WNBA DFS Lineup Advice – 8/14/2018 (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.
Well fading the Storm starters didn’t work out quite like I planned on Sunday. Fowles and Moore still had good games though, and nobody from Seattle broke the slate, so all-in-all it didn’t sink my lineups. I just wish we would have gotten more from the Seattle bench players. I still think it was silly for Hughes to run his starters so long in a road game that probably won’t make much of difference, if any, in the end. The Dream have a tough game against the Mercury coming up, and I expect PHO to win, locking Seattle into the #1 seed anyway. You don’t win GPPs by thinking inside the box and not taking risks. Moving on, we have three WNBA DFS games starting tonight at 7 p.m. ET. So let’s jump into the slate and find some key 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 – $6 entry fee (148 max) 4,960 total entries 1st place prize – $5,000
DraftKings – $10 entry fee (117 max) 3,921 total entries 1st place prize – $10,000
Connecticut currently holds the #4th seed in the playoffs. Dallas has the #8th and final spot in the playoffs as of right now, but have lost eight games in a row heading into tonight. Liz Cambage has missed the last few games due to injury. Her status will probably be up in the air until tip-off. I don’t want much exposure to this game, the stars are a little pricey for their recent performances and the punts are too risky.
7 p.m. ET Dallas Wings (14-17) vs. Connecticut Sun (18-13) 176.5 O/U CON -11
DAL – Off rating 105.9 Def rating 102.8 Pace 81.8 Off ppg 86.9 Def ppg 84.5
CON – Off rating 106.9 Def rating 100.6 Pace 81 Off ppg 87 Def ppg 81.8
Key Players:
Skylar Diggins-Smith – Skylar had me worried last game. She got off to a slow start but managed to put up around 30 fantasy points. I’m gonna need more than that from her today. Dallas is desperate for a win and SDS should play A LOT of minutes today. If Cambage misses again the weight of the Wings post-season fate will rest on the shoulders of Skylar. LineStar has her projected to score 32.60 on Fanduel. I won’t have much exposure to her today, the options at guard are deep, but I do want SDS in a few of my lineups because of her GPP upside.
Liz Cambage – I’m going to assume that Liz will miss this game. The over/under and spread came out well before I went to bed last night, making me think that they already know Liz’s status for today. If she is healthy today I will play her over SDS. Luckily this is the first game on the slate so we SHOULD know more before tip-off, but this is the WNBA we are talking about. Press releases and information on starting lineups are hard to come by some days.
Chiney Ogwumike – It seems like whenever the Ogwumike sisters are on the same slate one of them does well.She had a double-double in her last game against the Sky. She doesn’t play a ton of minutes though and you never know which Sun player is gonna step up and try to control the game on any given night. The Sun tend to spread fantasy points around like herpes at Coachella. If I had to pick one of the sister’s today it would be Chi-Chi but I doubt either one will find their way into my lineups.
Value Picks: Theresa Plaisance (FD & DK ) , Shekinna Stricklen (FD ) Cayla George (FD & DK)* if she starts
The Lynx are currently in #7th place in the WNBA playoff race. They sit a half game behind PHO and a game behind CON and LA. They are in a good spot today and I expect them to come out and play hard for a better seed in the postseason. Brunson has missed the last few games with an injury, if she plays today I want some of her in my lineups. This is looking like another good game to target the Lynx stars in your lineups and there is plenty of value to be found as well.
8 p.m. ET Chicago Sky (11-20) vs. Minnesota Lynx (17-14) 163 O/U MIN -10
CHI – Off rating 101.3 Def rating 109.6 Pace 81.1 Off ppg 82.3 Def ppg 89.4
MIN – Off rating 99.1 Def rating 99 Pace 78.5 Off ppg 78.3 Def ppg 77.1
Key Players:
Sylvia Fowles – Fowles was a monster against Seattle, scoring 28 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. It wasn’t enough to beat the Storm (but it did keep MIN in the game longer than I wanted). She gets a great matchup today against a weak Chicago interior. LineStar has her projected to score 44.78 points on Fanduel. She is one of my favorite plays on the board today if you are spending up.
