So have we officially decided on a nickname for the Angel City vs. San Diego rivalry? I’ve been trying to make “SoCálisico” a thing, but I’m not sure if it’s working or not. Feel free to provide constructive criticism, or an entirely different idea, and we can work on it. Just hurry and get back to me, because we have a rare Thursday night deadline in Round 9 with Angel City and San Diego kicking off at 10e/9c/8m/7p.

In addition to the SoCálisico, there are also some other matchups this weekend that could use better names than the ones I’ve come up with so far… like the Battle of Washington (Spirit vs. Reign), the Battle of Lincoln Highway (Bay vs. Gotham), or the Non-Coast Quadrilateral Sunday (Chicago vs. Louisville and Utah vs. Kansas City).

In the meantime, let’s get back to fantasy stuff and plan for Round 10. Remember that there is an international break coming up after Round 10, and quite a few NWSL players have been called up for international duty for both senior and U20 teams. Round 11 will begin June 7th.

Which defenders should you have on your team?

As suggested by Judy last week, let’s talk about defenders! We discussed last week which teams to focus on when looking for FNWSL DFs: Orlando, Gotham, and the home version of North Carolina. This is especially true if you’re using the strategy of having multiple teams represented among your DF contingent to maximize the chances of a clean sheet or two each round. This week, let’s take a look more specifically at each of these teams and which of their DFs you should consider for your fantasy team.

Carolina has a very consistent back four – Kaleigh Kurtz, Ryan Williams, and Felicitas Rauch have started each game (Kurtz and Williams have played all 900 minutes so far), while Malia Berkley has only missed one game. If you can afford it, Williams has the most upside, as her tendency to move up from right back gives her a consistent role in the offense. However, Berkley takes the PKs, Rauch takes a lot of corners, and Kurtz has taken the most free kicks so far for Carolina – so all of them are great fantasy options. I personally like Berkely, and she may be the easiest to fit into your squad ($200k), but you can’t really go wrong here.

Orlando also has a pretty consistent XI, with Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Rafaelle Souza consistently lining up in the back four, while Haley McCutcheon has been mixing in some defensive midfield duties. There’s not really a clear standout option among this group either. I’d probably go with Abello, who has by far the most shot-creating actions of the five and, along with Sams, is the least expensive ($250k). However, if you have one of the others, you’re still in good shape and I wouldn’t bother to use a transfer for a different Pride DF.

For Gotham, we’ve been seeing injuries create more player rotation than in most other teams across the back line, including slotting Emily Sonnett, who was designated as a MF this season, back into a centerback role. With that said, Jenna Nighswonger’s attacking presence creates an offensive upside, making her the clear standout among their DFs – she’s leading the team in free kicks, crosses, and corners. If another $300k player isn’t what you’re looking for, Sam Hiatt is also a great option at $175k. She doesn’t have quite as much involvement in the Gotham attack, but does lead the team in interceptions and clearances, which gives her a high fantasy floor.

For other options, you could mix in Gabrielle Robinson and Izzy Rodriguez from Kansas City, as while the Current are in the bottom half of the league in GA, they’re actually leading the league in xGA. Robinson probably has the higher floor (very consistent defensive stats week-to-week), while Rodriguez, like Nighswonger, is leading the team in free kicks, crosses, and corners, so she probably has the highest ceiling on a weekly basis.

Lastly, if you have other awesome DFs like Carson Pickett, Sam Staab, or Marie Muller, you’re also in great shape. Just make sure that you have 3-4 teams represented on among your DFs, and then you have some flexibility to pick your starters based on matchups each week and maximize your chances of a clean sheet.

Which under-the-radar players are racking up the minutes?

While we are on the subject of consistent playing time, let’s take a look at some lower-cost players that are consistently seeing significant minutes for their NWSL teams. Below is the list of all players that cost $150k or less, have played at least 700 minutes so far this season, and have a TSB below 3%.

These players are especially valuable if you’ve really loaded up on premium players and don’t have much budget available, as they can provide nearly guaranteed fantasy points on a weekly basis while also being ideal differential options. While points are subject to player decision-making and impacted by overall team performance, having a player on your bench who you can expect to hopefully get a few points if one of your starters is out can make a big difference!

• Kansas City MF Claire Hutton: $75k, 10 starts/884 minutes
• Washington DF Annaig Butel: $100k, 10 starts/856 minutes
• Houston DF Courtney Petersen: $100k, 9 starts/766 minutes
• Utah FW Paige Monaghan: $150k, 10 starts/770 minutes
• Houston FW Avery Patterson: $75k, 10 starts/738 minutes
• Seattle DF Phoebe McClernon: $125k, 10 starts/721 minutes
• Utah FW Hannah Betfort: $75k, 10 starts/712 minutes

Does the Current attack look different without Bia?

The short answer is yes, it does. After a scintillating start to the season, Bia Zaneratto has missed the last four matches due to injury. KC was consistently utilizing a 4-2-3-1 formation with Bia up top, which led to very predictable fantasy output from Bia, Temwa Chawinga on the wing, and Vanessa DiBernardo at midfield. However, since the injury, KC has been rotating through several formations and multiple starting lineups.

The good news is that the Current are still scoring a lot of goals, but the bad news (for FNWSL) is that it’s much more difficult to predict who will score those goals on a weekly basis. In fact, KC has actually set an NWSL record with 14(!) different goalscorers through only 10 rounds. Again – lots of fun to watch, but less fun for fantasy. After combining to rack up 14 goal involvements through the first six matches of the season, Chawinga and DiBernardo have combined for only three in their last four matches. On the flip side, Debinha’s playing time and fantasy points have gone way up over the last few weeks after she was sidelined with an injury minutes into the first match of the season.

To sum up, this means that until Bia returns, Chawinga and DiBernardo aren’t quite the must-starts they were earlier in the season. If you’ve been looking for room for players like Barbra Banda on your front line, this may be a good time to bring her in.

What are your plans for Round 10? Comment or tweet @MansersAnswers!