Top 5 Differential Picks for WSL Fantasy Gameweek 16

Grace Gunn
Feb 11
3 min read

As we near the end of the WSL season, differential picks are more important now more than ever. With template teams becoming more and more similar, picking the right low-owned player at the right time can be the difference between a green arrow and another week of frustration.

Here are five standout differential options for Gameweek 16 who combine form, fixtures, and serious upside.

Goalkeeper – Ayaka Yamashita (Man City)

If you're shopping for a budget goalkeeper with clean sheet potential, Ayaka Yamashita is the standout pick.

Manchester City face a Leicester side that have completely misfired in attack. They’ve scored just 8 goals all season, the lowest in the league, and have only scored one goal in their last four matches, which was actually an own goal.

That’s about as friendly a fixture as it gets for a keeper.

Yamashita has quietly nailed down the number one spot and already has 4 clean sheets, ranking her 3rd among goalkeepers this season. She also boasts a 72% save percentage and concedes just 0.8 goals per game, showing she’s not just reliant on her defence.

At £4.6m and owned by only 8.2% of managers, she’s a huge bargain — especially considering she’s just one point behind premium options like Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

With Leicester, Villa, and Spurs up next, she’s not just a one-week punt either.

Defender – Alice Bergström (Liverpool)

Alice Bergström is the kind of out-of-position gem fantasy managers should be looking out for, especially at this crucial stage in the season.

Although listed as a defender, she’s been deployed much further forward, giving her real attacking upside to go alongside clean sheet potential. She’s owned by just 1.27% of managers, making her one of the most explosive differentials available.

Chelsea away is a tough fixture, but Liverpool’s attack has started to click and Sonia Bompastor’s defence hasn’t looked as watertight as in previous seasons.

Bergström already showed what she can do by scoring against Manchester United, a notoriously strong defensive side.

She’s also helped Liverpool to 2 clean sheets in the 3 games she’s started, and at just £4.5m, she’s one of the cheapest defenders with genuine attacking threat.

After Chelsea, fixtures against Leicester and Brighton offer real return potential.

Midfielder – Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea)

It’s wild to think that Alyssa Thompson is still a differential asset given how important she’s been.

Owned by just 8.3% of managers, she’s arguably been Chelsea’s standout performer this season. She has 6 goals and 1 assist in 13 games and comes into Gameweek 16 having scored in back-to-back matches.

Even in the Blues’ heavy loss to City, Thompson was their brightest attacking spark, netting their consolation goal. That’s exactly the kind of player you want, someone capable of returns even when the team struggles.

Liverpool have improved recently, but they’ve still conceded 25 goals this season and remain vulnerable. The club’s record signing also scored the Blues’ only goal the last time these sides met.

At £9.6m, she’s a premium pick, but her secure minutes make her far safer than many other Chelsea attackers who face rotation risk.

Midfielder – Olivia Holdt (Spurs)

Olivia Holdt is the heartbeat of Tottenham’s attack and still flying under the radar.

Owned by just 8% and priced at £5.7m, she offers outstanding value for an attacking midfielder with a central role in everything Spurs create. She has 4 goals and 2 assists already and sits on 47 fantasy points for the season.

Villa, her Gameweek 16 opponents, are in terrible form with four straight defeats. Holdt already scored the 95th-minute winner in the reverse fixture and even found the net against Manchester City earlier in the season, proof she can deliver against anyone.

Holdt is a guaranteed starter, can play wide or centrally, and is consistently Martin Ho’s main creative goal threat.

With Villa and Everton in the next two, there’s clear short-term upside before a tougher test against City but she has already netted against the league leaders.

Forward – Shekiera Martinez (West Ham)

Shekiera Martinez is a high-risk, high-reward differential, and right now, the reward looks worth it.

Owned by only 3.3% of managers, she’s priced at a reasonable £7.8m and is currently the 4th most in-form forward in the game. She’s scored 6 goals this season and is West Ham’s main source of goals; when they score, it usually involves her.

Martinez comes into this gameweek having scored in three straight matches, including in the recent win over Brighton.

Up next is Everton, a side that has conceded 26 goals and struggled to keep clean sheets all year.

The West Ham forward also scored in the reverse fixture between these sides, and with the side improving under their new manager, the team is starting to look more cohesive.

Yes, Manchester United and Arsenal follow, but with European competitions returning, rotation could open up opportunities and Martinez is exactly the kind of striker who can punish unsettled defences.