Two matchweeks down, and the 2026/27 Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Super League 2 are already giving Fantasy managers plenty to think about. Each additional matchweek gives us a little more data to work with, helping us identify the players who are emerging as dependable fantasy assets and those we may need to move away from.
Manchester City are the only WSL side to have won both of their opening games, while Chelsea responded to their opening day draw with a 5-0 demolition of Manchester United. Crystal Palace also remain unbeaten and, remarkably, have yet to concede a goal after two games. In the WSL2, Sunderland, Leicester City and Newcastle have all made perfect starts, while Wolves picked up their first-ever WSL2 victory.
For fantasy managers, Matchweek 2 was another reminder that this game is about more than simply picking the players who score goals. With involvement points, defensive contributions and bonus points all available, there are plenty of ways for players to produce big returns.
With Matchweek 3 approaching, it is time to start thinking not only about this weekend, but about how we want our squads to look over the next few weeks.
The big Matchweek 2 talking points
Chelsea bounced back from their opening-day draw in emphatic fashion, beating Manchester United 5-0. Ellie Carpenter scored while James picked up her second goal of the season. Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh, and Sjoeke Nüsken all recorded a goal and assist, and ultimately Chelsea’s attacking pressure overwhelmed United. The result means Chelsea remain unbeaten against Manchester United in all their WSL meetings.
Manchester City, meanwhile, are the only team to have won both of their opening matches. They beat Aston Villa 4-1 at Villa Park, with Mary Fowler scoring again and Khadija Shaw adding her third goal of the season. Lauren Hemp was also heavily involved, creating four chances and registering six shots.
The biggest surprise among the WSL matchups came at the Emirates, where Crystal Palace held Arsenal to a goalless draw. Despite Arsenal registering 30 shots and 79% possession, they were unable to get past Palace who remained organised throughout the game. Palace goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin made eight saves, while Arsenal hit the woodwork through both Mariona Caldentey and Lisa Baum. This result means Palace has taken four points from their opening two games without conceding a goal.
London City Lionesses, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the season, going down 2-1 to West Ham. Danielle van de Donk still managed to find the net for the second consecutive week, but London City struggled to create the same level of control they showed against Manchester United in Matchweek 1.
Over in WSL2, Sunderland remain top after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Burnley. Elise Hughes was the star of the show, scoring twice for Sunderland, including a 98th-minute winner. She also registered four shots and seven touches in the opposition box.
Newcastle have also continued their perfect start with a 1-0 win over Bristol City. That makes it two wins and two clean sheets for the Magpies, who are quickly becoming one of the most interesting defensive teams for Fantasy managers. This result however leaves Bristol City sitting bottom of the table after two matches, which is a surprising outcome for a team that many thought would be promotion contenders.
What can we learn from Matchweek 2?
Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, Manchester City forward, has scored 14 points in Matchweek 2, taking her season total to 27. She has now scored three goals in two games and is currently the highest-scoring player in Fantasy. City play Liverpool and newly promoted Charlton Athletic next, making it difficult to justify going without the back-to-back-back golden boot winner who seems to be in fine form.
Alternatively, Alana Murphy and Katy Watson are both on 25 points after two matchweeks, while Ellie Carpenter, Lauren James and Grace Fisk are all on 23. These players show that there are quality assets outside of the most expensive forwards and managers can strike a balance between the premium priced players and the more affordable players without sacrificing points.
In selecting players for one’s team, managers must resist the urge to chase points by bringing in top scorers from the previous fixtures. Instead, managers must ask themselves who was most involved throughout a game as players earn points not only for goals and assists, but also for attacking and defensive involvement.
An important transfers reminder
Managers receive two free transfers each Matchweek and can save up to five unused transfers. If you made no transfers in Matchweek 2 and again make no transfers in Matchweek 3, you would have earned six free transfers but would only have five available heading into Matchweek 4.
If you currently have four saved transfers, this is the point to start considering whether you need to use one. There is no need to make a change simply for the sake of it, but using a transfer now could prevent one from going to waste in the next matchweek.
Matchweek 3 Preview
Matchweek 3 gives us some very interesting fixtures, beginning with Manchester City hosting Liverpool on Friday night. Chelsea then welcome Birmingham City, while Arsenal host Manchester United. On Sunday, Aston Villa travel to Brighton, Tottenham visit Crystal Palace and Everton travel to West Ham.
Can Manchester City keep up their streak?
Manchester City are the only team with a 100% record after two games, and their attack is already producing plenty of Fantasy options. Shaw has three goals, while Mary Fowler has also scored in both of her starts. Lauren Hemp was heavily involved against Aston Villa despite not scoring.
