Once again we have a WNBA DFS slate rocked by injuries. Liz Cambage and Dearica Hamby have already been ruled out while Sylvia Fowles, Sami Whitcomb, Candice Dupree and Chiney Ogwumike are all questionable. On top of that, you can get some of the big names who are healthy at a discount thanks in part to poor performances since the Olympic break. There should be a lot of value on this slate, though finding a lineup of players you trust for cash games could be a challenge.
Playbook:
| Guards | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Kelsey Plum | LV | CHI | 7600 | 23.02 | 5800 | 22.31 | |
| It is nearly impossible to trust Plum, especially considering she is 6-29 from the field in her last three games. That being said, she probably stands to gain the most minutes of any of the Las Vegas guards. Plum has also been much, much better at home this season, averaging 29.0 fppg at homecompared to 18.2 fppg on the road. | |||||||
| Aari McDonald | ATL | DAL | 6200 | 13.26 | 4400 | 13.10 | |
| On the one hand, it was disappointing to see McDonald only play 16 minutes last week with Crystal Bradford out. Tiffany Hayes got most of Bradford's minutes, and that is unlikely to chance Thursday. On the other hand, McDonald has topped 20 fantasy points in three of her last five games and if she ever takes minutes from Odyssey Sims, which should have happened weeks ago, McDonald would be a fantastic value. Until then, she is a solid value, especially for cash lineups. | |||||||
| Sabrina Ionescu | NY | SEA | 9900 | 28.9 | 7000 | 26.83 | |
| One of these days she is going to have to shoot better than 33 percent from the field, but it is nice to see Ionescu with 12+ field goal attempts and 32+ fantasy points in three straight games. I don't think any of the top guards in this slate are safe but Ionescu is arguably the best value, especially on FanDuel. | |||||||
| Chelsea Gray | LV | CHI | 7800 | 25.95 | 5600 | 25.30 | |
| Gray is safer than Kelsey Plum and she too could play more minutes Thursday and has been better at home. Gray is a solid cash play, especially on FanDuel. | |||||||
| Courtney Vandersloot | CHI | LV | 9400 | 33.46 | 7500 | 32.86 | |
| Vandersloot disappointed at Phoenix Tuesday but she is still averaging the most fantasy points of any guard on the slate. I don't know why she is so cheap on DraftKings, though I wouldn't necessarily be in a hurry to pay up for her on FD. That being said, Las Vegas is missing most of its rim protection in this game, which could allow Vandersloot to get into the paint to create shots for herself and her teammates. | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Diamond DeShields | CHI | LV | 6600 | 21.52 | 4900 | 21.60 | |
| I'm not completely buying into her just yet, but DeShields has topped 20 minutes and 20 fantasy points in two straight games. She has looked great attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line, though she could turn into a pumpkin at any moment. | |||||||
| Jewell Loyd | SEA | NY | 9600 | 31.63 | 6300 | 30.69 | |
| In two games against New York just two weeks ago, Loyd scored 47.75 and 50 fantasy points. Shehas averaged 20.1 fantasy points in the four games since then, which is why she is so cheap on FanDuel, but I will have her in a lot of GPP lineups. | |||||||
| Tiffany Hayes | ATL | DAL | 7200 | 26.21 | 6600 | 26.25 | |
| Hayes scored 30 fantasy points in 30 minutes in her last game despite shooting 30 percent from the field. With a week off since then, she seems pretty safe, and underpriced on DraftKings. | |||||||
| Bridget Carleton | MIN | LA | 4600 | 11.11 | 3700 | 11.08 | |
| Carleton played 29 minutes Tuesday and only managed 9.25 fantasy points. Even with Damiris Dantas out, Carleton isn't guaranteed to play that much again, especially if Sylvia Fowles is able to start. That being said, it doesn't seem like Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve is willing to play Aerial Powers more minutes at this point, so Carleton could easily approach 30 minutes again. She is the best cheap guard on the slate even if she isn't exactly safe. | |||||||
| Forwards | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Kiah Stokes | LV | CHI | 4200 | 8.94 | 3400 | 9.43 | |
| As we often say when a very good starter is out, the easiest and often best play is to use whoever starts in their place. That is the case for the Aces Thursday with Liz Cambage and Dearica Hamby out. Even if she doesn't start, Kiah Stokes is probably safer than JiSu Park, and Stokes is much cheaper on DraftKings. | |||||||
| JiSu Park | LV | CHI | 6300 | 6.76 | 3100 | 7.04 | |
| Park's price on DraftKings inexplicably skyrocketed after the Olympic Break and it still hasn't come back down. That being said, her ceiling is much higher than Kiah Stokes's and I would be tempted to start Park in GPP lineups if she starts against Chicago. | |||||||
| A'ja Wilson | LV | CHI | 11000 | 39.02 | 8600 | 39.03 | |
| I think Wilson is definitely playable in cash games, but I will have an extremely difficult time keeping her out of GPP lineups. Wilson has topped 50 fantasy points in four of her last eight games, and she should get all of the minutes and shots she can handle with Cambage and Hamby out. Wilson averaged 41.9 fppg last season with Cambage out and I would bet the over on that total Thursday. | |||||||
| Napheesa Collier | MIN | LA | 10600 | 33.65 | 7600 | 34.21 | |
| After most of her teammates no-showed with Sylvia Fowles out Tuesday, Collier is the only Lynx player I trust if Fowles is out again Thursday. Collier scored 44 fantasy points on 8-19 shooting at New York Thursday. | |||||||
| Natasha Howard | NY | SEA | 8900 | 26.92 | 6400 | 25.42 | |
| Howard's shooting let her down Tuesday but she still played 27+ minutes for the fourth time in five games. She scored 37.75 fantasy points two weeks ago against Seattle, and I like her chances of similar production Thursday. | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Natalie Achonwa | MIN | LA | 4700 | 8.04 | 3000 | 8.55 | |
| Achonwa let us down Thursday with Sylvia Fowles out, getting the start but only playing 13 minutes. If Fowles is out again, I'm going back to the well, especially now that Damiris Dantas has been ruled out with a Lisfranc injury. | |||||||
| Kylee Shook | NY | SEA | 4500 | 15.17 | 3100 | 14.84 | |
| Shook was the only forward to get any minutes off the bench Tuesday, and at the very least, she figures to get the first shot at replacing Michaela Onyenwere if her chest injury keeps her out. Shook is averaging 14.8 fantasy points in 20.1 minutes per game this season, and she would be an excellent value if Onyenwere and Sami Whitcomb are both out Thursday. | |||||||
| Napheesa Collier | MIN | LA | 10600 | 33.65 | 7600 | 34.21 | |
| Collier averaged 38.6 fppg last season when Sylvia Fowles was mostly out. Collier is a very nice cash play if Fowles is out, as the Liberty are ninth in fantasy points allowed to forwards. | |||||||
Core Plays:
| Draftkings Core Plays | ||
Top Tier | Courtney Vandersloot | $9,400 |
| A'ja Wilson | $11,000 | |
Mid Tier | Kelsey Gray | $7,600 |
| Tiffany Hayes | $7,200 | |
Value Tier | Bridget Carleton | $4,600 |
| Kiah Stokes | $4,200 | |
| Fanduel Core Plays | ||
Top Tier | Sabrina Ionescu | $7,000 |
| A'ja Wilson | $8,600 | |
Mid Tier | Jewell Loyd | $6,300 |
| Chelsea Gray | $5,600 | |
Value Tier | Aari McDonald | $4,400 |
| JiSu Park | $3,100 | |