WNBA DFS Lineup Advice – 8/19/2018 (Fanduel and DraftKings)
By EJ Whelan
Welcome to the Sunday 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.
It’s the last day of the regular season! With the playoff picture starting to come into focus, we still have a few games left today that can shake things up. There are six games today, but Sparks and the Sun play at 3 pm ET and won’t be on the main slate for Fanduel or DraftKings. There are a lot of punts and mid-tier options in play today, and few studs we want to target. So let’s jump into the slate, find the best key players and value picks to build our lineups around, and end the season with a bang!!!
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 – $4 entry fee (150 max) 7,440 total entries 1st place prize – $5,000
DraftKings – $10 entry fee (88 max) 2,941 total entries 1st place prize – $5,000
The Mercury need a win. With a victory today they would jump up to the #5 seed and get to play Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. A loss today and they will remain the #6 and face the Lynx. I feel comfortable playing the starters from this game, even though it has blowout potential. NY is still full of value plays due to injury, a game stack could play out well today.
6 pm ET New York Liberty (7-26 ) vs. Phoenix Mercury (19-14) TBD
Key Players:
Brittney Griner – Griner was a nightmare in the paint for the Atlanta Dream, blocking 7 shots and scoring 33 points on Friday. She has a great matchup today and should get more playing time than most of the other studs on the slate. LineStar has her projected to score 41.92 points on Fanduel today. I will have plenty of exposure to the stars from Phoenix today.
Diana Taurasi – Taurasi is also in a good spot today and should be able to return value. She has had 28 assists in her last two games, averaged around 50 fantasy points, and is playing big minutes down the stretch. LineStar has her projected to score 39.31 points on Fanduel today. She is under 8K – stick her in your lineups.
DeWanna Bonner – DB is in play today too. She grabbed 24 rebounds, scored 52 points, and has five steals in her last two games. LineStar has her projected to score 39.59 points today on Fanduel. I have no problem stacking two or even three studs from the Mercury today. It’s risky, but if New York can keep the game somewhat competitive it could pay off well.
Value Picks: Kiah Stokes (FD & DK) , Kia Nurse (FD & DK) , Briann January (FD & DK)
6 pm ET Atlanta Dream (22-11) vs. Las Vegas Aces (14-18) 175 O/U LV +3
Key Players:
A’ja Wilson – The Aces were eliminated from the playoff race by Dallas on Friday after losing 102-107. Wilson had 34 points and four blocks in that game. She should be in for a good run today, I expect Bill to let the home crowd get plenty of the soon-to-be Rookie of the Year in their last game of the season. LineStar has her projected to score 40.87 points on Fanduel today. If I am paying up in the paint today I would rather take EDD or Griner especially for cash, but Wilson still has some GPP appeal.
Elizabeth Williams – Williams has one of the best matchups on the board today. She’s playing around 30 minutes a game and had over 40 fantasy points the last time these two teams played. She could hit 8x value today and her floor between 4x and 5x. She’s good for cash and GPPs today. I won’t have too much exposure to her, but her ownership should be low and she’s had a few big games recently. Alex Bentley got big minutes last game, has played well against LV this year and could be a decent pivot away from the paint in this game.
Value Picks: Carolyn Swords (FD & DK) , Monique Billings (FD & DK)
The Minnesota Lynx have made it to the WNBA finals six times over the last seven seasons. They have won 4 titles during that span but didn’t have to fight their way through two single-elimination rounds during those playoffs. They are locked into the #7 seed regardless of today’s outcome. The Mystics still have a shot at taking the #2 seed from Atlanta, I expect them to play to win today.
6 pm ET Indiana Fever (5-27) vs. Chicago Sky (12-20) 168 O/U CHI -8
Key Players:
Courtney Vandersloot – Sloot played 40 minutes yesterday against the Fever. The game went into double overtime with Chicago finally winning 115-106. I wouldn’t be surprised if the point total stays under 165 today. It’s hard to say what Chicago will do with their starters in the last home game, but I don’t want much exposure to this matchup today. LineStar has her projected to score 42.40 on DraftKings today. On DK I would rather pay up a little for a guard on PHO or save some salary and play Hayes, Toliver, Plum or Bentley.
Candace Dupree – Dupree played a whopping 47 minutes yesterday against the Sky. I don’t think she will get much of a run today on the road. Natalie Achonwa played 44 minutes. I doubt either player gets more than 25 minutes in this game. The bigs on bench barely touched the court yesterday. I expect Erica McCall to get more minutes today, and rookie Kelsey Mitchell who only played 11 minutes.
