The BWSL and BWSL 2 are finally back, and Fantasy is here with them.
Which means it’s time for our Scouts' Team of the Week, where we pick out the players we think are best placed to bank you points ahead of the coming games.
Each week we'll run through a full squad, all within the £100m budget, looking at who's got the kindest fixtures, who's in form, and where the best value lies across both the BWSL and BWSL 2. Some picks are the obvious big names; others are the differentials that could give you that all important edge to beat your mates.
With the season getting underway, pre-season form and the opening fixtures have shaped who makes the cut this time. It’s best to keep an eye on team news before the deadline for any new injury updates though.
Here's who we're backing this week.
The Back Line
Hannah Hampton (Chelsea) £5.5m
Chelsea will be looking for a winning start to the campaign as they kick off at home to Aston Villa. The Blues cruised through their pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand with big wins and clean sheets while Villa will be looking to find their rhythm early on.
Chelsea’s defence appears to be much more settled this season which all points to a promising afternoon for Hampton. At £5.5m she's nicely priced for a dependable starter with sound clean-sheet potential, plus don’t forget about the save points on offer too. The England ‘keeper is a solid pick for game week one.
Katie McCabe (Chelsea) £6.5m
McCabe is the pick if you want a defender who does far more than defend. She joins Chelsea this summer and slots straight into a back line for the opening game, at home to Aston Villa, where a clean sheet is a real possibility.
The bigger draw here though, is everything she offers going forward. She’s one of the best dead-ball deliverers in the league, meaning we could see her chip in with corners and free kicks, and she loves to bomb on down the flank.
The £6.5m price tag is very reasonable for a player who offers all-round output, and in a Chelsea side that looked pretty solid through pre-season, she looks a smart way to cover both ends of the pitch.
Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City) £8.0m
Now for the premium pick in defence and Manchester City’s Kerstin Casparij is where the money is well spent. She was the best-performing defender in Fantasy last season, and it's easy to see why. The Dutch international epitomises the term ‘flying fullback’, getting forward relentlessly, she offers goals, assists and a steady stream of involvement points on top of her clean-sheet potential.
Manchester City open at home to newly promoted Birmingham, a game the reigning champions will be strong favourites to win, so the platform is there for both a clean sheet and the chances to push up and create.
At £8.0m she's pricey but she’s a defender who offers returns at both ends, and against a side finding their feet in the topflight, City will look to dominate from the first whistle.
Jana Fernández (London City Lionesses) £5.0m
London City have spent big to build one of the most talented squads in the league, and Fernández is a tidy, attack-minded full back.
Comfortable on the ball and quick to break forward, she loves to overlap down the flank and get herself into advanced positions, offering plenty of attacking threat as well as defensive steel. That willingness to join the play means she racks up involvement points through crosses, recoveries and the odd forward burst.
She’s sensibly priced for a starter in a side expected to challenge for the UWCL places and London City have picked up some good wins in preseason, keeping clean sheets against Sevilla and Atletico Madrid so they have a reliable defensive unit to pick up those points. A sound, low-risk way to round out the defence.
Maxing out Midfield Potential
Jordan Nobbs (Newcastle United) £7.5m
A brilliant, reliable pick to anchor the midfield. Newcastle kick off their season against BWSL 2 debutants Wolves, a favourable start on paper, and Nobbs is the one who makes the Magpies tick.
The vastly experienced midfielder would have scored 128 points last season. She pulls the strings from the middle of the park, chipping in with goals and assists while also taking a share of the set pieces, so she offers points from all over. Her all-round involvement is exactly what we want from a midfielder in this scoring system, and it's why, sitting at 10% ownership, she's one of the most popular picks in the game.
At £7.5m she won't break the bank either, and against a side stepping up to this level for the first time, Newcastle will fancy controlling the game and creating plenty of goalscoring opportunities. The ideal fixture for Nobbs to showcase her quality in midfield.
Lauren Hemp (Manchester City) £8.0m
Sometimes the obvious pick is obvious for a reason. Hemp is one of the most dangerous attackers in the league, and Manchester City's opener at home to newly promoted Birmingham could allow her to start picking up those Fantasy points right from the get-go.
An electric, direct winger who runs at defenders all afternoon, she racks up points through shots, dribbles and chances created, and chips in with plenty of goals and assists of her own.
With City expected to dominate possession in this one, the chances should keep coming her way. There’s no getting away from the fact that she’s one of the most expensive midfielders in the game, but she has the potential to either be a match-winner herself or create the opportunity for someone else. Hemp is about as safe as an attacking pick gets this week.
