Welcome back to Fantasy UWCL! Our last fixtures were 3 weeks ago, so here is a review of the fantasy season so far as well as some insight about upcoming rounds.
Here’s how all UWCL players have performed so far in the tournament! With only 2 matches so far, there isn’t much data, but we’ll use what we have in order to make some suggestions for upcoming weeks!
With such a wide gap in talent between sides, it’s important to consider upcoming fixtures. For example: In round 1 Lyon defeated Slavia Praha 9-0 and Barcelona took down Benfica 5-0. Ideally we can target some of these key matchups, and that’s what you see below. Tiers were calculated with a mix of historic team performance and expected Goal Differential so far in the season.
Based on this chart, some of the teams we should be targeting due to their easier matchups include: Chelsea, PSG, Bayern, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Slavia Praha.
If you currently have players from the following teams, be prepared for a rougher patch: Roma, Rosengård, Ajax, Brann, Häcken.
Quadrant Analysis: Easier Fixtures
While Chelsea players may be expensive, if you invested in Sam Kerr early you’re probably sitting pretty in the standings, as she leads the league in fantasy points. Other Chelsea players have done fine, including Niamh Charles and Erin Cuthbert. Look for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Sjoeke Nüsken as sneaky value midfielders.
Bayern defenders have shown out so far. Magdalena Eriksson and Glódís Viggósdóttir look to continue their hot start. So far the premium Bayern players have not performed up to expectations, but this fixture swing may be their chance to turn it around.
Quadrant Analysis: Dominant Teams
It would be irresponsible to give a breakdown of the league without talking about the two hottest teams so far. Here is a breakdown of each UWCL team and how many fantasy points they’ve earned so far:
After winning their first two matches with a combined score of 11-0, almost every Lyon player is in the High Points section. You can take your pick on who to add to your fantasy team, but I try to look at “attack” points, as these are usually more consistent than goals/assists/clean sheets and can be used to predict future performance.
Barcelona has more clear standouts. Aitana Bonmatí is currently 3rd in the UWCL in fantasy points, and teammates Caroline Graham Hansen and Ona Batlle have started hot as well. Salma Paralluelo and Ingrid Syrstad Engen can be solid value players.
Quadrant Analysis: Positional Breakdown
Here is the breakdown by position in case you have a position group that needs help with your team. Look for players on the right side of the chart:
Standouts: Sam Kerr (Chelsea), Selma Bacha (Lyon), Eugenie Le Sommer (Lyon)
Value: Rosa Kafaji (Häcken), Valentina Giacinti (Roma), Jovana Damnjanović (Bayern)
Standouts: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona), Danielle van de Donk (Lyon), Manuela Giugliano (Roma)
Value: Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Gaëtane Thiney (Paris FC), Signe Gaupset (Brann)
Standouts: Vanessa Gilles (Lyon), Wendie Renard (Lyon), Marit Bratberg Lund (Brann)
Value: Marit Bratberg Lund (Brann), Perle Morroni (Lyon)
Standouts: Christine Endler (Lyon)
Hope this was able to give you some useful information for your UWCL Round 3 decisions! Let me know if there are any players or teams you would like some insights about!