WSL Fantasy Gameweek 1: best picks and captain

WSL Fantasy Gameweek 1 preview: best buys, captain picks and differentials

WSL Fantasy 2026/2027 kicks off on Friday 4 September, and Gameweek 1 is the one week of the season where every manager starts from the same blank squad. You pick 15 players — 11 starters, 4 on the bench, maximum 3 from any single club. Gameweek 1 is also an unlimited-transfer matchweek, which means your Wildcard and both Free Hits are locked this week; you cannot spend a chip on the opener, and you do not need to. Get the structure right now and the first month looks after itself.

Two rules make this game behave differently from Fantasy Premier League, and they are worth knowing before you pick anyone. The bench is not a passive auto-sub safety net: once a player's match has finished you can still move her out of your XI and bring on a substitute whose match has not yet kicked off. That makes bench quality a real asset, not an afterthought. And the captaincy is not locked at the Friday deadline — the armband can be moved between two players who have both not yet played, and only locks when your captain's own match starts. Captain someone who plays late in the round and you keep your options open all weekend.

Gameweek 1 fixtures: three clubs stand out

The model's match probabilities split Gameweek 1 cleanly. Chelsea and Manchester City are both at home to the two sides the model rates lowest in the division; Arsenal travel to Brighton in the best game of the round. The middle of the table is close to a coin flip, and the bottom two rows are the fixtures to stay away from entirely.

Look further than one week and the picture shifts again. Manchester City open [H]Birmingham City → [A]Aston Villa → [H]Liverpool → [A]Charlton, four fixtures at 72% win probability or better — comfortably the best opening block in the league. Arsenal's Gameweek 2 at home to Crystal Palace is the single strongest fixture of the entire opening month at 92% win probability and 4.05 expected goals. Manchester United are the opposite shape: a good opener, then Chelsea at home in Gameweek 2 (26%) and Arsenal away in Gameweek 3 (19%). Chelsea's own run softens after the opener — [A]Manchester United, then [H]Birmingham City. Check the full run on the WSL Fantasy schedule and the underlying odds on the WSL market probabilities page before you commit budget.

Goalkeepers: the cheapest one is the best one

This is the clearest position in the game, and almost nobody has it right yet. Three keepers project within 0.2 points of each other and their prices differ by 1.5m.

Faye Kirby (4.0m, Liverpool) — 4.2 projected points at the lowest price in the position, which is 1.05 points per million - the best rate of any goalkeeper, and second-best in the game behind Fridolina Rolfö. Liverpool travel to Charlton, a side the model gives just 1.03 expected goals, and Kirby carries a 35% clean sheet chance. Ownership is 1%.

Anneke Borbe (4.5m, Arsenal) — 4.4 points and a 41% clean sheet chance away at Brighton, whose 0.89 expected goals is one of the lowest attacking numbers of the round. Her six-round weighted score of 15.4 is the second-highest of any keeper, so this is not a one-week punt; it is the enabler that lets you afford a 12.5m striker. Owned by 2%.

Courtney Brosnan (5.0m, Everton) — 4.3 for the round and the highest weighted six-round score of any keeper at 15.7. Everton's opening two fixtures are both winnable and she is owned by 7%.

Ayaka Yamashita (5.5m, Manchester City) — the highest clean sheet probability in the round at 48%, and the safest floor. She costs 1.5m more than Kirby for the same 4.4 projection, which in a Gameweek 1 budget is money you will want in your attack.

Defenders: Manchester United's back line is the story

The predicted line-ups have firmed up since the season's first projections, and they have changed the defensive picture completely. Manchester United's back line now reads as fully nailed against London City Lionesses on Friday night — its defenders sitting on a starter factor of 1.00 — and it is where the value in this position sits.

Fridolina Rolfö (5.5m, Manchester United) — 6.6 projected points, the highest defender projection in the game and higher than every midfielder except one. She is now projected for a full 79 minutes at a starter factor of 1.00, with a 38% clean sheet chance and genuine attacking output from her advanced role (0.27 projected goals, 0.15 projected assists). At 1.20 points per million she is the single best value pick in Gameweek 1, and only 8% of squads have her. The one caveat is the run after: her Gameweek 2 and 3 projections fall to 2.6 and 2.3 as Chelsea and Arsenal arrive, so plan to move her on rather than hold blindly.

