We have a Friday night deadline for the penultimate week of the 2023 FNWSL season! Tonight’s lineup includes two games, with Louisville hosting Orlando, and the Washington Derby between the Spirit and OL Reign – so make sure your team is saved by 7:30 EDT/4:30 PDT.
Who is benefitting from set pieces?
In early June, we took a look at the set piece data from the first couple of months of the season, and at what fantasy value we could glean from this data. Things have stayed relatively consistent with set pieces across the league, but there are a few updates to consider.
Jenna Nighswonger has started taking corner kicks for Gotham while Kristie Mewis has been injured. She’s also taken some penalties in place of Midge Purce (though Nighswonger did hit the post from the spot in Round 20). The Current hadn’t recorded a single penalty attempt through the first week of June, but since then, Debinha and Michelle Cooper have each taken (and converted) two. League-wide, Ashley Hatch is still leading with five total penalties attempted so far this year.
Sam Staab is still leading the way in free kicks with 96, more than any player in the league (including goalkeepers). Kaleigh Kurtz and Tierna Davidson are the only other non-goalies with over 50.
The shots from free kicks data tells a slightly different story. Megan Rapinoe and Debinha each have five shots off free kicks through 20 rounds to lead the league, and I could definitely see Rapinoe taking a few more in her final regular season home game. She took some swings from long range in her final USWNT appearance in Chicago against South Africa, and we could see more of the same in her final appearance in Washington. I’d even consider giving Rapinoe the armband tonight if you’re looking for a late-season differential captain option.
One more note on the OL Reign game: Rose Lavelle, Sofia Huerta, and Alana Cook are all listed as Out for this weekend and will not play.
What’s the goalkeeper situation?
If PTJ’s departure for England didn’t complicate matters enough, two popular FNWSL keepers were out last week. Angel City’s DiDi’s Haracic was listed as Questionable before the Monday night match vs. Orlando with a back injury, and did not appear in the game. Also, Gotham’s Abby Smith, who last played August 18th, is still carrying the D45 designation with a lower leg injury. We will try to keep an eye on NWSL availability reports for any changes this week, but here’s my ranking of the top three GKs in FNWSL for Round 21.
1. Alyssa Naeher: Chicago’s less-than-stellar defensive performance over the first half of the season really decreased Naeher’s fantasy value, but she is still one of the best keepers in the world. The Red Stars’ defense has markedly improved over the past few months, logging six clean sheets since the beginning of July across all competitions. Their Round 21 match is against the Kansas City Current, who have scored only 22 goals this year and have been eliminated from playoff contention, so it could be a good match-up for Naeher.
2. Didi Haracic: We’re hoping Haracic can return from injury for Round 21. Angel City is playing at Houston on Sunday evening, which should be an ideal matchup for a goalie as the Dash have scored by far the fewest goals this season (15 in league play). Also, like Chicago, Angel City has markedly improved on defense during the second half of the season – only conceding more than once in a game since mid-June. As of this writing, Angel City had not released the availability report for Round 21.
3. Bella Bixby: Portland is at home against Gotham in a key showdown near the top of the table on Saturday afternoon. Gotham has performed pretty well on their cross-country trips so far this season, but I do see this game as developing into a cagey defensive contest as neither team wants to lose the opportunity at a first round bye. Gotham’s been a little less consistent on offense since the World Cup break, and Bixby should have a shot at a clean sheet this weekend.
Who’s your GK this week? Comment or tweet @MansersAnswers!