Written by:George Rees-Julian
Fantasy Leg 2: Are points on the rise again?

There is a new leader in the closely contested battle for the top spot in the Leg 2 table after Schoolboy Errors climbed to first place following Matchweek eight.

With a 96-point haul, they have risen from ninth to the coveted lead position, and boast a two-point lead over joint-second-place Reiten in the stars and TARPER.

Their 272 points are three more than joint-fourth-place players Charlie xGx and PuteYASSS, the latter of whom cracked 100 points with this week's haul.

Eighth-place Alfinator and joint ninth-place teams Show No Cerci and up the hemp-erature also broke the three-digit mark for points this week.

What separates the best-performing teams from the rest? We look at the top performers to identify the tactics behind their fantasy success this week.

Crucial clean sheets

Last week saw a real lack of clean sheets across the BWSL and BWSL 2, as only Brighton and Birmingham managed shutouts, contributing to the lowest-scoring matchweek so far.

And though the number of clean sheets rose marginally to three this week, they arrived for highly-owned defensive assets from Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton.

Ellie Carpenter is owned by 42% of players (all top 10 players have picked the Australian) and with good reason. With a goal and a clean sheet against Charlton, she picked up 13 points. Popular Chelsea teammate Hannah Hampton scored six points.

Manchester United defenders were equally popular, with eight of the current top 10 selecting Andrea Medina, who scored five points and is owned by 9% of players overall. However, she is not the club's most-picked defender.

Maya Le Tissier (seven points) is owned by 31% of players and outscored her Spanish defensive partner. Dominique Janssen (six), Hanna Lundkvist (seven) and goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce (seven) also earned points for the top players.

Everton's defensive options are lower-owned, meaning those who selected the likes of goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan, Ruby Mace or Maz Pacheco gained a leg up on their rivals.

TARPER's decision to captain Brosnan proved inspired as she won them 22 points with a clean sheet against Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby, though Schoolboy Errors and up the hemp-erature struck gold by skippering Carpneter for 26 points.

The stats underline the importance of defensive returns. Just five of the 44 goalkeepers and defenders selected by the top 10 scored four points or fewer, compared with 17 of the 42 midfielders.

The usual suspects deliver

Carpenter's success shines an even brighter spotlight on those you really ought to have on your team. If you are one of the 58% of players who have not selected her, it might be time to reconsider. Her 79 points are the highest of any player.

She has earned more than Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, the most-selected player at 62%, though the Jamaican is another must-have with 72 points in eight matchweeks. Teammate Lauren Hemp has won 75 points.

The Manchester City duo returned again this week. Shaw earned nine points for her goal in a win over London City Lionesses, while Hemp picked up 11 after a goal and an assist at Cooperjax Community Stadium.

Spurs midfielders Victoria Pelova (selected by 20%) and Signe Gaupset (selected by 7%) won 15 and 10 points, respectively, after a 4-1 win over Birmingham. Océane Hurtré (selected by 19%) also got an assist despite the defeat.

Chelsea forward Melvine Malard (selected by 13%) and Arsenal striker Alessia Russo (selected by 48%) delivered on their price tags, scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively.

These players' consistent returns mean you risk falling behind if you leave them out of your team, though there is merit in selecting regular points scorers from the BWSL 2 when the second-tier returns to action this weekend.

Strugglers can still win you points

That players from Arsenal and Birmingham - two sides that have drawn too often for their liking this season - are among the reliable points scorers proves the league position is not critical to who you choose.

Yes, it is true that you can target players who face favourable opposition - Chelsea's 6-0 defeat of Charlton is a prime example - but there are reliable players at teams who are not winning on the regular.

West Ham's Viviane Asseyi proved that this week with a brace against Liverpool in a 4-1 win to earn 15 points. Vivien Edemann scored again for the Reds for eight points.

Points are back up on average

Matchweek seven saw a record-low points average of 48, but the typical points scored by players trended back in a healthy direction, up 20 points to 68.

That contributed to better returns for most, unless you forgot to transfer out your BWSL 2 players, with Ona Roll's mammoth 117-point haul the standout performance of the round.

Across both the Leg 2 and overall top 10s, five players broke past the 100 points mark this week. Not a single player achieved that in the previous round.

Who has the edge?

With three more matchweeks to go before Leg 2 concluded in Matchweek 11, the answer here remains nobody.

Schoolboy Errors will enjoy the two-point lead they currently boast, but they only need to glance down to 13th place, where former leader Jill Scott Hirons now sits after a lower-scoring week. Two defensive mispicks proved costly.

The Leg 2 table remains incredibly tight, with 15 points separating the player ranked first and those tied at 46th. For comparison, OnaBattleAfterAnothr, who remains the overall leader, had a nine-point lead after four matchweeks in Leg 1.

Even those tied at 315th are only 30 points adrift of the top spot and boast the chance to ascend the rankings with a succession of smart captaincy picks or targeted transfers.

It's still all to play for.