The first week of Fantasy is now in the books, and a very close race for first prize in leg one has emerged.
Kangtortion FC enjoyed a very fruitful week, topping the leaderboard with 127 points, just two ahead of their nearest rival, STANWAY or ANOTHER, with 126 points. A small gap follows to the third-ranked Project with 118 points; however, only four points separate them and Are you Shaw in a joint ninth place.
So what decisions did these players make that helped them to rise the rankings in the early stages?
Captaincy choices - Shaw a popular choice but Fisk reels in a big haul
In Fantasy, picking the right captain is always the most important decision. This week, Khadija Shaw was the most popular captaincy choice among the Top 10, with five players backing her for the double points bonus.
Last season’s BWSL Golden Boot winner did not disappoint, scoring twice in 30 minutes to seal a 3-1 win for reigning champions Manchester City against newly promoted Birmingham City.
The two goals earned the player eight points, as well as the maximum of three bonus points, two points for playing 90 minutes, and an extra point for seven attacking actions, making it 14 in total, and 28 points for captaincy.
Lauren James was also a popular captaincy choice, with four of the top ten in Leg 1 choosing the Chelsea midfielder. She returned that faith with Chelsea’s only goal as they drew 1-1 at home to Aston Villa, earning five points for the goal, three bonus points, two for 90 minutes, and an extra three points for 12 attacking actions, making it 13 points in total, and 26 for captaincy.
However, despite Shaw’s and James returning for those who backed them with a hefty points total, they were not the biggest winners from captaincy, as Ona roll’s brave and bold choice to captain Liverpool’s Grace Fisk paid off massively.
Fisk was the highest points scorer after matchweek 1, scoring twice as Liverpool cruised to a comfortable 4-0 win over last season’s BWSL Qualification winners, Charlton Athletic.
Goals for a defender earn six points each, so 12 in total, alongside two bonus points, four points for a clean sheet, two for playing 90 minutes, and an extra for defensive actions, making it 21 points in total, the highest of anyone in the game across the opening week, and 42 for captain backers.
Liverpool and Spurs duo prove to be a deadly combo
In terms of points outside the captaincy pick, many players benefited from big wins for both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur as they opened their BWSL season with a 3-1 win over London rivals West Ham United.
Seven of the top ten players from matchweek one had Grace Fisk in their team, a brilliant differential pick who was owned by just 9% of all players during the first week. Vivien Endemann also contributed to a good haul of points, with both a goal and an assist during the win over Charlton, helping to secure an extra 14 points for players.
Kirsty Hanson was also another popular pick, scoring a brace on her Tottenham debut and earning 17 points, the third most of anyone during the weekend of action. Signe Gaupset recorded a big haul, earning 14 points as she scored the opening goal during the win at Brisbane Road.
Early leader Kangtortion FC was an early beneficiary of these two duos, earning 66 of her 127 points from those four players alone, a total of 52% from those four.
Carpenter and Casparij provide solid returns
Two recipients of the PFA BWSL Team of the Year, Chelsea’s Ellie Carpenter and Manchester City’s Kerstin Casparij, were two of the standout defenders in Fantasy during matchweek one, Carpenter earning seven points after providing the assist for Lauren James’ goal during the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
Casparij earned points for assisting Shaw’s first goal, while also receiving the clean sheet points, having been subbed off while the game was at 2-0 in the 61st minute. The second-placed player, STANWAY or ANOTHER, benefitted heavily from picking this defensive duo, earning 39 points from three defenders, as they were also one of the 9% to back Liverpool’s Fisk.
Third-placed Project is another whose heavy reliance on the backline paid off, setting up in a 5-3-2 and having that trio alongside Manchester City’s Alex Greenwood and Liverpool’s Jenna Clark, earning 52 of their 118 points from the defence alone.
