Matchweek seven brought some wild weather and some wild games to go with it. London City drew with Liverpool, and the two derbies both had plenty of fire in them. Arsenal won the North London derby 2-1 at Tottenham, and in Manchester it finished 1-1, with Elisabeth Terland equalising for United a minute from time.
Chelsea were in good form, winning 3-1 at Crystal Palace with a double from Mélvine Malard, and Birmingham City finally got their first win of the season too, 1-0 against Charlton.
We’re looking ahead to matchweek eight, and with the BWSL 2 sides in League Cup action none of the players are available this week, so it’s the top flight only.
Saturday’s game sees Everton host a Manchester United side who are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions.
On Sunday, London City take on reigning champions Manchester City, while Chelsea travel to bottom side Charlton. Renée Slegers will be hoping her Arsenal side can build a good run of form after the derby win, and next up for the Gunners is a visit from Aston Villa, who will be looking to turn their season around too.
Here’s our team of the week. As always, keep an eye on the team news before you lock anything in, especially with a few teams in Champions League action this week.
The Back Line
Hannah Hampton (Chelsea) - £5.5m
We've gone for the England number one between the sticks again this week. Chelsea's fixture is a favourable one this week. Sonia Bompastor's side face Charlton who have only scored three goals so far this season.
The Blues go there with the best defence in the league having conceded just four goals so far, with Hampton keeping a clean sheet in four of her seven games, so there's not much to think about. She faces just 2.65 shots per 90, so the defence in front of her is doing its job. Given the fixture and Chelsea's excellent form of late, a clean sheet could be on the cards here.
Ellie Carpenter (Chelsea) - £7.0m
The Australian had a quiet week in matchweek seven by her standards, registering just three points, but she stays in this week.
Carpenter might be a right back on paper but she pushes up so high that she spends a lot of her time in the opposition box, and that's why 18 of her 66 points have come from goals, with another 16 from clean sheets. Charlton have let in 19, so we fancy her to bounce back and score big points this week.
Andrea Medina (Manchester United) - £5.5m
Medina is a defender in the game, but United use her like a winger, so she spends her afternoons running at full backs and putting crosses in while still doing the defending as well. It's working too, with two goals and two clean sheets already, and she's putting in 3.2 crosses per 90 minutes, which is proper winger territory.
Only 8% of managers own her so maybe not quite a differential but she's potentially a shrewd pick. United play at Everton on Saturday, who have scored just five all season, and you'll know how she's got on before Sunday kicks off so you could make a sub if she blanks.
Alejandra Bernabé (Liverpool) - £4.5m
A great value pick here and she's got a good fixture, sometimes it really is that simple. West Ham have scored five all season and lost 3-0 at Brighton last week. Liverpool have only conceded ten, so a clean sheet is a good shout.
Bernabé plays left back and likes to get forward, so she's involved in all aspects of the play, and at £4.5m she leaves us with plenty of money to spend elsewhere.
The Midfield
Lauren Hemp (Manchester City) - £8.0m
Lauren Hemp has been in fine form so far this season. She runs at defenders, she gets to the byline and she sends the ball into the box constantly. 32 of her 64 fantasy points this season have come from her goal contributions.
City face London City who have put in some impressive defensive displays, so it won't be easy, but this is the game of the weekend and she's the player we'd want in our team.
Océane Hurtré (Birmingham City) - £6.0m
Next up we have a woman who is flying this season. Océane Hurtré has scored six in seven games for Birmingham City, and she doesn’t stop there, attempting 5.8 dribbles per 90 minutes and picking up 13 of her 67 points from attacking actions alone.
Even when she's not in the goals, she finds a way into the points. This week Birmingham are at home to a Spurs side who have conceded 16, so it’s a good chance for her to add to her tally. Only 17% of managers have the top-scoring midfielder in the BWSL in their team, so she could be a difference maker in your leagues.
Danielle van de Donk (London City) - £4.5m
At £4.5m, van de Donk might be the best value in the whole game. She floats across London City's front line, sometimes out wide, sometimes as the number ten and sometimes up top, and that freedom is how she's ended up with three goals and four assists.
LCL are at home this weekend and with 19 goals scored, they seem to have developed a free flowing attack that can punish any team on their day. It's a tough game, against the champions but with the quality in Eder Maestre's squad, chances should come their way, we just need van de Donk to be the one putting the ball in the net!
Signe Gaupset (Tottenham Hotspur) - £6.0m
Gaupset is perhaps the wild card in our midfield. She moves all around the middle of the pitch, sometimes as a number ten and sometimes as a deeper midfielder, and she's already got two goals and two assists to show for it.
She averages 4.3 touches in the box and 1.4 key passes per 90, which is a lot of work in the final third for a midfielder. She's in the same game as Hurtré, and we're quite happy about that. Birmingham have conceded 13 in seven and Spurs have let in 16, so we're expecting goals at both ends.
The Forwards
Bunny Shaw (Manchester City) - £12.5m
We're running out of words to explain why you need Bunny Shaw in your team. She bagged another goal in the Manchester Derby last week and it doesn't like she'll stop scoring any time soon.
This week it's London City away, not an easy game but we're backing her to find the back of the net. She has eight goals this season, which is more than Everton or West Ham have scored as clubs, and 32 of her 63 points have come from them. If you want someone to score in any game, she's the one.
Kiko Seike (Brighton) - £7.0m
Our next choise is Kiko Seike. She's had a great start with four goals and put in some impressive performances all-round. She keeps running in behind and Palace have conceded 15 goals so far this season, so Brighton should get plenty of the ball which means plenty of opportunities, and hopefully plenty of goals.
Mélvine Malard (Chelsea) - £8.0m
Malard has scored four goals in just 332 minutes, and she's taking over five shots a game, so she isn't wasting any time. She's found her form after a slow start to the season thanks to injury.
She heads to a Charlton side who have conceded 19 in seven, so there should be plenty of chances coming her way. The only concern is her minutes, because she tends to get around 66 a game rather than the full 90, but this is a fixture we didn't want to miss.
Subs
Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United) - £5.5m
Our back-up keeper, and she's here for the Saturday trick. United play Everton first, so start her and see how she does, and if she gets a low score you can swap Hampton in. She faces a lot of shots, which means lots of saves and she's got a habit of picking up bonus points, with six so far.
Leah Williamson (Arsenal) - £5.5m
Arsenal are playing a rejuvenated Villa side this week and given the Gunners leaky defence this season, a clean sheet isn't guaranteed. If you'd rather back Arsenal though, Williamson is the one to put in. She starts a lot of Arsenal's attacks from the back, with more progressive passes per 90 minutes than any other defender in the league, and she's been ever present this season.
Caitlin Hayes (Brighton) - £5.5m
Hayes is a centre back who wins her battles, with 84% of her aerial duels, and Brighton kept a clean sheet last time out. She's 2% owned, so if you want a differential at the back she's the one. Palace have scored six all season, so we're backing Brighton to limit their opportunities this week.
Fran Kirby (Brighton) - £6.0m
Fran Kirby is a player you can always rely on. She often lines up just behind the striker which means she gets into the box a lot, and she's making it count, with two goals and two assists putting her on 43 points. If you're not sure about Hurtré or Gaupset, she would be the one to swap in.
