WNBA DFS Lineup Advice – 8/26/2018 (Fanduel and DraftKings)

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.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far. After getting food poisoning at work on Thursday, having the power go out at home, and waking up after lock this weekend has been a nice chance to bounce back, relax, and dig through some numbers before the games start today.  The first two rounds of the WNBA Playoffs we’re awesome! As hot as that Mercury vs. Sun game was the rest of the playoffs should be fire too. I just hope Al Gore doesn’t try to petition for sanctions against the league, cause things warming up around here. We have two games today starting at 3 pm ET. So let’s jump into the slate, find the best 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:

1. Where to Play (Websites, contest rules, and prizes)
2. Game Times, O/U, Spreads from Oddshark.com
3. Key players from each game (Over 6K on Fanduel,10K on DraftKings)
4. Value picks from each game (Under 4.5-K on Fanduel, 6k on DraftKings)
5. Team stats from WNBA.com
6. Player projections from LineStarApp.com
7. 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 – $4.44 entry fee  (150 max)  6,703  total entries  1st place prize – $5,000

DraftKings – $10 entry fee  (88 max)  2,941  total entries  1st place prize – $5,000

Renee Montgomery won two WNBA Titles with Minnesota. The Lynx are out of the playoffs, but for Renee and the rest of the Atlanta, the dream of winning the championship this year is still alive. Neither of these teams has ever won a WNBA Title. Is this the year that the Mystics or the Dream can finally bring home the banner? No matter who wins they will face a tough challenge from the West in the championship series.

3 pm ET Washington Mystics #3  vs. Atlanta Dream #2  106.5  O/U ATL +1

WNBA DFDS Key Players:

Elena Delle Donne – EDD is a little cheaper than Stewie and Griner on DK, on Fanduel she’s right in the middle of them.  LineStar has her projected to score 42.11 points on Fanduel.  She gets a decent matchup and should lead the way for Washington against the Dream. If I am gonna pay up in the paint today EDD, Stewie and Breland and my favorite plays on the board. But I won’t have too much WNBA DFS exposure to any one of them in particular.

Latoya Sanders – Sanders is a tough call today. She’s averaged about 1.07 fantasy points per minute this season and has one of the highest levels of standard deviation on the slate. LineStar has her projected to score 31.43 points on Fanduel. She put up big numbers against the Sparks in round 2 of the playoffs but Atlanta is well rested and will have the crowd behind them. It’s not a bad matchup but I’m not sure I wanna pay over 10k for her today on DraftKings. She is strictly a GPP play.

Kristi Toliver – I won’t have much exposure to Toliver today. In fact, I doubt I will have any at all.  She’s gonna have a hard time just hitting cash value today (5x) let alone GPP value (6x). She is $1500 dollars more expensive than Sue Bird on DraftKings. She will probably eat up minutes in the backcourt for Washington but I don’t think it will turn into much fantasy production.

Jessica Breland –  Breland hasn’t exactly blown the stat sheet up lately. Even with McCoughtry out, she has struggled to hit GPP value (6x). That said, she is averaging 1.2 fantasy points per minute with Angel off the court the last 5 games of the season, but only played 26.2 minutes per game in those contests. I expect her to get at least 30 minutes tonight, projecting her at about 36 points. Add in the fact that it’s a good matchup, and that number could rise a little. She’s had 9 blocks in three games against the Mystics this year and could make a sneaky GPP play.

Elizabeth Williams – Her price jumped up $300 on Fanduel but her playing time has increased recently also. She’s had one big game in the last few weeks and had just as high of a ceiling as some of the more expensive studs on the slate. LineStar has her projected to score 27.76 points on Fanduel. That feels a little low today, but I still don’t want much exposure to her. There are some cheap pivots in the paint, and I would rather take a guard in her price range in the evening game.

Tiffany Hayes -I’m not rushing to stick Hayes in my lineups today. They are plenty of other guards on the slate, some even cheaper than Hayes that I would rather take a shot on.  LineStar has her projected to score 28.22 points on Fanduel. Pa.ying up for a guard for Phoenix or saving a little salary cap space for one of the Storm starters seems to make more sense today.

Renee Montgomery – She has played 32.8 minutes per game, taken 52 field goal attempts, is 22-40 from outside the arch in her last 5 games. Angel McCoughtry getting hurt looked like it was going to leave a big offensive void for the Dream to fill. Luckily Renee has stepped up, scoring over 45 points in two out her last five games. It’s gonna be hard to find a starter on the slate at this price, especially one who likes to shoot. I’m gonna have a good amount of exposure to her in my lineups.

WNBA DFS Value Picks: Tianna Hawkins (FD & DK) , Aerial Powers (FD & DK) , Imani McGee-Stafford (FD & DK), Monique Currie (FD & DK )

Taurasi stepped up once again, leading the Mercury to victory over the Sun. She remains undefeated in single elimination games with a 13-0 record. Now she will travel to Seattle to take on former UCONN teammate Sue Bird and the rest of the Storm. Phoenix is 1-2 vs. Seattle this year, playing them twice in a row back in May. The Storm are well rested, but the Mercury have been well tested. It should be a great game and there are plenty of WNBA DFS players to target in this matchup for your lineups.

