WNBA DFS Lineup Advice – 8/7/2018 (Fanduel and DraftKings)
By EJ Whelan
Welcome to the Tuesday edition of WNBA DFS Lineup Advice, a fantasy basketball column dedicated to finding you the best key players and value picks on today’s slate to build your lineups around.
I hope everyone is having a terrific Tuesday! If you woke up early enough yesterday to catch the article and you stacked the Seattle Storm on Fanduel it was probably a good day for you. We’ve got a lot of action to cover tonight, there are four WNBA DFS games starting at 7 p.m. ET. The entry fees are up, and the stakes are high so let’s jump into the slate, find the best key value players and value picks to build our lineups around and go win some money!!
For those of you stopping by for the first time, I would like to thank you for checking out WNBA DFS Lineup Advice here at FantasyCPR.com Here is a brief summary of what I cover in each article:
- Where to Play (Websites, contest rules, and prizes)
- Game Times, O/U, Spreads from Oddshark.com
- Key players from each game (Over 6K on Fanduel,10K on DraftKings)
- Value picks from each game (Under 4.5-K on Fanduel, 6k on DraftKings)
- Team stats from WNBA.com
- Player projections from LineStarApp.com
- Final Thoughts on the slate. (Stacks, fades, injuries, etc.)
It’s important to remember these articles are just a first look at the slate. For injury updates, starting lineups, pictures of my dog, and any other WNBA DFS news throughout the day – follow me on Twitter @whelan_ej
WNBA DFS – WHERE TO PLAY
Fanduel – $9 entry fee (138 max) 4,629 total entries 1st place prize – $3,500
DraftKings – $10 entry fee (123 max) 4,117 total entries 1st place prize – $10,000
The Aces have struggled since the All-Star break losing twice by double-digit margins and missing another game due to travel issues. The Dream are 10-4 at home this year and have the best defensive rating in the league. Atlanta should have no problem coming away with the win tonight.
7 p.m. Las Vegas Aces (12-15) vs. Atlanta Dream (18-10) 166.5 O/U ATL -8
LV – Off rating 99.8 Def rating 103.1 Pace 83.3 Off ppg 83.6 Def ppg 86.2
ATL – Off rating 97.3 Def rating 95.8 Pace 81.7 Off ppg 79.6 Def ppg 78.2
Key Players:
A’ja Wilson – Wilson draws a tough matchup today against a robust Atlanta frontcourt. I would rather pay up for a stud today in a better spot. Linestar has her projected to score 39.20 points today on Fanduel. If there is one bright spot for Vegas today it’s that they lead the league in rebounding with 37.1 per game. ATL gives up close to 37 rebounds a game. If she can attack the glass today, she may have a chance at returning value.
Tiffany Hayes – Hayes is a better play on DraftKings today, where you can save a bit of salary space when pivoting from one of the other elite guards on the slate. That said I won’t have exposure to her on either site today. At this price, she’s only hit GPP value (salary x6) a few times this season.
Angel McCoughtry – Angel is a bit risky for cash but is the only Dream player with the kind of GPP upside I’m willing to pay up for. LineStar has her projected to score 32.54 points on DraftKings. She has a usage rate of 28.7% and should be heavily involved in a game that could turn into a shootout. I expect the Dream to exceed their usual average point total on the season and want a piece of that pie in a few of my lineups.
Value Picks: Imani McGee-Stafford (FD & DK) , Carolyn Swords (FD)
Seattle and New York squared off in the Gardens yesterday afternoon, the Storm won the game 96-80. Howard had 5 blocks, 5 steals, and a double-double. Seattle has already clinched their playoff spot but don’t expect them to slow down just yet. They have a 3.5 game lead over the Dream. A few more wins and they clinch home-court advantage throughout the WNBA playoffs.
7 p.m. Seattle Storm (22-7) vs. Indiana Fever (5-23) 163 O/U IND +12.5
SEA – Off rating 108.3 Def rating 98.3 Pace 80.4 Off ppg 87.8 Def ppg 79.8
IND – Off rating 94.6 Def rating 105.2 Pace 78.9 Off ppg 75.2 Def ppg 83.9
Key Players:
Breanna Stewart – Stewie put up another big performance yesterday with 32 points and 9 rebounds. Its the fourth time in eight games that she has scored over 30 points. She’s averaging 41.5 fantasy points on Fanduel in two previous games with Indiana this season. She played 33 minutes yesterday though and helped the Storm close out the game against NY. The spread on this game is ugly and if it get’s out of hand, Seattle probably won’t hesitate in sending their stars to the bench. She’s too expensive on DK today, and I will have very little exposure to her in my FD lineups.
Jewell Loyd – Loyd is in a good spot today and I’m not hating her price on DK. I expect Bird to hit the bench first if Seattle takes a commanding lead, opening up more usage for Loyd. LineStar has her projected to score 35.31 points today on Fanduel. Her ownership should be fairly low and could give you a nice edge on the pack if she does well.