Liverpool, who have also started strong, will provide a much tougher test than Birmingham or Aston Villa. While facing tougher opponents, City players are still worth the investment as they have loads of confidence after their two opening matchups.
This Friday’s fixture could create an interesting strategy for managers who like to make substitutions. If you start a City player and they produce a strong score, you keep them. If they blank, you still have the rest of the Matchweek to make changes.
Chelsea now face Birmingham City at home after putting five past Manchester United. Ellie Carpenter looks attractive after scoring last weekend, while Lauren James continues to show why she should be in everyone’s team.
Can Newcastle make it three clean sheets?
Newcastle United have quickly become one of my favourite defensive teams to target. Two games. Two wins. Two clean sheets. They now face Sheffield United, who have scored just once in their opening two games. Anna Tamminen is therefore staying firmly on my radar, while Rachel McLauchlan is an interesting budget differential at just £5m and 1% ownership.
Sunderland also host Southampton, with Katy Watson and Elise Hughes fighting for places in our teams after strong performances in the first two matchweeks.
Nottingham Forest travel to Durham, who have conceded seven goals in their first two games, making Forest’s attacking players worth a shout.
Leicester also host Ipswich, giving Paulina Nyström another opportunity after scoring in Leicester’s 4-2 victory over Durham.
My Matchweek 3 Strategy
As fantasy managers, we still only have two weeks of information to work with. I’d avoid the trap of chasing every player who had a big score last weekend. Instead, look for consistency and involvement to build your matchday squad. Think, fixture, form, minutes, and value. Is a player consistently involved and do they have the opportunity to score points this week and over the next few weeks?
Surprisingly, my biggest challenge is selecting the right WSL2 assets. The opening two matchweeks have shown that there is genuine fantasy value in the second tier. With players such as Watson, Murphy, Collett and various Newcastle’s defenders producing, the WSL2 players are not simply budget fillers.
Ones to Watch – WSL
Mia McAuley, Forward, Aston Villa
Mia McAuley is the player I’ve added to my watchlist after Matchweek 2. The 20-year-old joined Aston Villa from Rangers this summer after making her senior debut for the Scottish club at just 16 and scoring 30 goals in 86 league appearances. Villa brought her in with the expectation that she could help replace some of the attacking output lost during the summer. She was involved against Manchester City and is a player I want to watch over the next few weeks rather than immediately rushing to bring into my Fantasy team.
Villa travel to Brighton this weekend, giving McAuley another opportunity to establish herself in Villa’s attack. If her minutes remain consistent and that involvement starts translating into Fantasy points, she could become a very interesting option.
Mary Fowler, Midfielder, £6m (Manchester City)
Mary Fowler has scored in both of her starts this season and already has two goals to her name. She has an xGOT (expected goals on target) of 0.89, an 84.3% pass completion rate and has successfully completed 75% of her dribbles so far.
While Liverpool will provide a much tougher test, Fowler has already given Fantasy managers enough reason to keep watching.
Ones to Watch – WSL2
Rachel McLauchlan, Defender, £5m (Newcastle)
McLauchlan is currently owned by just 1% of Fantasy managers and Newcastle are the only WSL2 side to have kept clean sheets in both of their opening games. Sheffield United have scored just once so far, making this another favourable fixture. At £5m, she could become a very useful budget option if Newcastle’s defensive record continues.
Elise Hughes, Forward, Sunderland
While Katy Watson caught the eye in Matchweek 1, Elise Hughes has given everyone something to talk about. She scored twice against Burnley, including the 98th-minute winner, and has now matched Watson’s two-goal tally for the season. She also recorded four shots and seven touches in the opposition box. With Sunderland hosting Southampton, this could be another opportunity for Hughes to show that she deserves to be considered alongside Watson when we talk about Sunderland’s Fantasy options.
Megan Collett, Defender, £5.5m (Southampton)
Megan Collett has set herself up as an impressive WSL2 defensive option. She has started both games, scored in Matchweek 1 and helped Southampton keep a clean sheet against Ipswich. She has also registered eight shots already this season, which is a particularly high number for a defender. The Southampton defender faces a difficult test against Sunderland this weekend, but that is exactly why she is one to watch.
Final Thoughts
We are heading into the third matchweek of the season and some patterns are emerging. Manchester City look dangerous, Chelsea have responded strongly, Crystal Palace are proving much harder to break down than many expected, while the WSL2 continues to provide Fantasy managers with genuine value.
For me, the biggest lesson is to avoid becoming too reactive. Managers also need to keep an eye on the transfer bank to ensure they don’t lose a free transfer ahead of the next gameweek.
The aim for managers should be to select a team that provides several options during a matchweek since we are allowed to manual substitutions throughout the matchweek.
Happy picking!
