After more than a month off, the WNBA is finally back from the Olympic break. Even with all 12 teams in action, this may be the toughest slate to figure out in quite some time. Only Seattle and Connecticut have played since the middle of July, though we do have a lot of players returning from the Olympics or who participated in the All-Star game. I would have been inclined to fade players who participated in the Olympics, but considering how good Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird looked in the Commissioner’s Cup, that may be a mistake.
With so few new injuries and very little recent history to go by, safe value plays are nearly impossible to find. Hopefully, we will get some surprise starters or other news closer to tip-off but outside of that, a balanced lineup will probably be the way to go, especially for cash games.
Playbook:
| Guards | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Jordin Canada | SEA | CHI | 5700 | 13.4 | 4200 | 13.47 | |
| This has been Canada's worst statistical season since she was a rookie, but the time off and a chance to start could be good for her. Canada averaged 23.5 fppg as a starter last season and even off the bench, she should play 25+ minutes. Only two teams have allowed more steals than the Sky this season which should help her as well. | |||||||
| Jewell Loyd | SEA | CHI | 8900 | 31.56 | 6400 | 30.38 | |
| Loyd should get a ton of shots and minutes with Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird out. She should also get a lot of defensive attention, but the Sky haven't proven they are good enough defensively to stop anyone, especially guards. Loyd's ownership will likely be pretty high, but I have to believe her floor is quite high. | |||||||
| Allisha Gray | DAL | CON | 7400 | 22.88 | 6000 | 23.42 | |
| Gray wasn't great when she came back from Olympic 3x3 qualifying but she righted the ship in late June and July, becoming arguably Dallas's most consistent player. My guess is she will return to the starting lineup with Satou Sabally out but even off the bench, Gray is a safe cash play. | |||||||
| Aari McDonald | ATL | PHO | 5000 | 11.24 | 3400 | 10.97 | |
| In two games since Chennedy Carter was suspended, McDonald had 23.5 and 6.0 fantasy points. This pick is obviously risky, but the opportunity for minutes is there, especially if she plays well. It also probably doesn't hurt that McDonald will be playing in Arizona for the first time as a professional since leading Arizona to the National Championship game. | |||||||
| Victoria Vivians | IND | LA | 4600 | 10.45 | 3400 | 9.92 | |
| I just cannot quit Victoria Vivians. With her draft petigree and outside shooting, I still believe she could be good for fantasy with more minutes and shots. She probably needs a change of scenery, like Lauren Cox did, but the minutes might be here now. Vivians played 29 minutes in the last game before the break and with Kysre Gondrezick and all of the backup forwards out, Vivians could see heavy minutes again. | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Courtney Williams | ATL | PHO | 9500 | 32.95 | 7100 | 32.31 | |
| Williams was terrible in the last two games before the break, shooting 7-for-26 from the field, so I may not play her in cash games. That being said, she has at least 16 field goal attempts in seven of her last eight games, and I think she will shoot it better after a month off. It certainly helps that Phoenix is 12th in fantasy points allowed to opposing shooting guards. | |||||||
| Sabrina Ionescu | NY | MIN | 8000 | 27.92 | 6300 | 25.77 | |
| Will Sabrina Ionescu finally start looking for her shot again after a month off? There is obviously no way to know, but I think it is possible, especially considering Minnesota has been terrible defensively against guards. The Lynx are 11th in fantasy points allowed to guards, and Ionescu scored 63.5 fantasy points on 7-16 shooting against them back at the start of the season. | |||||||
| Courtney Vandersloot | CHI | SEA | 10500 | 34.4 | 7600 | 34.10 | |