Maya Le Tissier (6.0m, Manchester United) — the most nailed player in the entire game at 90 projected minutes and a starter factor of 1.00, with a 41% clean sheet chance. At 39% ownership she is close to template, and the projection of 5.5 justifies it. Her six-round weighted score of 17.1 is among the best in the position.

Jayde Riviere (5.0m, Manchester United) — the budget pick that projects like a premium: 5.1 points, 75 minutes, the same 41% clean sheet chance as Le Tissier, at 1.0m less and just 3% ownership. That is 1.02 points per million, second only to Rolfö.

Ellie Carpenter (7.0m, Chelsea) — 5.5 points, 76 projected minutes, a 38% clean sheet chance and the highest six-round weighted score of any defender in the game at 17.8. Chelsea's attacking full-backs carry real assist upside (0.22 projected assists this round alone), and unlike the Manchester United trio her fixture run rewards holding her.

Kerstin Casparij (8.0m, Manchester City) — 5.3 points and the best clean sheet number of any defender at 44%. She is expensive, and at that price the rest of the squad has to be cheap; if you want the City defence at a discount, Alex Greenwood (6.0m) projects 4.9 with a 35% clean sheet chance for 2.0m less.

Ashleigh Neville (5.0m, Charlton) — 4.5 points at 1% ownership, 74 projected minutes and a three-round total of 13.6 that beats several defenders costing 2.0m more. Charlton host a Liverpool side the model rates at only 1.35 expected goals. Grace Fisk (5.0m, Liverpool) is the other side of the same fixture: 4.6 points, a 31% clean sheet chance and 6% ownership.

Confirm the back lines on the WSL predicted line-ups page before the deadline — this is the position where a late team-sheet change costs the most.

Midfielders: one premium, then a wide open middle

Lauren Hemp (8.0m, Manchester City) — 6.9 points, the highest-projected midfielder in the game by 1.3, with 0.26 projected goals and 0.42 projected assists against Birmingham City. Her trajectory is the most stable in the pool: 6.9 → 6.5 → 6.7 → 7.0 across the first four Gameweeks, a six-round weighted score of 23.2. At 30% ownership she is not a differential, but at 8.0m she is the best value premium on the board.

Ceri Holland (6.5m, Liverpool) — 5.3 points at 3% ownership, and she takes Liverpool's penalties (an 0.83 penalty share in the model, confirmed on our penalty duty list). Her weighted six-round score of 17.6 matches midfielders costing a million more. The most underowned genuinely good midfielder in the game.

Olivia Holdt (7.5m, Tottenham) and Signe Gaupset (6.0m, Tottenham) — 5.3 and 4.9 respectively, at 5% and 4% ownership. Spurs are home to West Ham with a 51% win probability, and both project 67 minutes or more. Gaupset at 6.0m is the cheaper route into the same fixture and posts 0.82 points per million.

Lauren James (7.5m, Chelsea) — 5.6 points and the second-best midfield projection this round, but the number to watch is 47 projected minutes on a 0.63 starter factor. The ceiling is enormous against a Villa side given a 4% clean sheet chance; the minutes are not. A calculated risk, not a safe pick.

Ornella Vignola (7.0m, Everton) — the nailed budget-conscious option: 77 projected minutes, a 0.91 starter factor and 4.7 points at 2% ownership, with a steady 15.9 weighted score across six rounds.

Wieke Kaptein (5.5m, Chelsea) — 4.6 points for 5.5m in the best attacking fixture of the round, at 2% ownership and 0.84 points per million. Rotation risk is real at 54 projected minutes, but as a bench slot that can be promoted mid-weekend under the rolling-substitution rule, that risk is far cheaper here than it would be in FPL.

Forwards: Shaw is the pick, and it isn't close

Khadija Shaw (12.5m, Manchester City) — 9.6 projected points, 2.8 clear of the next forward. She has 0.98 projected goals in a single fixture, an 0.84 share of City's penalties, and City are home to a Birmingham side the model gives a 4% clean sheet chance. Her six-round weighted score of 32.0 is the highest in the game by nearly 8 points, and her first three Gameweeks project 9.6 + 9.0 + 9.0. She is 53% owned, so she is not a differential — she is a structural decision. Building a squad without her means finding 9.6 points a week somewhere else, and nothing in this pool does that.

