And just like that, we’ve reached the final round of the 2023 FNWSL season!
Remember that this week is Decision Day in the NWSL, and all six matches kick off at 5 pm EDT/2 pm PDT on Sunday, so we are in the advantageous position of (hopefully) having all availability reports updated by the FNWSL Round 22 deadline. It’s also worth nothing that 10 of the 12 NWSL teams still have something to play for this week (only Chicago and Kansas City have been eliminated from playoff contention, and the Shield is still up for grabs between Portland and San Diego).
Who should you captain in Round 22?
Sophia Smith returned from injury in Round 21 as a 81st minute sub. Though she only logged two touches, it was great to see her back on the pitch!
Before her injury, Smith was typically being captained by 30-35% of all FNWSL managers on a weekly basis. Even in Round 21, she still got the armband from nearly 20%. Lynn Williams was the second-most popular selection of Round 21 with 12.03%, and Alex Morgan was third with 8.05%. No other player was over 3.5%. If you’re leading your mini-league and or playing it safe in Round 22, all three of these players are worthy of captaincy. If you’re deciding between the three of them, I’d lean slightly towards Williams – though she hasn’t scored lately, she’s typically getting at least three shots per game (Morgan has been averaging about 1) and is a lock for 90 minutes (we aren’t 100% sure how much time Smith will get this week).
For those of you looking for differential options to close out the season (or to have some fun), you have plenty of great captains to pick from!
Bethany Balcer and OL Reign visit Chicago for the final match of the regular season. In the absence of Casey Krueger and Tierna Davidson, the Red Stars defense struggled mightily on the road in Kansas City last week (even with 90 minutes from Tatumn Milazzo). If either player misses Round 22 as well, OL Reign should be able to score a goal or three – Balcer is typically only captained by 2.5-3% of managers each week.
Kerolin Nicoli has been on fire over the last third of the NWSL season, but only about 1.5-2% of managers have been giving her the armband. If her recent pattern of scoring a goal in every other game persists through Round 22, she’s a lock to find the back of the net on the road in Washington.
If you’re really looking to throw a dart in Round 22, how about Jaedyn Shaw? Her maximum captaincy percentage this season is 0.7%, and Louisville has allowed at least one goal in every league game but one since mid-June. She also has logged more goals from open play than anyone on the Wave (including Alex Morgan), and San Diego should be chasing a win this week (more on that below).
Which are the best matchups to take advantage of this week?
Offense: Portland vs. Angel City and San Diego vs. Louisville
All four of these teams are chasing a win, with San Diego and Portland attempting to lock up the Shield while Angel City and Louisville are both in contention for the final playoff spot. That means that both of these games should be relatively wide-open and present plenty of opportunities for goal scoring. We’ve already mentioned the upside of Smith, Morgan, and Shaw, but consider the other attacking players in these matchups. Sam Coffey, Morgan Weaver, Savannah DeMelo, Savannah McCaskill, and Claire Emslie are especially good options. In fact, Emslie was only selected by 6% of teams in Round 21, so she would be an ideal differential in Round 22.
Defense: Orlando vs. Houston
That being said, let’s be honest – almost every team is chasing a win on Decision Day. While it should make for some very entertaining soccer, it does mean that it could be a difficult week to find DF and GK points in FNWSL. However, you do have to play at least 3 defenders, so take a look at the Pride v. Dash game.
Other than a five goal outburst against Chicago, Orlando hasn’t been particularly strong offensively during the second half of this season, and Houston has recorded both the fewest goals scored and fewest goals allowed in the league. This game features a showdown between the two highest-scoring DFs of the season: Caprice Dydasco and Kylie Strom.
Thank you to everyone that played FNWSL this year! Stay tuned for off-season content, don’t forget to check out ShePlays Fantasy WSL, and we’ll see you in 2024!