5 pm ET Phoenix Mercury  #5  vs. Seattle Storm #1  170.5 O/U  SEA -6.5

WNBA DFS Key Players:

Diana Taurasi – Taurasi has been unstoppable so far in these playoffs. She has scored 53 points and has 17 assists through 2 games so far this postseason. LineStar has her projected to score 37.96 on Fanduel. She’s under 8k on FD and I will be trying to fit her into as many lineups as possible. There are some cheaper options on the other side of the ball but Taurasi has shown time and time again that she’s worth the price tag that her gameplay demands. I don’t expect her to slow down tonight.

DeWanna Bonner – Bonner has had a great start to the postseason as well scoring 52 points and grabbing 29 rebounds in the first two rounds of the playoffs. LineStar has her projected to score 45.07 points on DraftKings.  She is the most expensive player on DK today, but since sliding to the No.4 spot on the starting lineup she has been crushing value. If you are going to lock in a stud into your lineups, you won’t find a more reliable source of fantasy points as of late. That said, she is only averaging 27.4 fantasy points against Seattle this year on DK and should be highly owned once again. If you are looking for someone to fade to set you apart from the pack, Bonner might give you that edge if she finally comes back down to earth tonight.

Brittney Griner – Griner has a good matchup on paper according to DraftKings, but I am a little more skeptical of her prospects tonight. LineStar has her projected to score 42.10 points on Fanduel. If we take a look at her splits on DK we can see that she has averaged 38.7 fantasy points against the Storm this year. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to squeeze a PHO stack in today so we are gonna have to make some tough choices on this side of the ball. I expect Griner to have the lowest ownership out of the 3 studs for Phoenix. On a small slate like this you will need every advantage you can get, and picking a stud that won’t be chalk is one of the keys to GPP success today.

Sue Bird – I love the pricing for the guards on Seattle today. I am leaning towards Bird in this matchup. I think she will have a better chance at racking up assists than Loyd will have at grabbing rebounds, giving her a higher ceiling for the game. I expect the vet to lead the way for the Storm today, managing the game from on the court and dropping dimes like it’s her duty. She should be well rested after sitting out the last game of the season and ready to rock today.

Jewell Loyd – Loyd is averaging 38.2 fantasy points in 3 games against Phoenix this year. LineStar has her projected to score 29.87 points on DraftKings. She’s $900 dollars more expensive than Bird there, on Fanduel shes $100 cheaper. It’s hard not to play her at this price and I will a decent amount of exposure to her on both sites today. She took 20 field goal attempts in her last game against the Mercury. The point total on this game is too high to pass up a point guard in this price range in the starting lineup. Whether its Bird or Loyd you should have at least one of these ladies in your lineup.

Breanna Stewart – Stewie is just above 8k on Fanduel and is one of my favorite studs in the paint today. This game could turn into a shootout and I expect the point total to go well over 170.5. She’s too cheap to fade and I expect her to do most of the heavy lifting for the Storm today. She was 2nd in the league this year in scoring with 21.8 points per game and I don’t expect her to slow down in the playoffs. LineStar has her projected to score 37.71 points on Fanduel. Seattle needs to start this series with a win, I expect Stewie to play heavy minutes tonight and should have plenty of opportunities to return value.

Natasha Howard – When building your lineups on Fanduel you will might yourself with around $7,400 dollars left to spend in the paint on someone. That gives you three options, Howard, Breland, and Williams. I prefer Breland out of the bunch. Howard is averaging 28.8 fantasy points on DK against Phoenix this year. At her price tag that won’t cut it for our GPPs today. Howard eats off of defensive stats, blocks and steals are her bread and butter and the bakery may be closed today.

WNBA DFS Value Picks:  Yvonne Turner (FD & DK ) , Crystal Langhorne (FD & DK ) 

More from FanSided

• Shohei Ohtani Rumors: The best trade package from every NL East team
• Cardinals Rumors: Surprise extension, Dylan Carlson-Yankees link, Rays trade idea
• USWNT vs. Vietnam: Key takeaways before they take on the Dutch
• NFL rumors: 49ers trending toward contract drama with defensive star
• Steelers avoid any camp drama with latest roster move

WNBA DFS Final Thoughts

1. It’s another slate full of pricey starters and risky punts. I expect the benches to get a little more floor time tonight, considering this isn’t a single elimination game. That said, each team will want to start the series with a win and may ride their starters as much as they need to in order to make that happen.
2. Locking in the right punts today and mixing exposure to the studs will be how I approach this slate. The first game has a decent amount of punts to consider but I like the pace and the point total of the late game when it comes to projected minutes for the bench players. The fact that there are fewer options makes the choice easier as well.
3. I’m not gonna play too heavily today. I am waiting to see how the first games of this round go, so we will have a blueprint for attacking the games on Tuesday. I expect the scores to be tighter on Tuesday though, so if you don’t wanna tie 20 people for first place today might be the day to go hard.
4. If I’m placing side bets today I like the Dream and the Mercury against the spread and the late game to go over the point total. If you take on thing away from this article today let it be this – BET ON THE OVER IN THE LATE GAME! It should be easy money.
5. Injuries that could impact the slate: None! (Thank goodness the Lynx and Sparks are out, sorry not sorry)

Thanks for stopping by and reading the article I hope you enjoyed it! Remember to check out FantasyCPR for all your DFS needs. Our experts cover WNBA, MLB, NFL, NBA and more, breaking down slates, analyzing matchups and providing you with the best players to build your lineups around.