Women’s World Cup – Fantasy Football update

The Women’s World Cup has reached the knockout stages. Fantastic goals, great stories and VAR controversy; the tournament has got everybody talking but there is one more thing to discuss – Fantasy Football.

FPL fans were delighted when ShePlays announced they would be running a fantasy league game to coincide with the tournament. The OffsideRulePodcast league has been as competitive as ever and there’ll be an update on the current standings later on, but first let’s take a look at some of the stars so far.

Goal Crazy

There is not too much surprise to see Alex Morgan and Sam Kerr leading the way in the scoring charts. Morgan has only played 135 minutes so far and plundered five goals against Thailand, along with three assists. A rest in game two should have set Morgan up for a big finish against Sweden but an injury sustained in the first half restricted her action to 45 minutes. We are awaiting news on the severity of the injury ahead of the clash with Spain.

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Sam Kerr’s Australia had a tougher time reaching the last 16. A goal in the opening game defeat to Italy was followed by a blank in the comeback win over Brazil. Kerr’s tournament really came to life with a four goal haul against Jamaica, but a tough last 16 match with Norway awaits.

Cristiane of Brazil also scored a hat-trick against Jamaica along with a solitary goal in the loss to Australia to leave her in third place in the race for the Golden boot. Veteran American striker Carli Lloyd is on three goals along with England’s Ellen White, Italy’s Cristiana Girelli and French defender Wendie Renard.

Assisters are doing it for themselves

Sam Mewis of the USA joins Morgan on three assists. Mewis is priced at $650,000 compared to Morgan’s $1,000,000 which might put her near the top of your transfer radar.

Manuela Giugliano has provided three assists for Italy and is priced at just $400,000. Italy will face China in the last 16 which looks a favourable draw from the form we have seen so far.

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No way through

Both the USA and Germany are yet to concede a goal in the tournament. The level of competition is bound to get tougher in the latter stages but it is impressive to have three successive shutouts. In terms of value for money, Peng Shimeng of China has only conceded one goal so far and is one of the cheapest goalkeepers on the game, priced at just $100,000.

Transfers and Budgets

The end of the group stage has not only reopened the transfer window but it also means you have more money to spend. You have FIVE free transfers to use before Saturday 22nd June at 4.30pm and the budget has been increased from $8,000,000 to $8,500,000. That extra $500,000 could go a long way!

A full breakdown of the different budgets and transfers during the knockout stages can be found here.

OffsideRulePod League update

There’s a definitive top three with just nine points separating 1st from 3rd. Nym’s All Stars, Stained Glass Films and Belgian Hotspur all played a blinder by captaining Sam Kerr for round 3 which accrued 70 points. Finbot International had been going extremely well but captain Alex Morgan was not the best choice for round 3 and that has resulted in a drop down the table.

What Next?

Saturday evening will see the next games take place – Germany vs Nigeria and Norway vs Australia. This round runs until Tuesday and then the transfer window will reopen and there’ll be a further budget increase. Good luck with your teams!

You can follow Dave on Twitter @CM9798