After an action-packed international break, NWSL league play returns this Friday! Round 4 kicks off in Houston on Friday evening, so be sure to have your team saved by 8/7c Friday for kickoff!
What has changed since the beginning of the season?
Perhaps the biggest fantasy storyline through the first few weeks of the NWSL season is the abundance of high-scoring forwards – especially those at non-premium prices (shout-out to @NWSLFantasyFan for this suggestion). This isn’t altogether unexpected in an expansion year, like we touched on in the season preview, but it’s super exciting to see so many new players excelling in the NWSL! In fact, there are six first-year NWSL players among the top 25 fantasy FWs through three rounds.
It’s no surprise that Sophia Smith is leading the position in fantasy scoring, but four of the top 10 forwards in FNWSL are below $200k: Ally Sentor ($75k), Uchenna Kanu ($150k), Diana Ordóñez ($175k) and Reilyn Turner ($75k). To be fair, Alex Morgan ($400k) and Trinity Rodman ($350k) could potentially be top ten as well, had San Diego played three league games and Rodman not missed the first round due to last year’s red card suspension, but the main takeaway here is that you can get big fantasy scores without needing to break the bank at FW.
This means that if you’re short on cash, you can move some money from FW to the other positions (or to Sophia Smith, if you don’t have her in your XI yet) without sacrificing fantasy production. My suggestion would be investing a little more money at DF, where fantasy points are a little more concentrated around the higher-price players – especially those with lots of involvement in their teams’ attack like Naomi Girma ($350k), Carson Pickett ($300k) and Sam Staab ($300k).
Editor’s Note: As of Monday, April 8, Girma is “day-to-day” following a quad injury that resulted in her leaving the United States’ game against Japan in the 18th minute over the weekend. We’ll be sharing updates to this article and on Twitter as more information regarding her expected status for this Saturday’s game as San Diego travels to Louisville.
How do you maximize fantasy value from the Current?
The other big storyline through the first three rounds is the performance of Kansas City… shout out to @raiden_mufc and @FPL_DPT for this suggestion!
In fact, with 11 goals through three matches the 2024 Current look like they may prove to be the offensive juggernaut we expected in 2023, and fantasy managers will likely be trying to add a KC attacker or two to their rosters this week. On the other end of the field, the Current have conceded 7 times, tied with Houston for the second-most in the league, so for the time being your KC slots are probably better utilized at MF and FW.
Vanessa DiBernardo is leading the NWSL in fantasy points. DiBernardo is close to being a must-have player at only $150k – especially considering the historical difficulty of getting consistent fantasy production from midfielders in FNWSL. Along with two goals and two assists, she’s leading the Current in both corner kicks and crosses. If KC keeps up this goalscoring pace, DiBernardo could prove to be this year’s Sam Coffey of fantasy.
Bia Zaneratto and Temwa Chawinga both sit at $250k and have both been very productive over the first few weeks (Zaneratto with two goals and an assist, and Chawinga with two assists and one goal). If you’re looking to rebalance your budget away from the FW position, either is a great option. Between the two, I’d give a slight edge to Chawinga, as her xG of 1.2 is twice Zaneratto’s 0.6.
DiBernardo and one of the forwards should be some of the highest priority adds this week in order to take advantage of the KC offense. I don’t think anyone else is crucial to add at the moment, but Lo’eau LaBonta is worth consideration – with her level of defensive fantasy production, she has a very high floor week-to-week even if the Current have an off day on offense.
What’s going on in Gotham?
Now for a look at the Current’s Round 4 opponent: Gotham.
There were some seriously high expectations for the Bats coming into the 2024 season, but it’s been an up-and-down start in New Jersey (both in real life and fantasy-wise). The injuries to Lynn Williams and Rose Lavelle have of course had a significant impact from the beginning of the season, and the unfortunate news this week about Midge Purce’s season-ending ACL injury has made things even tougher for Gotham.
The bright spot for Gotham has definitely been the defense, as they are leading the NWSL with only one goal conceded through two matches. Since they’ve only played two games, fantasy scores are lower across the board for both Gotham and San Diego, but there still have been some impressive performances from the Gotham DFs.
Tierna Davidson ($200k) and Jenna Nighswonger ($300k) have both played every minute so far, and Sam Hiatt ($175k) only subbed off in the last few minutes of Gotham’s second match. Kelley O’Hara and Bruninha have each started once at the right back position in Gotham’s back four. Nighswonger takes about half of Gotham’s corner kicks and is leading the team in crosses, so she probably has the highest ceiling of the group. However, the list of DFs at $300k also includes names like Carson Pickett, Kaleigh Kurtz, and Sam Staab, and I don’t think we’ve seen enough from Gotham yet to justify giving Nighswonger an edge over that group.
Davidson is an intriguing option though – she’s leading the team in free kicks and trailing only Nighswonger in total passes. In fact, at the $200k price point for DFs, she’s trailing only FNWSL all-star Malia Berkely in fantasy points per game. Choosing the Gotham defense the week they face the Current could prove risky, but if you’re looking to scout your options before making broader changes, Gotham vs Kansas City on Sunday is a must-watch.
What changes are you making after the international break? Comment or tweet @MansersAnswers!