Maya Moore – Moore is finally starting to look like her old self. She had 5 steals against Seattle and put up close to 40 fantasy points. She get’s a good matchup today. Chicago has the worst defensive rating in the league at 109.6 and the Lynx should rely heavily on her again today. She’s averaging just under 16 field goal attempts a game in her last four times out on the court. I don’t mind stacking Fowles and Moore together again today, but I like Fowles a lot more.
Courtney Vandersloot – Sloot has turned the ball over 23 times in her last four games. She has GPP upside but has also had a few bad games lately. The Minnesota backcourt looks vulnerable right now though and Sloot could take advantage of that today. She is way too expensive for me today on DraftKings and I don’t want much exposure to her at all on Fanduel either.
Value Picks: Kahleah Copper (FD & DK) Tanisha Wright (FD) Cecilia Zandalasini (FD &DK) *if Brunson misses
The Sparks need a win at home tonight as they host the Liberty in the late game. NY have dropped nine games in a row. There is a lot of value players in this game to look at on both sides of the ball. Building around a few of studs earlier on the slate and keeping a few late night punts could work out well today. Or you might just want to stack this game with a one-off. Either way, I will have a decent amount of exposure to this game.
10:30 p.m. ET New York Liberty (7-23) vs. Los Angeles Sparks (18-13) 157 O/U LA -14.5
NY – Off rating 97.2 Def rating 105.5 Pace 79.6 Off ppg 78 Def ppg 84.8
LA – Off rating 101.5 Def rating 98.8 Pace 77.7 Off ppg 79.2 Def ppg 77.2
Key Players:
Tina Charles – Charles tried her best to bring me home a GPP Sunday morning, but Kia Nurse did her part to make sure that didn’t happen. It’s gonna be a tough matchup for her today, but Atlanta was no walk in the park either. She’s scored at least 20 points in her last three games. She should go fairly low owned today on a slate full of studs and could help give you an edge in your tournaments if she plays well again.
Candace Parker – Parker has been a solid source of fantasy points lately. She just put up a little over 40 fantasy points at home against NY less than a week ago. There are so many studs in good spots today it’s gonna be hard to decide who to throw your money at. Linestar has her projected to score 44.08 points on Draftkings. The chances of a blowout do worry me a bit here, NY is plagued with injuries and if Charles has an off day, they probably won’t stay in the game for long.
Nneka Ogwumike – You can save a lot of cap space by rostering Nneka instead of Parker. That said, she has a tendency to get in foul trouble here and there and picked up four against NY the last time these teams met. She doesn’t have a ton of GPP upside and has only hit value a few times this year.
Value Picks: Rebecca Allen (FD & DK) Kiah Stokes (FD & DK) Riquna Williams (FD)
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Final Thoughts
- The spreads are ugly today. Don’t be afraid to fade some of the stars and play more mid-tier and bench players. Keep in mind though, some teams are still playing for playoff positioning and should give it their best today.
- I will be playing a little light on Fanduel today. The entry fee is up and the slate isn’t my favorite. I’m starting to loathe seeing Dallas on the board, without Cambage the pecking order is too unpredictable.
- If I am placing side bets tonight it will be on the DAL/CON game staying under the point total and the CHI/MIN and NY/LA games both going over. I don’t want to mess with the spreads today.
- I’m going to run at least one “cashy” lineup in the main GPP on Fanduel. There are only a few studs I feel comfortable playing today. I’m hoping the majority of people spend up on players in the early and late game. I’m gonna stick to the middle of the slate for my studs.
- Injuries that could impact the slate: Liz Cambage (?), Rebekka Brunson (?) Amanda Zahui B (Doubtful), Kia Vaughn (Probable) , Keala Davis (?), Marrisa Coleman (Probable), Danielle Robinson (Out)
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