Alex Roldán
SEA
at POR
$8.8
5. Jon Gallagher
ATX
vs. VAN
$8.3
6. Rodrigues
SJ
vs. SKC
$8.6
7. Richie Laryea
TOR
vs. ATL
$7.7
8. Steven Moreira
CLB
vs. NE
$8.5
9. Brooks Lennon
ATL
at TOR
$8.8
10. Walker Zimmerman 
NSH
at NYC
$9.7
Value Defenders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Adam Lundkvist
ATX
vs. VAN
$4.0
2. Lukas MacNaughton
TOR
vs. ATL
$4.3
3. Ali Ahmed
VAN
at ATX
$4.7

Midfielders

Cristian Espinoza has been on fire in 2023. He’s scored three goals across his last two outings, and he’s averaging over nine fantasy points per game. At home against a Sporting KC side that currently sits at the bottom of the Western Conference, look for Espinoza to continue to fuel the San Jose attack.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Cristian Espinoza
SJ
vs. SKC
$11.5
2. Lucas Zelarayán
CLB
vs. NE
$11.2
3. Thiago Almada
ATL
at TOR
$12.0
4. Carles Gil
NE
at CLB
$10.1
5. Sebastián Driussi
ATX
vs. VAN
$8.9
6. Nicolás Lodeiro
SEA
at POR
$9.3
7. Hany Mukhtar
NSH
at NYC
$10.4
8. Riqui Puig
LA
vs. LAFC
$8.3
9. Evander
POR
vs. SEA
$8.2
10. Santiago Rodríguez 
NYC
vs. NSH
$8.0
11. Dániel Gazdag
PHI
at CHI

$9.9

12. Erik Thommy
SKC
at SJ
$7.8
13. Jonathan Osorio
TOR
vs. ATL
$8.6
14. Timothy Tillman
LAFC
at LA

$8.6

15. Eduard Löwen
STL
vs. CIN
$8.8
16. Jamiro Monteiro
SJ
vs. SKC
$7.9
17. Aidan Morris
CLB
vs. NE
$9.0
18. Paul Arriola
DAL
vs. RSL
$6.8
19. Mark-Anthony Kaye
TOR
vs. ATL
$8.9
20. Martín Ojeda 
ORL
at MIN
$7.0
Value Midfielders
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Kellyn Acosta
LAFC
at LA
$6.6
2. Maren Haile-Selassie
CHI
vs. PHI
$5.0
3. Bryce Duke
MTL
vs. DC
$5.8

Forwards

LAFC's Dénis Bouanga is scoring goals for fun. He’s coming off a Matchday 7 hat trick with some world-class goals worthy of MLS Fantasy bonus points if that were a thing. Given his current run of form, it would be no surprise to see him do it again in the next chapter of El Trafico on Sunday.

Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Dénis Bouanga
LAFC
at LA
$9.9
2. Federico Bernardeschi
TOR
vs. ATL
$10.0
3. Carlos Vela
LAFC
at LA
$8.8
4. Jesus Ferreira
DAL
vs. RSL
$9.4
5. João Klauss
STL
vs. CIN
$10.3
6. Jordan Morris
SEA
at POR
$10.6
7. Jeremy Ebobisse
SJ
vs. SKC
$8.2
8. Karol Swiderski
CLT
vs. COL
$8.1
9. Kwadwo Opoku
LAFC
at LA
$6.8
10. Brandon Vazquez
CIN
at STL
$7.9
Value Forwards
Player
Team
Opponent
Price
1. Kei Kamara
CHI
vs. PHI
$6.3
2. Cade Cowell
SJ
vs. SKC
$5.5
3. Maxi Urruti
ATX
vs. VAN
$5.6
Captain
1. Cristian Espinoza
SJ
vs. SKC
$11.5
2. Dénis Bouanga
LAFC
at LA
$9.9
3. Federico Bernardeschi
TOR
vs. ATL
$10.0
MLS Squad Pick

Playing MLS Squad Pick is quick and easy. Pick six players for your squad. If they all score in the same matchday, you could win a $160 MLSstore.com gift card!

Don’t forget, each round you play gives you one (1) entry into the end-of-season Grand Prize drawing for $10,000!

Expert advice:

Bouanga and Espinoza have been scorching hot to start 2023, and I’m counting on them to keep it rolling with good individual matchups in Round 8. Sebastián Driussi hasn't scored in bulk like he did last season, but a home matchup against a road-weary Vancouver team could be just what he needs to get back in gear. As is the theme with most of my entries, selecting preferred penalty kick takers is a big part of the Squad Pick process.

Check out my squad for Round 8:

Squad pick round 8
MLS Parlay Predictor

Playing MLS Parlay Predictor is simple. Pick the results of all six games correctly in a single matchday, and you could win a 2023 MLS Season Pass full-season subscription on Apple TV!

Each round you predict gives you one (1) entry into the end-of-season Grand Prize drawing for $10,000!

Expert advice:

For the first time this season, it wouldn't be a surprise to see multiple road teams come away with a win in Round 8. FC Cincinnati, Seattle Sounders FC and LAFC all look like the better teams on paper, although Cincy may be missing Luciano Acosta and Brenner. The other three matchups are coin flips in my opinion... so obviously all three will likely have a lopsided result.

Check out my predictions for Round 8:

Parlay predictor round 8