Now that we’ve reached Round 7, we have a reasonable sample size to evaluate the fantasy value of the teams in the NWSL. Obviously FNWSL is an “individual” sport, but players on the stronger teams tend to have higher fantasy value – especially defenders on teams that concede the least. After six rounds, four teams have distanced themselves from the rest of the league: OL Reign with 13 points, followed by Portland, Washington, and Gotham each with 12. However, the importance of goals (both scoring and preventing them) means that, for the purposes of FNWSL, GF and GA numbers are more relevant than the standings, so let’s take a look at those.
Goals For:
The Thorns have a massive lead in goals scored with 17. OL Reign is in second place with 12, while Angel City and Chicago are tied for third with 11. In terms of xG (or expected goals), Portland is also leading with 14.1, followed by Washington and Kansas City. The key takeaway here is that you really want to maximize your Portland roster slots with midfielders and forwards. We’ve discussed this before, and you probably want to have at least two of Sophia Smith, Morgan Weaver, Sam Coffey, and Crystal Dunn on your team.
After that, the situation gets a little less clear and it depends on how much money you have available, but you may want to save your OL Reign slots for defense and fill in your midfield and front line with Washington, Angel City, and/or Kansas City, as the Current (especially Debinha) appear to have found their stride after a rocky start to the season. The Angel City options (Claire Emslie, Savannah McCaskill, Alyssa Thompson) are generally less expensive than those in Washington or Kansas City. If you do have the budget available, this is a good week to bring in one of the Washington Big 3 (Trinity Rodman, Ashley Hatch, or Ashley Sanchez), as the Spirit have a good matchup for scoring on the road in Los Angeles.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that, even though the Red Stars are in last place, there is some fantasy value to be found in their offense – unfortunately the scoring is very decentralized in Chicago and therefore hard to predict, but keep Penelope Hocking and Ella Stevens in mind if you need a relatively low-cost forward.
Goals Against:
There’s a three-way tie for fewest goals allowed through six games: Houston, Washington, and OL Reign have all conceded only five times, and Gotham only six. In terms of xGA, Reign take the solo lead with 4.7, nearly 2 goals ahead of Portland and 2.5 ahead of Washington. We’ve also previously covered the value of the Reign defenders, who are all relatively expensive but well worth the money. They also have a good matchup for defense this week against Orlando, who have the fewest xG so far and the second-fewest goals overall.
Portland also has a good matchup for defense this week (at Houston), but assuming that you’re committing your Portland slots at other positions, you can fill out your back line with the less expensive defensive options from Washington and Houston: think Tara McKeown ($100k), Gabrielle Carle ($150k), and Allysha Chapman ($150k).
What are your thoughts on Round 6? Comment or tweet @MansersAnswers!