Value Picks: Alaina Coates (FD & DK) , Kahleah Copper (FD & DK) , Erica McCall (FD & DK)
7 pm ET Washington Mystics (21-11) vs. Minnesota Lynx (17-16) TBD
Key Players:
Elena Delle Donne – EDD should get a decent matchup, especially if the Lynx decide to give Fowles and Moore a break this game. There’s no reason for MIN to push their starters, and the Mystics could grab the #2 seed with a win today if Atlanta loses. Her price tag on DK isn’t bad, especially compared to some of the other studs on the slate. I won’t have much exposure to her but it’s tough to fade her with so much on the line for Washington.
Sylvia Fowles – I won’t have much exposure to Fowles today. There’s not much reason for her to play big minutes today considering the Lynx are already locked into the #7 seed. They will need her well rested for the first two rounds of the playoffs, both of which are single elimination games. Maya Moore is in the same boat today. Playing at home could factor into court time today, but I don’t think it will have a major impact on the game plan.
Value Picks: Aerial Powers (FD & DK) , Cecilia Zandalasini (FD & DK) , Tanisha Wright (FD) , Tierra Ruffin-Pratt (FD & DK), Tianna Hawkins (FD & DK)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 27: A’ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces drives against Natasha Howard #6 and Sue Bird #10 of the Seattle Storm during the Aces’ inaugural regular-season home opener at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 27, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada.(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Sue Bird, Natasha Howard and the rest of the Storm starters can relax today. They have the #1 seed locked up and get a double-bye to the semifinals after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the last 2 years. The Wings are the #8 seed and don’t have much to play for either today. I like the bench and role players from Dallas today, and there could be some value to be found on the home team as well.
7 pm ET Dallas Wings (15-18) vs. Seattle Storm (25-8) 175 O/U SEA -7.5
"Both teams also will have to balance keeping players game-ready for the playoffs and resting the ones who need it. Dallas will have to consider its upcoming single-elimination game Tuesday, while Hughes said he plans to “do a little bit of both,” while also rotating in bench players to get them more playing time ahead of the postseason. – SeattleTimes.com"
Key Players:
Breanna Stewart – Stewie should get a break today as the Storm already have the #1 seed locked up. The starters should play around 24 minutes or lower. LineStar has her projected to score 44.52 points on Fanduel today. That seems a little high to me. I’m fading the Storm starters today, and I’m not that interested in the bench either. Crystal Langhorne is the only big behind Breanna I would take a flyer on today. The last time I faded the Storm starters people with pitchforks came for me on Twitter, I’m hoping it works out a little better today.
Liz Camage – I won’t have any exposure to Cambage in my lineups today. Like the Storm, I don’t expect the Wings starters to get much a run in this game. I’m glad they aren’t resting though, and I am hoping they soak up some ownership today. There’s plenty of young talent in the paint to test out today. If you are going to pay up for a Dallas player today, I would go for Skylar Diggins-Smith or Allisha Gray. The Wings are stretched thin in the backcourt and they should get more minutes than Liz.
"Interim head coach Taj McWilliams-Franklin said she there is “No way” she will rest any players on Sunday. “I don’t think we’ll play them as much, you know, Skylar and Liz [Cambage], but we can’t lose our rhythm because we don’t want to be one-and-done in the playoffs.” via SportsDay"
Value Picks: Tayler Hill (FD & DK ) , Crystal Langhorne (FD & DK) , Jordin Canada (FD & DK) , Theresa Plaisance (FD)
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Final Thoughts
- The Storm, Lynx, and Wings have all locked up their playoff spots.
- LA and CON play at 3 pm ET. The playoff race between the #4 and #6 seed is tight. Here are three possible outcomes from WNBA.com for today’s games 1) LA win + PHO win = LA #4, PHO #5, CON #6 2) CON win + PHO win = CON #4, PHO #5, LA #6 3) PHO loss = CON #4, LA #5, PHO #6 (regardless of who wins LA vs CON game)
- The Dream can lock up the #2 seed with a win today. If they lose to the Aces it opens the door for Washington to take their playoff spot with a win over the Lynx today.
- There are A LOT of punts on the board today. Find a core group of studs to build around and mix up your exposure to the punts.
- Thanks to everyone for making our first season covering WNBA DFS a success. I have enjoyed all the feedback on Twitter. Follow me there to stay updated on injury reports, players resting, and any other WNBA news. Don’t forget to check back when the playoffs start. Good luck today!
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