World Cup rosters are out! That means that we have good news and bad news… the good news is that it’s almost time for the ShePlays Women’s World Cup fantasy game! (Stay tuned for updates).
The bad news is that it also means that it’s time to prepare your Fantasy NWSL rosters for the absence of many NWSL stars. Though the NWSL regular season will take a hiatus during part of the World Cup, all World Cup players will miss at least Rounds 14 and 15, and potentially several rounds beyond that depending on how far their teams advance in the tournament. Currently, over half of the top 25 FNWSL players will be Down Under, so most managers will need to make some changes over the next couple of weeks.
Remember that you can pay five points per week for an extra transfer, and don’t be afraid to use one or two in Rounds 13 and 14. First, take a look at how many World Cup players you have on your current roster, and how much money you have to work with. For example, you can probably eat the $350k for Lynn Williams and Aubrey Kingsbury for a few weeks, but you probably don’t want to take an $800k hit for Sophia Smith and Savannah DeMelo.
Second, come up with a plan for which players you do want to transfer out over the next couple of weeks. If you have 2 players that you need to find replacements for, you can do one this week and one next, but if you have 3+, you’ll probably want to do 1-2 this week and 1-2 next week. It’s helpful to transfer out the most expensive players first, both so you can maximize flexibility for next week’s transfers and minimize wasted budget.
So this week, we are going to focus on replacing the most expensive (and popular) FNWSL forwards and midfielders that have been called up for international duty: Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Kerolin, Crystal Dunn, and Savannah DeMelo. It’s possible that they may play this week, but if you’re one of the many FNWSL that has at least two of these players on your roster, you probably want to transfer out at least one of them this week.
Third, you’ll have to decide which players to bring in, so, without further ado, here are Nick’s Top Five World Cup Forward/Midfield Replacement Players!
- Ashley Hatch ($225k)
A somewhat surprising exclusion from the US squad, Hatch is already the 7th highest-scoring player in FNWSL and will likely see a spike in fantasy points in the absence of Trinity Rodman and Ashley Sanchez from Washington.
- Morgan Weaver ($300k)
Weaver is in a similar position to Hatch, and will likely see a bump in fantasy production with Thorn teammates Sophia Smith and Crystal Dunn headed to the World Cup.
- Sam Coffey ($225k)
While it is possible that Portland’s superpowered attack may not be quite as prolific without Smith and Dunn, Coffey’s very consistent play at midfield should give her a high floor and high upside over the next few months.
- Claire Emslie ($200k)
Angel City’s lineup may be a little difficult to predict lately, and will likely be even more so with Jun Endo, Julie Ertz, and Alyssa Thompson headed to the World Cup, but I’m guessing Emslie has the most upside in LA.
- Paige Metayer ($75k)
Metayer has been carving out a significant role in Washington over the last couple of weeks and is the second highest-scoring $75k player in FNWSL. She should be right in the sweet spot of increased involvement in the offense while still having a top-level striker (Hatch) to work with on the Spirit.
Next week, we will dive into replacing defenders and goalies for the World Cup, as well as some of the lower-cost midfielders and forwards. Who are you bringing in? Comment or tweet at MansersAnswers!