How was that first round of WSL action? There were some surprises! I really wish I had listened to my own advice and captained Miedema rather than Kerr. But, at least I had Le Tissier to make up for some of my poor selections elsewhere.
Here are five lessons learnt from the weekend to help with your Round 3 WSL Fantasy team selections.
1. 150K Starters
The easiest way to get value is mispriced players. We don’t always get our pricing right to start the season. So, here is a list of players who started this weekend and worth 150k each.
Rachel Laws (Liverpool, GK, 5 pts)
I’ll take the hit here and say I wrongly priced the Liverpool goal keepers. Based on the preseason matches at the time of pricing I thought Cumings was going to be the starter. If Liverpool are set with Laws as their starting keeper, she will be extremely good value this season.
Jasmine Matthews (Liverpool, DF, 3 pts)
Matthews played a full 90 in Liverpool’s victory over Chelsea this weekend at centre back. If Liverpool can get a few clean sheets over the the course of the season she will pick up points. Note, Matthews did not earn any defence points all three points came from the team win (1 pt) and minutes (2 pts).
Jorja Fox (Brighton, DF, 3 pts)
We priced Fox as a Chelsea player in a somewhat stacked defense, thus the 150k price tag. However, with the loan to Brighton Fox’s value has exponentially increased. Brighton lost a lot of defenders this summer and so Fox should get a lot of minutes at right back. Despite the loss, Fox was able to earn three defensive points which made up for the negative points for goal differential and the loss. She is in my opinion the best 150k defender available.
Jess Ziu (West Ham, MF, 8 pts)
The best 150ker of the round, Ziu assisted West Ham’s only goal which sealed the 3 points over Everton. I didn’t know much about Ziu when she signed and it was hard to pick a price for her. Probably should have gone higher but I don’t think anyone with her is complaining. In addition to her assist, Ziu also registered two attack points.
Carrie Jones (Leicester City, MF, 6 pts)
Jones in on loan this season from Manchester United and the will likely be starting for Leicester City. The Welsh international has earnt 12 caps and recently scored a crucial goal against Greece to help secure a play-off spot. Jones is a grinder (my favourite type of fantasy player) earning four attack and defence points. This means Jones will likely be worth points regardless of the result.
Laura Blindkilde (Aston Villa, MF, 4 pts)
Blindkilde was a bench player for Aston Villa last season earning only 10 points. If she’s is starting this season for Villa those numbers will surely increase.
Agnes “Aggie” Beever-Jones (Everton, FW, 7 pts)
Beever-Jones is another Chelsea player on loan this season. Last season, she was on loan at Championship side Bristol City where she scored 5 goals in 22 appearances. Despite, starting her Everton campaign off with a loss, she has earnt an impressive four attack points and one defence point. Like Liverpool it looks like Beever-Jones is ready for the step up to WSL.
2. Miedema Midfield
I hate to say this but Miedema midfield may not so great for her fantasy managers. Miedema scored 14 goals last season which equated to 70 points. From midfield, her goal tally may drop and her price point might block you out from an out an out goal threat like Mead or Kerr. I wouldn’t rush to replace her this round, but perhaps in the future if she misses out on the goal points.
3. Daly Double
Two goals and an assist on debut, Rachel Daly has returned to the WSL with a bang! I wondered at the start of the season if her points would be hindered by the squad around her but that seems not to be the case. Daly is a winner. Her tenacity and hunger to will surely see her earn a lot of points this season. She is a good option if you want to save money in the front line by not selecting an 800K forward.
4. Chelsea Woes and Stengoals
Chelsea have historically started the WSL season off slow, only winning one out of the last five opening weekend fixtures. The Blues’ centre-backs gave up two penalties, the first a handball by Bright and the second a poorly timed challenge by new recruit Kadeisha Buchanan. Liverpool’s Katie Stengal calmly stepped up to take both penalties sending Chelsea keeper Muscovic the wrong way each time. Despite, their poor form to start the season Chelsea have won the league the last three years. Perhaps something can be said about the motivation from playing behind and I wouldn’t be so quick to get rid of all your Chelsea players.
5. Red Hot Red Devils
Manchester United have started the season with a commanding win over Reading scoring four goals in the first half including a brace from Maya Le Tissier and a goal each from Russo and Zelem. The other news out Leigh Sports Village is the return of Millie Turner. A long-term injury ruled her out of most of last season but she is back and played a full 90. This is great news for fantasy managers as Turner was the 4th best defender in the ShePlaysWSL 2020/21 season. Manchester United have a comparatively easy start to the season and don’t face another top four team until November 6th at home against Chelsea. It may be wise to have a few Red Devils floating around your squad.