Alexia Putellas (London City Lionesses) £8.5m
This is another one of those where it just makes sense. Few come with a bigger guarantee than Alexia Putellas. Widely regarded as one of the best players on the planet, the two-time Ballon d'Or winner joined London City this summer as the marquee signing.
She brings goals, assists and control of a game few in the division can match. She pulls the strings from midfield, dictating the tempo and creating chances at will, providing the kind of all-round involvement that will see the points climb.
Yes, at £8.5m she carries a premium price tag, but for a player of this quality, she's worth every penny. A statement pick for the opening game week.
Signe Gaupset (Tottenham Hotspur) £6.0m
Our next pick is another midfielder, but this time, one who might just be flying under the radar. Gaupset is a direct forward-thinking midfielder who caught the eye last season and has looked lively in pre-season, capped off by netting the winner against Granada.
She would have averaged 6.5 points per 90 from her 11 appearances last season, and with a growing role in the side and a full pre-season behind her, the 21-year-old could step up and become a key player in this Spurs side.
The opening fixture against West Ham is a favourable one for Tottenham and could give Gaupset plenty of opportunities to carry the ball forward, run at defenders and get herself into shooting positions. Exactly the sort of involvement that pays off under this scoring system.
Ceri Holland (Liverpool) £6.5m
Ceri Holland could prove to be one of the shrewdest picks of game week one. The Reds have been flying in pre-season, winning all four of their warm-up games, including a 7-1 win over Durham.
She’s on corners, steps up for penalties and gets herself amongst the goals so there’s plenty of involvement points to be picked up. She’s become the heartbeat of this Liverpool team and would have picked up 107 points last season.
With Liverpool likely to dominate the ball against Charlton, Holland could have a big influence over this game and at £6.5m she’s reasonably priced for a player with multiple routes to points.
Attacking Duo Leading the Line
Bunny Shaw (Manchester City) £12.5m
If there is one player to build an entire team around, it’s Bunny Shaw. The Manchester City forward will be chasing a fourth BWSL Golden Boot in as many seasons and will be looking to stake her claim right from the off.
Manchester City’s opening game against Birmingham could be the ideal stage for Shaw. There’s likely to be plenty of City possession which means goalscoring opportunities arriving in waves, and a real chance to fill her boots early.
She's a guaranteed goal threat who also steps up for penalties, so the routes to a big score are everywhere. Yes, at £12.5m she's the most expensive player in the game, but she’s arguably the closest thing to a nailed-on captain there is. Give her the armband, and let the points roll in.
Beata Olsson (Liverpool) £6.5m
This next pick might seem a little against the grain but based on pre-season form alone, it’s impossible to overlook Liverpool’s Swedish striker. She rounded off the Reds’ warm up campaign with a hattrick in their 7-1 win over Durham and heads into the opening weekend full of confidence.
At £6.5m she’s brilliantly priced for the goal threat she offers. Liverpool are well-versed in how Gareth Taylor wants them to play, with plenty of creativity in the side, especially in the wide areas, so the chances should keep coming for their main striker.
Back her while the form and the fixture line up and reassess once the run of games gets tougher. For now, though, everything points to Olsson having a big afternoon.
On the Bench
Fran Bentley (Bristol City) £5.0m
Bristol City go into the season as one of the promotion favourites, and a big part of that is a well-organised defence. Bentley is a guaranteed starter between the sticks for Bristol and a strong back line in front of her means clean sheets should come. The Robins open away at Sunderland, a tough game but a fixture Bristol will fancy. At £5.0m she's a smart pick from a team that should be fighting for promotion.
Hannah Blundell (Everton) £4.5m
Next up we have Everton’s Hannah Blundell, she’s our value pick in defence. Blundell brings plenty of defensive know-how to Scott Phelan's back line. Everton were the quiet story of pre-season, keeping clean sheets against both Newcastle and Hamburg and looking very hard to break down. As an experienced full-back, Blundell offers defensive and attacking involvement. The former Manchester United defender could be a strong pick for the opening week.
Lois Shooter (Nottingham Forest) £6.0m
This is one to keep a very close eye on. Shooter has been the story of pre-season for Forest, banging in five goals in four games. She's owned by just 1% of managers, so she could be one of the best-kept secrets in the game if she carries that form into the season. Forest kick off the season at home to Ipswich, a winnable BWSL 2 opener, and at £6.0m she's a differential with real upside.
Kaitlyn Torpey (Newcastle United) £4.0m
At just £4.0m, Torpey could be an interesting pick and potentially a risk as the number of minutes she will get is unknown. The Australian international has impressed after joining from Portland Thorns in January. She’s a full back who loves to get forward, offering attacking upside on top of her defensive work. At Newcastle, she has licence to push on, and the opening run of fixtures, starting at home to Wolves, sets her up nicely if she gets game time.