Natasha Howard – I’m not as in love with playing Howard today as I was yesterday. On DraftKings I would rather pay a few hundred more for McCoughtry. on FD I would rather save a few hundred dollars by rostering McCoughtry. That said, Howard is averaging over 40 fantasy points per game in her last 4 outings, with 50+ fantasy points yesterday. LineStar has her projected to score 39.39 on Fanduel.
Value Picks: Jordin Canada (FD & DK) , Crystal Langhorn (FD & DK)
The Lynx have lost three games in a row and currently sit at 7th place in the WNBA standings. A win today and a loss by the Aces would help solidify their spot in the playoff race. Chicago still has post-season dreams of their own, but they also have the worst defensive rating in the league. I expect the score of this game to be SKY high despite the Lynx’s recent offensive woes.
8:30 p.m. Minnesota Lynx (15-13) vs. Chicago Sky (10-18) TBD
MIN – Off rating 99.3 Def rating 98.9 Pace 78.5 Off ppg 78 Def ppg 77.6
CHI -Off rating 101.1 Def rating 110.1 Pace 81 Off ppg 82.6 Def ppg 90
Key Players:
Slyvia Fowles – Playing bigs against Seattle has been working out all year, why stop now?Fowles get’s a good matchup in a must-win game for Minnesota. LineStar has her projected to score 39.06 today on Fanduel. I think that number is about 8 points too low. Brunson is out, there should be plenty of points and value to go around in the paint today for the Lynx.
Maya Moore – Moore is in a good spot today to return value on her price tag. That said, her floor is low and bad games are becoming more routine than we ever thought they would. Until there is a serious price drop on Moore I will keep my exposure to her to a minimum.
Courtney Vandersloot – She didn’t get a double-double last game (like she did in the 4 games prior) but she did manage score 24 pts against Atlanta. LineStar has her projected to score 37.68 points on Fanduel. If Chicago can control the pace of the game and push the ball up the court quickly Sloot may have another great fantasy showing. I’m not big on her today, and there are enough solid pivots at the guard position to keep her from finding a spot in my lineups.
Value Picks: Erlana Larkins (FD & DK) , Temi Fagbenle (FD & DK)
The Mystics and the Mercury meet in the late-night matchup for what should be the best game of the slate. Phoenix is 5-7 at home this year and 11-5 on the road. Two power-house offenses coupled with defensive ratings of 100+ make this look like a good game to target for your WNBA DFS lineups. I will also be betting on the score to go over the point total if it stays around 170.
10 p.m. Washington Mystics (16-11) vs. Phoenix Mercury (16-13) 170 O/U PHO -3
WAS – Off rating 105.7 Def rating 103 Pace 79.5 Off ppg 83. 9 Def ppg 82
PHO – Off rating 104.7 Def rating 102.9 Pace 80.3 Off ppg 84.1 Def ppg 82.6
Key Players:
Elena Delle Donne – EDD was a big let down last game, scoring a measly five points in 35 minutes of action against the Wings. LineStar has her projected to score 41.80 points on Fanduel. It doesn’t look like the best matchup on paper, but we have seen Phoenix give up a lot of fantasy points to bigs recently. She had a double-double against the Mercury back in June. I like to have a late night hammer on the slate. If I’m paying up for a star in this game it will most likely be Delle Donne.
Brittney Griner – Griner and EDD are both close to 13K on DraftKings. I don’t think I want to pay either one today there. On FD I’m leaning towards EDD, but at this price, I’m not too excited about rostering her either. I want some exposure to this game, but it will probably be the mid-tier and value players that I target in my lineups.
Dewanna Bonner – I like Bonner today more than Taurasi for Phoenix. She has played well against Washinton twice this year and has scored in double-digit figures in her last 9 games straight. She plays big minutes and can score fantasy points in a variety of ways. She’s been cleaning up on the boards lately and should find plenty of chances to hit value today in a high scoring game. LineStar has her projected to score 38.72 points on DraftKings.
Value Picks: Stefanie Talbot (FD & DK) , Briann January (FD), Ariel Powers (FD & DK)
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Final Thoughts
- Don’t be afraid to get creative today. The winning GPP lineup on Fanduel Sunday had a 7K player as the most expensive person in their lineup. It was Glory Johnson.
- If I’m going to run a stack today it will probably come from late games. I won’t have too much exposure to the 7 o’clock games.
- I think the LV/ATL game and the WAS/PHO game will both go over the point totals. I like Washington to win on the road against the spread.
- Injuries that could impact the slate: Rebekkah Brunson (Out), Damiris Dantas (Ques)
- FanSided had a trivia contest live on Twitter yesterday. Congratulations to all the people who won gift cards to the Swag Shop!
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