Teams: Canada, Australia, Republic of Ireland, Nigeria
Group B features Tokyo 2020 gold medalists Canada, co-hosts Australia, debutants The Republic of Ireland, and Africa’s most successful women’s football team, Nigeria. While Group B features some huge attacking names like Asisat Oshoala, Caitlin Foord, and the legendary Sam Kerr, it may be better to source the majority of your forwards elsewhere given that this group is widely touted as one of the most difficult, and the games are likely to be close rather than high scoring blowouts. This is in part due to the high quality of defenders and goalkeepers in this group, which I do recommend allocating some of your budget to. These players are likely to be kept very busy and result in a good points return for your fantasy team. There are also some excellent picks among the midfielders of this group to help round out your team.
Australia and Canada are slated to be some very tough contenders and have some big names worth adding to your team. While you probably can’t go wrong with the likes of Sam Kerr ($1,000,000) in your forwards, I still feel it may be better to spend the big dollars on forwards in groups which are predicted to have large score margins. Fortunately, Canada and Australia both feature some very valuable defenders, and a couple of high quality goal keepers as well who are worth your consideration. In the Australian squad you’ll find 2 of the most valuable defenders in the competition in Ellie Carpenter ($1,000,000) and Steph Catley ($900,000), as well as some slightly lower priced options who are still very solid picks in the likes of Clare Polkinghorne and Alanna Kennedy at $700,000 each. Mackenzie Arnold is also a quality goalkeeper at $500,000. Any of these players are great additions, but I do think shelling out the 1,000,000 for Carpenter will result in a high points return. At just 24, she’s an integral part of the Australian squad and her incredible speed down the wing will likely result in some good attacking points as well as those she brings in from her defense. On Canada’s part, defender Ashley Lawrence ($900,000) and midfielder Jessie Fleming (800,000) are the two most valuable players on their team and likely to be integral in holding out against some strong attacks, but there’s also some real value in goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan ($500,000). She’s priced on the higher end for keepers in this competition and has proven herself against Australia in particular during their friendly series last September, playing an integral role in securing both victories.
Republic of Ireland and Nigeria feature fewer big names as a general rule but still have some excellent value players worth your consideration. Nigeria has an attacking star in Asisat Oshoala ($800,000), but as with Sam Kerr, I would probably advise forwards from other groups given the defensive juggernauts Nigeria will be facing. However, a valuable player from the Super Falcons could be goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie ($300,000). Nnadozie held the equal highest number of clean sheets during the qualifying Africa Women’s Cup of Nations 2022 as well as helping her side hold Canada to a 2-2 draw last April. One of Republic of Ireland’s standout players is midfielder Katie McCabe ($600,000). McCabe was responsible for a huge 7 goals and 4 assists in the qualifiers, cementing herself as an integral member of the squad. She’s also incredibly versatile and can slot into several different positions as needed.
Players to Watch
Australian wingback Ellie Carpenter ($1,000,000) comes at a high price as one of the most expensive players in the competition, but should be well worth it. Carpenter frequently utilizes her incredible speed to outpace the entire opposing team and launch crosses to the dangerous Aussie attackers waiting in the penalty box. This pace is also used to chase down would-be breaks and errant passes from opposing forwards. In both attacking and defending points, Carpenter is likely to bring your team a very nice fantasy return.
Canada’s Kailen Sheridan ($500,000) is a talented goalkeeper likely to see a lot of action from some of the best attackers in the competition. This is an excellent equation for bringing your fantasy team points. She has proven herself against arguably Canada’s biggest group rivals Australia late last year and has been in good form more recently for regular team San Diego Wave.
Chiamaka Nnadozie ($300,000) is a lower priced but potentially very valuable player taking her place between the sticks for Nigeria. She’s almost certainly going to be kept very busy in the group stage matches given the caliber of attackers in Group B, but with an almost 80% save rate for Paris FC this season, the highest in the competition, she’s likely to put in some good shifts and bring up some valuable GK points.
Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe ($600,000) is a versatile value pick for your midfield. She has a pretty good pass rate and a good ability to pull strings in the midfield. She’s also shown the ability to create goal chances and score some herself with 3 goals and 4 assists for her WSL team, Arsenal, as well as some massive goal contributions during the World Cup qualifiers.