Gameweek 10 is fast approaching, and with it being the penultimate weekend of Leg 2, this week’s captain choice is going to be very important.
Bunny Shaw - Manchester City
vs Chelsea (A) | £12.5m
It was a perfect weekend for Bunny Shaw last time out, as her first hat-trick of the season ensured Manchester City moved to the top of the Barclays Women’s Super League table with a 5-0 win over West Ham United.
It was a season high of 18 points for last season’s top scorer, who also became the current Fantasy points leader with 90 points.
The champions face a much tougher prospect this weekend, though, as they travel to Stamford Bridge for a potential title-defining clash against Chelsea. Shaw has scored three goals in her last two appearances against the Blues, including a brace in City’s comeback win at Stamford Bridge, which put them into the FA Cup Women’s Final.
Both sides are in UEFA Women’s Champions League action, with Manchester City travelling to face Inter, while Chelsea go to Sweden for their game against BK Hacken.
Both sides playing in mid-week could be beneficial to Shaw, who has failed to score in only one of her nine Barclays Women’s Super League appearances this season.
Alessia Russo - Arsenal
vs London City Lionesses (H) | £11.5m
Despite their inconsistent start in the Barclays Women’s Super League, Alessia Russo is starting to hit a nice run of form. The England forward has scored double points in her last three appearances.
MW7 vs Tottenham Hotspur (A) - 10 points
MW8 vs Aston Villa (H) - 10 points
MW9 vs Liverpool (A) - 13 points
Russo also faces a slightly more favourable fixture this weekend, although it is the in-form London City Lionesses who head to the Emirates, with the Gunners still looking for their first home win of the Barclays Women’s Super League season.
Russo has also scored Arsenal’s last seven goals in all competitions, making her by far the most popular asset from the club at 49%.
London City have allowed the sixth-lowest xG in the Barclays Women’s Super League after nine games (11.4), but Arsenal are significantly underperforming their expected goals, scoring just 10 goals from an xG of 18.0.
If you’re looking for a potential differential away from Shaw, then based on current form, Russo seems like an option to consider.
Signe Gaupset - Tottenham Hotspur
vs Everton (H) | £6m
It’s been a brilliant start for Tottenham Hotspur’s 21-year-old winger, Signe Gaupset. The Norwegian has four goals and three assists in her nine Barclays Women’s Super League appearances so far, which has helped her achieve a total of 62 points so far.
Gaupset has three goals in her last four Barclays Women’s Super League appearances as Tottenham bounced back from a three-game losing streak with wins over Birmingham City and Brighton and Hove Albion.
They’ve produced the four highest xG so far in the league with 19.5, though it’s a significant overachievement, having scored 25 goals. Gaupset herself has the second-highest xG of anyone on the Tottenham side (2.4), as well as the second-most goal contributions (7).
In gameweek 10, Tottenham hosted Everton, who have proven to be defensively resilient so far this season, having conceded just 10 goals. The Toffees held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw last weekend, a rather impressive feat considering Spurs lost 6-2 to the Blues a few weeks prior.
Everton were 2-1 winners when these sides last met in March; however, Gaupset was on the scoresheet that day.
The Norwegian is owned by 6% of Fantasy players, meaning that any captaincy returns will potentially provide huge gains in the race to secure top prize in leg 2.
Ellie Brazil - Southampton
vs Burnley (A) | £7.5m
Sometimes, the more rogue shouts can be the best ones, so why not consider Ellie Brazil to lead the line for your Fantasy team this week?
It was a good weekend for the English striker, as her brace and assist helped Southampton to a comfortable 4-1 win against Sheffield United, while also earning the 4% of players who backed her a whopping 17 points.
Seven goal contributions (three goals and four assists) so far in Barclays Women’s Super League 2 action for Brazil, a total that is comfortably the highest of anyone in the Saints squad.
Brazil’s underlying creative numbers are also impressive, creating 17 chances and three big chances, which is once again the highest of anyone in the Southampton side.
This weekend, the Saints are on the road against newly promoted Burnley, who are still looking for their first win of the league season.
The hosts are also conceding an average of two goals a game so far, while Southampton have scored 11 goals in their seven matches.
Brazil has been transferred in by 177 players so far this week, but who is willing to take it one step further and hand her the armband while she remains in red-hot form?
Beth Lumsden - Newcastle United
vs Sunderland (A) | £7.5m
Another player who has begun the Barclays Women’s Super League 2 season in stunning form is Beth Lumsden.
The English winger is currently the highest-scoring BWSL2 Fantasy player with 61 points. Her two goals and five assists have largely helped to secure that total.
In fact, Lumsden’s five assists have come in five consecutive games, putting her in pole position to potentially break Ashleigh Weerden’s league record of 10 assists, which the Dutchwoman set for Crystal Palace last season.
Lumsden also leads the league for big chances created (7), chances created (22) and goal contributions (8).
However, from a fixture perspective, it could not be tougher as Newcastle travel to Sunderland for the Tyne-Wear Derby.
Both sides have positioned themselves as the frontrunners in the early stages of the season, with Newcastle top of the pile on 19 points, and Sunderland three points behind in second.
The leaders have also not beaten their local rivals since November 2025, but this weekend seems like a brilliant opportunity to change that, especially if Lumsden can continue in her exhilarating form.
My pick
Alessia Russo vs London City Lionesses
This week, I am leaning towards captaining Alessia Russo.
Arsenal are desperate to win a Barclays Women’s Super League game at the Emirates for the first time this season, and a win on Sunday against the third-placed London City Lionesses will see the Gunners close the gap to just three points in their quest to try and push towards a UEFA Women’s Champions League spot.
As mentioned, Russo has scored Arsenal’s last seven goals in all competitions, and the blockbuster clash in North London takes place at 4:30 pm GMT on Sunday, while Chelsea host Manchester City at 1:30 pm on Saturday, meaning that players can switch to Russo if Shaw does not provide the big returns against the Blues.
