Round 9 Match Overview:
All teams are in action again this week, but the big story is the imminent kickoff of all of the international tournaments. With national teams in action across North America, South America, Europe, and Africa, many big name players will be unavailable for NWSL duty over the next month. This means that lesser-known (and less expensive) players will have plenty of opportunities to shine – take advantage!
Individual Stats and Team of the Week:
This week you want to focus on the percentage of points lost to international duty for each team. With the rosters not quite finalized, here are some big losses to be aware of:
Chicago: 42+% of goal points
OL Reign: 36+% of defense points, 36+% of total points
Portland: 65+% of goal points
San Diego: 81+% of goal points
Washington: 80+% of goal points, 46+% of defense points, 53+% of total points
Therefore, take a look at these teams to find “replacement” players that could really rack up the points over the next month or so. There are huge opportunities for points on the front lines of San Diego, Chicago, Portland, and Washington.
| Position | Name | Team | Cost | FP | $/FP |
| GK | Jane Campbell | Houston | $350,000 | 56 | $6,250.00 |
| GK | Adrianna Franch | Kansas City | $300,000 | 34 | $8,823.53 |
| DF | Kaleigh Kurtz | North Carolina | $175,000 | 57 | $3,070.18 |
| DF | Sam Hiatt | OL Reign | $125,000 | 51 | $2,450.98 |
| DF | Camryn Biegalski | Washington | $75,000 | 56 | $1,339.29 |
| DF | Sam Staab | Washington | $250,000 | 78 | $3,205.13 |
| MF | Anna Heiferty | Washington | $150,000 | 51 | $2,941.18 |
| MF | Denise O’Sullivan | North Carolina | $350,000 | 57 | $6,140.35 |
| MF | Brianna Pinto | North Carolina | $125,000 | 24 | $5,208.33 |
| MF | Vanessa DiBernardo | Chicago | $300,000 | 68 | $4,411.76 |
| FW | Morgan Weaver | Portland | $175,000 | 39 | $4,487.18 |
| FW | Ava Cook | Chicago | $75,000 | 58 | $1,293.10 |
| FW | Tzarria King | OL Reign | $125,000 | 39 | $3,205.13 |
| Wild Card | Emily van Egmond | San Diego | $350,000 | 67 | $5,223.88 |
| Wild Card | Jun Endo | Angel City | $200,000 | 79 | $2,531.65 |
Goalkeeper: Adrianna French was a somewhat surprising omission from the USA roster and should have a pretty good matchup against Houston.
Defense: The Spirit duo of Camryn Bielgaski and Sam Staab are well positioned to pick up significant points for the depleted Washington back line that will be missing both Emily Sonnet and Kelly O’Hara. Sam Hiatt is in the same boat at OL Reign.
Midfield: Stay with the Spirit and grab Anna Heiferty, as someone will have to pick up the chances from the loss of Rodman, Hatch and co. Republic of Ireland missed out on the Euros, so spring for Denise O’Sullivan to pick up the slack from a severely depleted North Carolina midfield. Emily van Egmond is the best bet to replace Alex Morgan and Taylor Korniek in San Diego, while Vanessa DiBernardo could fill the same role in Mallory Pugh’s absence from Chicago.
Forwards: Ava Cook is almost certain to take Pugh’s minutes for the Red Stars and is still one of the highest value players in NWSL Fantasy. The Thorns will be missing three strikers for the international break, so add Morgan Weaver as the primary goal scoring option in Portland. Jun Endo was left off of Japan’s roster and could score big points in the season-long absence of Christen Press.
Bench: North Carolina has lost the vast majority of their NWSL Fantasy scoring, so stash Kaleigh Kurtz and Brianna Pinto while we wait to see how the Courage remake the lineup. Tzarria King has massive upside for OL Reign in the absence of Rose Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe, while Jane Campbell is a good bet in Houston.
Article by Nick Manser