Alessia Russo (11.5m, Arsenal) — 6.8 this round, but the reason to own her is Gameweek 2: 9.3 projected points at home to Crystal Palace, in the best single fixture of the opening month. She is the most-owned player in the game at 56%, takes Arsenal's penalties, and her three-round total of 21.8 is second only to Shaw. Owning both premiums costs 24.0m — which is precisely why the cheap goalkeeper and the 5.0m defenders above matter.

Melvine Malard (8.0m, Chelsea) — 6.0 points with 0.54 projected goals, at just 11% ownership. She matches Vivianne Miedema's projection for a million less, and out-projects a far more popular Chelsea team-mate by 1.8 points.

Shekiera Martinez (7.0m, Tottenham) — 5.7 points on 77 projected minutes and a 0.93 starter factor, the best points-per-million of any forward in the game at 0.81, and owned by 3%. Spurs at home to West Ham is a mid-table fixture rather than a fixture to be scared of, and Martinez is the most nailed cheap striker on the board.

Vivianne Miedema (9.0m, Manchester City) — 6.0 points on 58 projected minutes, with a weighted six-round score of 20.9. A strong third forward if you can afford her, though remember the three-per-club cap: Shaw, Hemp and Miedema uses your entire Manchester City allocation.

Elisabeth Terland (7.0m, Manchester United) — 5.0 points on a starter factor of 1.00, 8% owned, and the natural pairing if you are already buying into the United defence for the Friday opener.

Captaincy: Shaw, and the armband stays flexible

The ranking is unambiguous.

Shaw is the captain. There is a second reason beyond the projection: Manchester City host Birmingham City at 13:30 on Sunday, the last kick-off of the round. Because the armband only locks when your captain's own match starts, captaining Shaw means you can watch every other fixture play out and still move the captaincy if something changes. No other high-projection player gives you that.

Hemp is the alternative if you do not own Shaw — same fixture, same late kick-off, same flexibility. Russo is the third option and the one to consider if you are planning ahead, because her Gameweek 2 projection of 9.3 is the highest single-round number any player posts in the opening month. Rolfö is a real fourth option on the numbers, but her match kicks off first in the round, so the armband locks on Friday evening and you lose the flexibility entirely.

Hidden gems: six players almost nobody owns

Gameweek 1 ownership is still forming, and that is where the edge is. The template is already obvious — Shaw, Russo, Le Tissier, Casparij. League position gets won in the other eleven squad slots.

• Fridolina Rolfö (5.5m, Manchester United, DEF) — 6.6 points, 8% owned, and 79 nailed minutes. The best price-to-projection ratio in the game.
• Jayde Riviere (5.0m, Manchester United, DEF) — 5.1 points, 3% owned, in the same defence as a 39%-owned team-mate and 1.0m cheaper.
• Shekiera Martinez (7.0m, Tottenham, FWD) — 5.7 points, 3% owned, 77 minutes. The best value striker on the board.
• Ceri Holland (6.5m, Liverpool, MID) — 5.3 points, 3% owned, on penalties.
• Faye Kirby (4.0m, Liverpool, GK) — 4.2 points, 1% owned, and the cheapest starting keeper in the game.
• Ashleigh Neville (5.0m, Charlton, DEF) — 4.5 points, 1% owned, 74 minutes against the weakest attack any defender faces outside the top four fixtures.

You can see every player's ownership beside their projection on the WSL Fantasy player picks page, and dig into the per-round numbers on WSL player data.

Who to avoid in Gameweek 1

Hannah Hampton (5.5m, Chelsea, GK) — the biggest gap between ownership and projection anywhere in the game. She is in 52% of squads and projects 1.9 points on 42 projected minutes, because the model does not have her nailed as Chelsea's starter for the opener. Even in a fixture with a 46% clean sheet chance, that is a wasted 5.5m. Kirby costs 1.5m less and projects 2.3 points more.

Agnes Beever-Jones (6.5m, Chelsea, FWD) — 29% owned, 4.2 projected points on 48 minutes. Malard, in the same attack and the same fixture, projects 6.0 at 11% ownership for 1.5m more. If you want Chelsea's Gameweek 1 attacking points, buy the right one.

