Ok, just let me do one more 2010s song reference, and I promise I’ll find a new theme next week. But since it’s the start of the only scheduled blank round of the 2025 FNWSL season, I think we have to say that we’ve “got a blank space, baby,” and we need to figure out whose name to write (in our FNWSL lineups)!

Gotham and Portland are both in the semifinals of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup this Wednesday, May 21, and will either play in the final or the third place game over the weekend, therefore, both teams will not play league games in Round 10. That means that any player on either of these teams will record zero points in FNWSL this week, so FNWSL managers need to have a backup plan – in fact, you could say that your rose garden won’t be filled with Thorns. Fortunately, we should know the lineups for four squads before the Round 10 deadline: Utah hosts Orlando beginning at 9:30e/8:30c/7:30m/6:30p, and the Washington-off (Reign vs. Spirit) kicks off 30 minutes later.

So how do we handle the blank space/round?

First of all, you do want to ensure that your FNWSL team can field a complete starting XI. If not, it’s worth paying an extra transfer fee (or two). However, for a one-round situation, it’s probably not worth paying for an extra transfer for just a bench player.

Fortunately, most of the more popular FNWSL players on these two teams are relatively inexpensive, and therefore won’t cost your team too much to keep on the bench for a week: Ann-Katrin Berger, Lilly Reale, Sarah Schupansky, Olivia Moultrie, Reyna Reyes, Reilyn Turner, etc. If you can field a full XI, I’d hang on to any/all of these six players through Round 10.

The trickier decision is regarding Esther Gonzalez. I generally don’t love the idea of keeping a $400k player on the bench, especially considering the importance of the FW position in FNWSL. As expected, Esther has cooled off a little bit over the last few weeks, with no goal involvements in the last three matches. So, this may be the week to transfer her out and bring in one of the other premium attackers: Chawinga or Banda if you have any extra money, or Debinha or Marta if you don’t.

What about goalkeepers?

Long-time readers of Manser’s Answers probably know I generally don’t focus too much on the GK position. Essentially, because the most valuable fantasy statistics for keepers are Clean Sheets, which are very team-dependent, GK points can be very difficult to predict on a week-to-week basis. Therefore, I usually try to roster a couple of relatively low-cost goalies, rotate them based on weekly matchups, and spend my money elsewhere. You could say that this strategy will typically either leave my fantasy team breathless… or with a nasty scar.

So let’s consider that strategy. We spoke last week about which matchups are the most favorable for defenders and keepers. Utah is generally the most favorable, with a second tier consisting of Bay, Seattle, San Diego, and Chicago. Looking at it from the opposite perspective, KC and Gotham are the most effective defensive teams, with a second tier consisting of Orlando, Louisville, Houston, and Seattle. This data matches up well with the Clean Sheet numbers: KC has five, Gotham has four, and a long list of teams have three. As would be expected, Ann-Katrin Berger and KC’s Lorena have the most fantasy points among GKs by a fairly wide margin. Therefore, as would also be expected, AKB and Lorena (along with Aubrey Kingsbury) have been two of the most selected GKs in FNWSL this season.

So I wouldn’t blame you for having any of those three GKs as your starter (especially Lorena, as her cost is $75k below the GK maximum of $225k). However, if you are looking to free up $25 or $50k for one of your other positions, GK is the place to find that money. After AKB and Lorena, there is only a difference of 15 total fantasy points between the third-highest scoring GK (Casey Murphy) and the tenth (Claudia Dickey). For reference, this difference is 17 at DF, 19 at MF, and 23 at FW. Therefore, you can spend less money at GK and sacrifice fewer points than you would at any other position.

So, consider Bay’s Jordan Silkowitz or the new Louisville starter Jordyn Bloomer, who both cost only $75k. Silkowitz has three clean sheets in nine starts, while Bloomer has one in her two starts since taking over from Katie Lund on one of the NWSL’s better defensive teams. Also, for what it’s worth, Silkowitz has one of only three PK saves in the NWSL so far this season – which is worth just as much as a clean sheet in FNWSL. If you go with both GKs, keep in mind that Bay plays Orlando in Round 12 while Louisville plays Kansas City – neither of which are ideal matchups – so you may want to have a different option at GK that week. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

Which players have recently returned from injury?

It seems that we just keep hearing about more and more injuries this season, but let’s stay positive this week and talk about the many players who returned from injury in Round 9 – because they are going to make the high worth the pain!

Croix Bethune got her first start of the season after coming on as a sub and getting progressively more minutes over the previous three matches. She does cost $350k, but remember that 17 matches into the season when she got injured last year, she was leading all MFs in fantasy points! We’ve already talked about the fantasy potential of the Washington attack, and hopefully, we see Bethune right in the middle of it moving forward.

Late in the game, Bethune gave way to another midfielder returning from injury, Hal Hershfelt. She ranked very highly in many individual defensive metrics last year, and the Spirit definitely appear to be missing her on defense. Look for her to get a lot of minutes or even get back in the starting lineup this week, dependent on any lingering restrictions, of course – at only $200k on a very good offensive team, she could be a really high-value player for the rest of the year.

Speaking of $350k players getting their first start of the season, Christen Press started for Angel City, one week after scoring her first goal of the year. For now, I need to see a few more weeks of Press before I’d consider bringing her in, but it is worth keeping in mind that Angel City has taken a big step forward offensively this season despite the shuffling in their lineups.

Summer Yates returned from her ankle injury and got a few minutes at the end of the match. We aren’t sure exactly if, when, or how she’ll fit back into the Orlando XI, but she was tied last season with Hershfelt and Denise O’Sullivan for 13th in fantasy points amongst midfielders, and costs only $250k. If you do want a differential, lower-cost player with goal-scoring upside on a strong offensive team, keep her in mind!

In other injury news, we don’t really have a timeline on Rose Lavelle, Trinity Rodman, Jess Fishlock, Diana Ordonez, Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, or Ouleye Sarr. However, SI reported that Malia Berkley, Natalia Kuikka, Leicy Santos, and Julie Doyle are getting closer to returning. Stay tuned!

How are you handling the blank round? Comment or Bluesky @MansersAnswers!