Welcome to Round 10 of Fantasy NWSL! As usual, we are here to answer all of your team selection questions through the magic of statistics.
Round 10 Match Overview:
All 12 teams have single games this week. The international break is now in full swing, so continue to look for high-value players that are racking up minutes in the absence of the national team call-ups. With quite a few of the primary goal scorers in NWSL on international duty, this is a good opportunity to spend your money on defense and midfield after an especially low-scoring Week 9.
Team Stats:
Portland has opened up a large lead in goals/game, pushing their average over 2, while the usual suspects of Chicago, San Diego, and Houston also near the top of the list. On the defensive side, Orlando is giving up by far the most goals, while OL Reign, Portland, and San Diego have been the strongest defensive teams:
| Rank | TEAM | GF/GP | Rank | TEAM | GA/GP | |
| 1 | Portland | 2.20 | 1 | OL Reign | 0.60 | |
| 2 | Chicago | 1.70 | 2 | Portland | 0.80 | |
| 3 | San Diego | 1.64 | 3 | San Diego | 0.82 | |
| 4 | Houston | 1.60 | 4 | Chicago | 1.00 | |
| 5 | North Carolina | 1.50 | 5 | Angel City FC | 1.00 | |
| 6 | Racing Louisville FC | 1.20 | 6 | Houston | 1.20 | |
| 7 | Orlando | 1.10 | 7 | Washington | 1.27 | |
| 8 | Kansas City | 1.00 | 8 | Kansas City | 1.40 | |
| 9 | Washington | 1.00 | 9 | NJ/NY | 1.50 | |
| 10 | OL Reign | 0.90 | 10 | Racing Louisville FC | 1.60 | |
| 11 | Angel City FC | 0.80 | 11 | North Carolina | 1.75 | |
| 12 | NJ/NY | 0.63 | 12 | Orlando | 2.60 |
This means there should be some good scoring opportunities for players on Houston (v. Orlando) and Chicago (v. North Carolina). Portland should have potential against a relatively low-scoring OL Reign team.
Individual Stats and Team of the Week:
| Position | Name | Team | Cost | FP | $/FP |
| GK | Katie Lund | Louisville | $150,000 | 48 | $3,125.00 |
| GK | Phallon Tullis-Joyce | OL Reign | $150,000 | 74 | $2,027.03 |
| DF | Karina Rodriguez | Washington | $75,000 | 16 | $4,687.50 |
| DF | Kelli Hubly | Portland | $250,000 | 91 | $2,747.25 |
| DF | Camryn Biegalski | Washington | $75,000 | 60 | $1,250.00 |
| DF | Gemma Bonner | Louisville | $300,000 | 62 | $4,838.71 |
| DF | Tatumn Milazzo | Chicago | $150,000 | 89 | $1,685.39 |
| MF | Savannah DeMelo | Louisville | $75,000 | 118 | $635.59 |
| MF | Shea Groom | Houston | $300,000 | 61 | $4,918.03 |
| MF | Emily van Egmond | San Diego | $350,000 | 72 | $4,861.11 |
| MF | Vanessa DiBernardo | Chicago | $300,000 | 85 | $3,529.41 |
| MF | Hina Sugita | Portland | $350,000 | 74 | $4,729.73 |
| FW | Ebony Salmon | Houston | $300,000 | 11 | $27,272.73 |
| Wild Card | Jun Endo | Angel City | $200,000 | 91 | $2,197.80 |
| Wild Card | Tzarria King | OL Reign | $125,000 | 51 | $2,450.98 |
Goalkeeper: Katie Lund has a good matchup against Gotham and is one of the highest-value keepers not currently playing internationally.
Defense: It’s a good week to spend a little extra on defense and midfield, so spring for the higher-cost Gemma Bonner and Kelli Hubly, both of whom have good chances for clean sheets and some goal-scoring potential. Tatumn Milazzo has played almost every minute for Chicago, and could also net some attacking points for the Red Stars in a good matchup with North Carolina.
Midfield: As the highest-value player in NWSL Fantasy, Savannah DeMelo can no longer be left out of lineups, especially in a good matchup against Gotham – let’s give her the armband this week. Chicago’s offense is very unpredictable in the absence of Mallory Pugh and Kealia Watt, but Vanessa DiBernardo is the one constant and has that aforementioned positive against the Courage. In Portland, someone will have to score the goals, and Hina Sugita is a good bet to do so. It’s a similar situation in San Diego, so start Emily van Egmond as a high-value alternative to Alex Morgan and Taylor Korniek. Houston should score at least a couple of goals against Orlando, and the Dash’s Shea Groom has a chance to get on the score sheet while also providing plenty of points on defense.
Forwards: The striker situation is a little unclear all across the league, so take a flyer on Ebony Salmon. Just acquired in a trade from Louisville, she’s likely to quickly become a big part of Houston’s attack and has a great matchup against Orlando. After all, you don’t pay a club record transfer fee to leave someone on the bench. Jun Endo is the highest scorer for Angel City, and could continue to rack up the points in this week’s SoCal rivalry.
Bench: There are several quality players available on OL Reign that can definitely provide value during the international window, especially Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Tziarra King – just stash them for better matchups over the following week than this round against Portland. Similarly, look for some upcoming value in the Washington backline from Camryn Biegalski and Karina Rodriguez. Rodriguez was a somewhat surprising omission from the Mexico squad, and Washington coach Kris Ward has said she is likely to see more playing time over the next couple of weeks.