2024 Fantasy NWSL: Answers from Round 11

Did anyone else attend the Red Stars v. Bay FC game at Wrigley Field? It was quite the scene at the old ballpark, and though the result wasn’t quite what I was personally hoping for, it was great to see the Red Stars set the league attendance record and all of the special touches added to the stadium. My personal favorite was the replacement of the normal National League team pennants above the scoreboard with a pennant for each NWSL team. The only problem was the weather – sandwiched between two utterly gorgeous days on Friday and Sunday was a windy, rainy, and unseasonably cold Saturday evening.

Speaking of unfortunate surprises, there were quite a few unexpected twists and turns for many of our favorite FNWSL stars last weekend as well:

• Barbra Banda played only the first half (and only got 15 touches)
• Croix Bethune and Vanessa DiBernardo both played only the second half of their matches, both coming off knocks from the international break that impacted their training time with their respective teams (though DiBernardo did score a goal)
• Ryan Williams, the erstwhile highest-scoring DF in FNWSL, received a 78th-minute second yellow card, thus a red card in the North Carolina v. Portland match
• Sophia Smith, just minutes after appearing to rescue her fantasy day with a late penalty kick goal which was awarded as a result of Williams’ foul, was also shown a second yellow card, and thus also a red card after one of the most inventive sequences in NWSL history which involved crawling to reach for the ball as it rolled out of play and trying to hide it under the bench (she was clearly unsuccessful)

While we hope Bethune and DiBernardo are both feeling better following their minor injuries, and appreciate that Banda is getting rotation and rest, the long term impact of these surprises is that both Williams and Smith will miss Round 12.

So how do you manage the absence of Smith and Williams in Round 12?

Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t recommend transferring out either Smith or Williams this week.

At FW, if you can still start three of Banda, Chawinga, Emslie, Rodman, Sarr, Swanson, or Zaneratto, there’s no need to find a stand-in for Smith this week. In fact, considering their matchups in Round 12, I’d add Sentnor and Balcer to that list. At DF, you likely have even more flexibility (you can likely swap Williams with either a DF or MF and still have a valid formation), so there’s probably not an urgent need to replace her either, depending on your bench.

However, say you have both Smith and Williams on your roster currently, and maybe one of your other FWs is a player working through an injury like Lynn Williams. In this case, you may want to make a transfer. Considering her $500k price tag and the abundance of high-scoring FWs available, swapping Smith out for a round is probably more helpful than swapping out Ryan Williams.

Remember that four teams double in Round 13: Angel City, Gotham, Louisville, and San Diego. This means that players like Claire Emslie, Uchenna Kanu, Emma Sears, Jaedyn Shaw, and Taylor Flint can not only provide Round 12 value as a Smith substitution, but could also rack up big points in Round 13. Most of those players are ideal differential options as well. If you really want to prioritize a differential option, Ella Stevens ($150k) has been on a heater with four goals in her last four matches, and will likely start again (especially if Lynn Williams is still injured). Personally, considering her upcoming matchups (discussed below), I’d probably go with Claire Emslie.

Which players should you bring in for Double Round 13?

The double round isn’t until next week, but it’s not too early to prepare and consider the potential value of Round 13 when making transfers this week. Remember, you get one free transfer each round! A little planning now could save you a five-point deduction on an additional transfer next week.

Here are the schedules for the four teams with midweek matches in Round 13:

Angel City probably has the best schedule for goal scoring over the next two weeks, with games against both Houston and Bay. San Diego’s schedule, all on the road with two matches across the country, is probably the toughest of the four.

In addition to Emslie, I’d take a look at Madison Curry ($75k), who is leading Angel City in interceptions, blocks, and tackles and consistently racking up the minutes and defensive points. She’s an ideal option if you’re short on DFs and really need to replace on Ryan Williams this week, and/or free up some money for other transfers. If you need other DF options, Louisville is playing three teams ranked in the bottom half of the league for GF, so if you’ve been waiting for the opportune time to bring in Carson Pickett, Lauren Milliet, or Abby Erceg, this is it!

What are your plans for Round 12? Comment or tweet @MansersAnswers!