Chiamaka Nnadozie (5.0m, Brighton, GK) — 11% owned, but Brighton host Arsenal with an 8% clean sheet chance and a 2.4 projection. A tough opener for a keeper who will be a fine pick later.

Aston Villa and Birmingham City assets generally — 5% win probabilities and 4% clean sheet chances each. Both are away at the two most dangerous attacks in the division. There is no defensive pick worth making from either side this Gameweek.

Building the squad

The structure the numbers point to: one premium forward (Shaw), one premium midfielder (Hemp), a 4.0m–4.5m enabling goalkeeper, and the remaining budget spread across nailed 5.0m–7.0m defenders and midfielders rather than a second 8.0m defender. Respect the three-per-club cap — it is the constraint most first-time squads break, usually by stacking Manchester City.

Because the bench is live rather than passive in this game, a fourth-choice player who might start is worth more than a guaranteed non-starter. Fill bench slots with cheap players who have a genuine route into an XI, not with 4.0m placeholders. And because Gameweek 1 has unlimited transfers, there is no cost to getting the structure exactly right now — the cost comes in Gameweek 2, when you are back to two free transfers a week.

Our solver builds the mathematically optimal squad for the round against the live projections — see the optimal WSL Fantasy teams for the exact answer, and import your own squad to see how it scores. If you want to plan several Gameweeks ahead before the deadline, the WSL draft planner maps it out.

FAQ

Who should I captain in WSL Fantasy Gameweek 1?

Khadija Shaw. The model projects 9.6 points for her at home to Birmingham City, 2.8 clear of the next-best option, with 0.98 projected goals and an 0.84 share of Manchester City's penalties. There is a second advantage: City kick off last in the round on Sunday at 13:30, and because the armband only locks when your captain's own match starts, captaining Shaw keeps the decision open all weekend. Lauren Hemp (6.9) and Alessia Russo (6.8) are the alternatives.

Which players should I buy for WSL Fantasy Gameweek 1?

Khadija Shaw (12.5m) and Lauren Hemp (8.0m) are the two premiums the numbers support. Fridolina Rolfö (5.5m) is the standout value pick at 6.6 projected points, Shekiera Martinez (7.0m, 5.7 points) the best value forward, Ellie Carpenter (7.0m) the best defender over the opening block, and Faye Kirby (4.0m) or Anneke Borbe (4.5m) the cheap goalkeepers that pay for the top end. Jayde Riviere (5.0m) and Ashleigh Neville (5.0m) complete the budget defence.

Who are the best WSL Fantasy differentials in Gameweek 1?

Fridolina Rolfö (5.5m Manchester United, 6.6 points, 8% owned) is the standout — the highest defender projection in the game on 79 nailed minutes. Behind her: Jayde Riviere (5.0m, 5.1 points, 3% owned), Shekiera Martinez (7.0m Tottenham, 5.7 points, 3% owned), Ceri Holland (6.5m Liverpool, 5.3 points and on penalties, 3% owned), Faye Kirby (4.0m Liverpool, 4.2 points, 1% owned) and Ashleigh Neville (5.0m Charlton, 4.5 points, 1% owned).

Should I own Hannah Hampton in WSL Fantasy Gameweek 1?

No. She is the most-owned goalkeeper in the game at 52% but projects only 1.9 points on 42 projected minutes, because the model does not have her nailed as Chelsea's starter for the opener. Faye Kirby costs 4.0m against Hampton's 5.5m and projects 4.2 — a 2.3-point swing and 1.5m saved for your attack.

Can I use a Wildcard or Free Hit in WSL Fantasy Gameweek 1?

No. Gameweek 1 is one of six unlimited-transfer matchweeks (1, 6, 12, 15, 20 and 24), and chips cannot be played in those weeks because everyone already has unlimited transfers. You get one Wildcard and two Free Hits for the whole season, and playing one resets your saved transfers to two.

This is the first Gameweek of the season, so there is no previous round preview to link — future Gameweek-by-Gameweek analysis will appear in the WSL Fantasy preview hub. If this is your first season, start with our WSL Fantasy guide to the rules, scoring and strategy. Penalty duties for every club are listed on the WSL penalty takers page.

This preview was written by TheFantasyTool AI - verified by Nicolai @ TheFantasyTool