It was a wild first weekend of the 2023 NWSL season: record attendances, high-pressure penalty kicks, and the first goal ever overturned by VAR (let me know if you’re interested in joining my support group for people who feel personally victimized by the loss of those 5 points from Jun Endo).
It’s only been one round of games, but let’s take a look at what we learned in Round 1 that we can use to optimize our fantasy teams in Round 2 (and beyond).
Which $400k players can provide the most value for their cost?
As we covered in the season preview article, there’s essentially a “Big Three” of FNWSL goal scorers: Alex Morgan, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Smith. It’s almost a necessity to have one of them on your team.
All three scored in Round 1, with Morgan and Swanson both converting from the spot in the same game and Smith logging both a goal and assist against Orlando. You can make a great argument for all of them, especially considering that Morgan and Swanson get by far the most chances on their respective teams and both led their teams in shots in Round 1. Smith has a little more competition for goals in Portland (every member of the Thorns front line scored this week), but considering the sheer power of the Thorns attack, I’ll be sticking with her in Round 2.
Among the other max cost players, there are probably two that you may want to consider replacing for Round 2: Debinha is out with an injury and Taylor Kornieck unfortunately only logged 45 minutes and a yellow card for San Diego. If your team has the flexibility to replace a midfielder with a forward, you can bring in a second member of the Big Three. If you need a midfielder, I’d lean towards Rose Lavelle over Savannah DeMelo. Though neither OL Reign nor Louisville scored in Round 1, and both had similar stats, there is probably a little more upside for Reign in Round 2 against Gotham.
The NWSL will take a week off for the international break, so you shouldn’t need to transfer out multiple international players, but keep in mind that some may get reduced minutes in Round 3. All three of the Big Three forwards were called up, and at midfield, Kornieck and Lavelle were called up while DeMelo and Debinha were not.
What do we do about the Kansas City offense?
The Current will likely have a very potent offense later this season, but with so many injuries currently, it’s a little difficult to get a read on which players to target for your fantasy team. I will likely be heavily investing in KC players in a month or so, but for now Lo’eau LaBonta is probably the only Current MF/FW that I’d start on my team (until Debinha, DiBernardo, Gautrat, etc. are available again). With all of those inuries, LaBonta’s high level of involvement gives her a very high floor of touches and chances. That being said, I wouldn’t blame you for taking a flyer on Alexa Spaanstra, who got 75 minutes and 36 touches in her NWSL debut and could be a bargain at $75k.
Who will score the goals for Angel City?
There were a couple of controversial plays in the Angel City v. Gotham game, so we may need to take these numbers with a grain of salt, but it’s worth taking a deeper dive into Angel City’s attack. There’s only one midfielder or forward on the roster with a cost of greater than $200k, so there could be some massive fantasy value available in Los Angeles – as long as we can determine who will score the goals. Alyssa Thompson ($75k) opened her account in the 11th minute of her NWSL career and Jun Endo had a spectacular goal called back for a foul in the buildup (you can read the full description of the play in the NWSL’s match summary). Savannah McCaskill took one free kick and several corners, and Katie Johnson logged a couple of shots from the center forward position.
Depending on what your transfer plans are this week, Thompson is worth a look. I’m not going to say quite yet that she is the 2023 version of Savannah DeMelo, but if she is, it’s worth getting her on your team sooner rather than later. For now, Endo is probably still the most reliable option (60 touches to Thompson’s 38), and she is a great #2 FW for your front line alongside your preferred member of the Big Three.
How should you spend your DF/GK budget?
It’s a little premature to make decisions on defensive performance after one game, but let’s do it anyway. Four of the top eight scoring DFs from Round 1 are Thorns, all of whom benefited from the clean sheet. Louisville and Houston blanked each other, but perhaps the most surprising shutout of the week was Washington’s against OL Reign. Sam Staab is the anchor here, but three Spirit DFs logged double-digit fantasy points in Round 1, and none of them cost more than $150k: Gabrielle Carle, Dorian Bailey, and Tara McKeown. Washington should have a pretty good matchup defensively at Louisville this week, so take a look at a Spirit defender or two. All of the Portland or OL Reign DFs are good options for Round 2 as well, with Sam Hiatt (72 touches and 6 clearances) at only $150k being the most cost-effective option.
The Spirit clean sheet also netted 10 points for goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury, putting her in a four-way tie for most fantasy points among goalies in Round 1. She also logged the best FotMob rating among keepers (and tenth-highest overall) for the week at 8.30. If she and Washington can continue their impressive defensive performance, she could provide a huge boost for your team at only $150k.
What are your thoughts on Round 1? Comment or tweet @MansersAnswers!