| For my money, Vandersloot is the only truly safe guard on the slate. Seattle is ninth in fantasy points allowed to forwards, and whether she is scoring or assisting, we know Vandersloot will be involved in the offense. | |||||||
| Forwards | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Liz Cambage | LV | WAS | 9800 | 32.32 | 7300 | 32.63 | |
| We never know how much Liz Cambage will play in any given game, and while she can score 30+ fantasy points in fewer than 20 minutes, she would be a must-play if we knew she was playing 30 minutes. Cambage withdrew from the Olympics for mental health reasons and is presumably rested for this game. Her minutes could still be limited, but I am optimistic enough to make her a GPP play. | |||||||
| Bella Alarie | DAL | CON | 4100 | 8.12 | 3200 | 8.69 | |
| I refuse to list her as a guard because she is clearly a forward, but it is important to note she is a guard on FanDuel. Alarie finally showed some promise in the last game before the break with 11 points, six rebounds and zero turnovers in 12 minutes. She should get at least that many minutes Sunday with Satou Sabally out, making her a strong GPP play. If Alarie were to get the start, she would be a must-play in all formats. | |||||||
| Nneka Ogwumike | LA | IND | 8800 | 27.85 | 7000 | 27.20 | |
| I thought Nneka was an underrated MVP candidate, but her numbers have not rebounded nearly to MVP level. That being said, she is back healthy against an Indiana team with no frontcourt depth. With Chiney Ogwumike out and Amanda Zahui B. able to space to the three-point line, Nneka should have more room to operate offensively. | |||||||
| Teaira McCowan | IND | LA | 9700 | 27.44 | 6900 | 27.51 | |
| McCowan's minutes have still been frustratingly low, even with Jantel Lavender and Bernadett Hatar out. This could be the game McCowan tops 30 minutes, with only Jessica Breland and Emma Cannon available to play the forward spots. That being said, McCowan averaged 38.4 fppg in her last three games before the break. She is a better GPP play but I might play her for cash, especially on FanDuel. | |||||||
| Myisha Hines-Allen | WAS | LV | 8900 | 29.53 | 6600 | 29.05 | |
| Hines-Allen costs $1,500 lass on DraftKings than when she hurt her knee two months ago. With Elena Delle Donne still out, Hines-Allen will get all of the minutes and shots she can handle as the Mystics try to match up with the Aces' frontcourt. The Aces are eighth in fantasy points allowed to forwards, making Hines-Allen a solid cash play. | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Damiris Dantas | MIN | NY | 8500 | 19.43 | 5600 | 18.32 | |
| Dantas appeared to finally regain her form in July, averaging 28.8 fantasy points in four games. Expecting that to continue a month later is risky, but she has proven in the past to be a solid fantasy contributor and she is much too cheap on FanDuel. | |||||||
| Ezi Magbegor | SEA | CHI | 6200 | 12.95 | 5000 | 13.27 | |
| Magbegor was great with Australia in the Olympics and she played 22 minutes in the Commissioner's Cup. I'm hoping she gets more minutes and shots with Breanna Stewart out but she is capable of having a big day for fantasy even on just 20ish minutes. | |||||||
| Stefanie Dolson | CHI | SEA | 6300 | 15.59 | 4900 | 15.39 | |
| Dolson was great in the Olympic 3x3 tournament, and I am optimistic she will finally regain the form that made her an All-Star earlier in her career. It also doesn't hurt that she had 27 fantasy points in the last game before the break. It is impossible to trust her, but she is cheap for someone who should start and could get heavy minutes if she plays well. | |||||||
Core Plays:
| Draftkings Core Plays | ||
Top Tier | Courtney Vandersloot | $10,500 |
| Nneka Ogwumike | $8,800 | |
Mid Tier | Allisha Gray | $7,400 |
| Sabrina Ionescu | $8,000 | |
Value Tier | Victoria Vivians | $4,600 |
| Bella Alarie | $4,100 | |
| Fanduel Core Plays | ||
Top Tier | Jewell Loyd | $6,400 |
| Brittney Griner | $8,700 | |
Mid Tier | Damiris Dantas | $5,600 |
| Teaira McCowan | $6,900 | |
Value Tier | Bella Alarie | $3,200 |
| Aari McDonald | $3,400 | |