At $650K, Alex Scott of the Boston Breakers could potentially rack up the points as one of the league’s attacking defenders.

How would you like to run your own WPS team?  Here’s your opportunity.

The WPS Fantasy Challenge has just launched and allows fans to test their knowledge of WPS players while competing in leagues against friends, family and fans for bragging rights.  It is the first-ever Fantasy Game for women’s soccer. Great prizes – including PUMA gear and player-autographed items – are on the line for season-long winners, while weekly prizes will also be awarded. Fans must manage their roster to stay under the $10 million team budget, while seeking to maximize the points they accumulate each week based upon how their selected players perform in actual WPS games.

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Each week we’ll be posting a WPS Fantasy Challenge column right here at http://www.womensprosoccer.com to assist you with your weekly picks.

This week’s outlook:

New faces in new places and a couple of first-year franchises have shuffled the WPS deck. How much of a crapshoot is the first week (or month)? In early 2009, Sky Blue FC couldn’t win, and the Saint Louis Athletica couldn’t score. Fast-forward a few months, and Sky Blue had to hurdle the Athletica in a tight semifinal match before stunning the Los Angeles Sol to take the first WPS championship. With the first expansion draft and the dispersal of the Sol’s high-powered roster, team chemistry is a league-wide question. The safest plays: talent and good matchups.

This week’s picks (formation: 3-5-2):

G: Karina LeBlanc, Philadelphia Independence, $1 million: LeBlanc, the rock-solid backbone of the stingy Sol in 2009, should stand tall against an Atlanta attack that’s had less than two months to synchronize.
D: Cat Whitehill, Washington Freedom, $750K: If the matchup with Boston standout Kelly Smith doesn’t preoccupy Whitehill in the Freedom’s opener, look for some pinpoint feeds to Abby Wambach or preseason standout Lisa De Vanna.
D: Alex Scott, Boston Breakers, $650K: One of the league’s better attacking defenders, Scott may get some good looks – or assist opportunities – thanks to the Breakers’ bolstered middle ranks.
D: Heather Mitts, Philadelphia Independence, $725K: The Philly favorite returns to her natural right back position and will need to produce as a complement to an unproven front line.
M: Sonia Bompastor, Washington Freedom, $1.0 million: Third in scoring and first in assists for the Freedom in 2009, Bompastor should once again have room to roam with De Vanna and Wambach drawing plenty of attention.
M: Camille Abily, FC Gold Pride, $750K: Abily joins Marta in the move from L.A. to the Bay Area, and the duo’s chemistry could pay immediate dividends against St. Louis and Hope Solo.
M: Johanna Rasmussen, Atlanta Beat, $650K: With first overall pick Tobin Heath slowed by illness, the Beat may move through the more experienced Rasmussen, a Denmark national teamer and Umea IK veteran making her first turn in WPS.
M: Carli Lloyd, Sky Blue FC, $650K: Lloyd struggled with the Red Stars last year, but her talent – and perhaps a little extra motivation against Chicago in the opener – could make a splash for the defending champs.
M: Lori Chalupny, St. Louis Athletica, $1 million: Chalupny, just back on the field after recent concussion issues, will have Eniola Aluko and new teammate Shannon Boxx as targets for her textbook passes.
F: Kelly Smith, Boston Breakers, $750K: Arguably the league’s best player for the early part of 2009, Smith is back, healthy, and ready to run with new teammate Leslie Osborne and a rehabbed Fabiana.
F: *Marta, FC Gold Pride, $1.3 million: You get what you pay for – simply, the world’s best for many years running. With dangerous Christine Sinclair as a front-line running mate, the Gold Pride’s new centerpiece should have either some field to work with or plenty of assist opportunities.
Total cost: $9.4 million
* - Captain

The watch list:

G: Jillian Loyden, Chicago Red Stars, $525K: The Aussie league’s goalkeeper of the year will face a stiff test in her first WPS game: defending champ Sky Blue.
D: Tina Ellertson, St. Louis Athletica, $725K: If Ellertson can stand tall against Marta, Sinclair, and the rest of the Gold Pride’s improved offense, she will be a good add in week 2.
M: Heather O’Reilly, Sky Blue FC, $750K: O’Reilly, the stalwart of the 2009 champs, will be able to focus on the field with Sky Blue’s coaching ranks in order.
F: Abby Wambach, Washington Freedom, $1.2 million: Slowed early in 2009 while recovering from a broken leg, Wambach should hit her stride more quickly in 2010 with Whitehill, Bompastor, and De Vanna all returning to one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
 
Injury notes:

• Saint Louis Athletica placed Daniela (knee) and Kristina Larsen (fractured foot) on the 60-day injured reserve list.  Both players are eligible to play in their next WPS game on June 4.
• Check the Roster Report later this week for the latest injury news.  The Roster Report will be updated on Friday with injury statuses for this weekend’s games.  Also follow @wpsfantasy on Twitter to stay current on injury news.

This Week’s Deadlines:

The deadline to add or remove a player from your team is an hour before that player's first game in the Week kicks off.  This week’s deadlines are as follows (all times ET):

ATL Players: 4/11 @ 5pm 
BAY Players: 4/11 @ 3pm 
BOS Players: 4/10 @ 6pm 
CHI Players: 4/10 @ 5pm
NJ Players: 4/11 @ 5pm
PHI Players: 4/11 @ 5pm
STL Players: 4/11 @ 3pm
WSH Players: 4/10 @ 6pm

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Hillary Read is a freelance writer and can be reached at hbread@gmail.com. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Women’s Professional Soccer or womensprosoccer.com.