Welcome back to Fantasy NWSL at ShePlays! Like Season 2 of Ted Lasso, expect Season 2 of FNWSL to involve even more soccer, more tears (both happy and sad), and more insightful commentary from your friendly neighborhood curmudgeon.
Today, we are going to take a look at building your team for Round 1. The player costs still vary from $75,000 to $400,000 this year, but individual player costs have been updated for 2023. Since you’ll have to pay points for extra weekly transfers throughout the season, making the correct choices in Round 1 is essential for your season-long success. We are going to go through a step-by-step process for building your team from scratch.
One disclaimer: FNWSL is all about having fun and supporting women’s soccer. Put whichever players you’d like on your team! This is just a framework that may be helpful as you’re putting together your Round 1 roster.
Step 1: The Elite Forwards
You could technically afford three $400k players on your team, but that will likely involve too much budget cutting in other areas. It’s more prudent to start with two of the premium players, and considering that goals are by far the best way to rack up points in FNWSL, at least one of your $400k players should be a striker.
Going into the 2023 season, there are three forwards that are head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in FNWSL: Alex Morgan, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Smith. You’ll need at least one of them on your team. Each of the players on this list outscored every other forward in 2022 FNWSL by at least 30 points and are the primary goal-scorers for their respective NWSL sides. You can’t really go wrong with any of them, but considering the potency of the Portland attack (49 goals in 2022 to lead the NWSL), Sophia Smith is my choice to lead my team (and as my Round 1 captain) in 2023.
Step 2: The Second Premium Player
I wouldn’t blame you for selecting two of the elite forwards, but consider taking a look at midfield for your other $400k player. You have four options here: Savannah DeMelo, Taylor Korniek, Debhina, and Rose Lavelle. Like the forwards, you can’t really go wrong with any of these players! However, DeMelo may not be able to fly under the radar again in her sophomore season, and, considering the embarrassment of riches collected by Kansas City this off-season in free agency, it may also be difficult for Debinha to match her 2022 output of 224 fantasy points. I’ll go with Taylor Korniek in a dead heat over Lavelle, considering Korniek’s ability to create chances for Alex Morgan and the rest of a prolific San Diego attack.
Step 3: For The Defense
It’s very tempting to spend your entire budget on the goalscorers, but remember that relying exclusively on goals for FNWSL points can be a double-edged sword. While the back line may not score as many goals, a clean sheet is just as valuable, and elite defenders can rack up the Defense points as well. I really tried to fit Sofia Huerta or Carson Pickett into my team, but save a little money and look for defenders in the $250k-$350k range. Obviously, you knew I was going to pick Tatumn Milazzo, who played almost every minute for Chicago in 2022 and scored the most fantasy points of any DF not named Huerta or Pickett. There are plenty of great choices at $300k, but consider Sam Staab, who will save you $50k.
Step 4: Finding Value on the Front Line
Now that we’ve set up a solid foundation for our back line, let’s get back to the fun stuff – racking up fantasy points by hitting the back of the net. We want to find some reliable goalscoring at the $200k-$300k range, and Diana Ordoñez could prove to be the best option. She had a huge second half of 2022 for North Carolina and is now joining the NWSL’s third-most prolific offense. She won’t miss any time for the World Cup, and is my sleeper pick for Golden Boot in 2023. There are plenty of other great choices for your third forward (Rodman, Weaver, Salmon, Marta), but I’ll go with Jun Endo, who dominated the Angel City attack in 2022 and, considering the unfortunately questionable return of Christen Press, should see even more chances in 2023.
Step 5: The Goalkeepers
At this point, we do have to shift gears and pick who we think will be the most successful at keeping teams out of the back of the net. Starting goalies in FNWSL range from $200k-$350k, so make sure you pick your two keepers before you run out of money. I wouldn’t blame you for selecting Alyssa Naeher, but considering the fact that OL Reign conceded only 19 times in 2022, Phallon Tullis-Joyce is my choice for your starter. For your backup, take DiDi Haračić at $200k. This way, you can choose between them each week and select the better matchup without needing to use your one free transfer to switch out for another starting GK.
Step 6: Fill In the Starting Lineup
If you’ve taken my advice to this point, you’ve determined your goalkeepers and a front three. You’ll need at least one more defender and one more midfielder, and in order to fill out your roster, you’ll need to keep the rest of your players within the $75k-200k range. For your third defender, Kylie Strom could prove to be a huge value at $200k. Even though Orlando conceded 45 times in 2022, Strom racked up 121 fantasy points and a ton of minutes – and the Pride defense should only improve in 2023. There are several good mid-price options at midfield, and I’d be tempted to choose one of the Currenters (LaBonta, Gautrat, DiBernardo), but we’re not quite sure who will get the minutes in Kansas City. In the meantime, take Samantha Coffey and grab another slice of that Thorns attack at a reasonable price.
Step 7: The Dreaded Formation Decision
We’ve put it off for as long as possible, but now we have to decide if we want to go with a 3-4-3 or a 4-3-3 formation. (You can definitely pick other formations as well, but considering the depth of forward talent in FNWSL, I’d at least start the season with three forwards in your starting lineup). We can only spend more than $75k on one more player, and at $100k the most upside is usually going to be found in a midfielder. Put Bayley Feist on your team (also one of the most underrated FNWSL players of 2022), who finished last season on a tear and should continue to improve in 2023.
Step 8: Let’s Throw Some Darts
We now have our starting XI! The bad news is that we only have $225k to fill the rest of the roster. Since these three remaining players will likely start the season on your bench, you don’t need to worry about finding players who will immediately rack up the points, so focus on players that have high upside. Start with Tess Boade, the single most underrated player of 2022. The NC forward should see plenty of opportunity after the departure of Ordonez and could prove to be a huge value at $75k. Chicago has lost a LOT of goal scoring from 2022, and Jill Aguilera could prove to be the beneficiary, especially with the potential to create chances out of the midfield for Mallory Swanson. Another underrated player from 2022 is Houston’s Natalie Jacobs, who has been reclassified from MF to DF and could end up providing MF offensive production with defensive points.
UPDATE: North Carolina has announced that Tess Boade will be out with an injury for the first six weeks of the season. In the meantime, take a flyer on Alexa Spaanstra. Though we aren’t exactly sure who will get the minutes in Kansas City this season, the Current should have a VERY powerful attack, and Spaanstra could end up providing big value at only $75k.
Conclusion:
This is the only time all season you’ll be able to start from scratch, so have fun with it! Barring any last minute developments, I will be starting with these 15 players on my team.
Any thoughts? Who will be on your team in Round 1? And, please, someone clarify what the singular of Current is! @MansersAnswers
