It sure does feel good to have basketball back. A couple of injuries marred our first WNBA DFS Playbook of the season, but we have a chance to get right back at it with three more games Sunday.
In the first game, we get to see a couple of likely playoff teams in the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx. DeWanna Bonner figures to carry a heavy offensive load for her new team, but she will have help from Jasmine Thomas and Alyssa Thomas.
The second game is a rematch of the best playoff game from 2019, though the Aces will be without Liz Cambage but they will have newcomers Angel McCoughtry and Danielle Robinson against a Sky team that is largely unchanged from last season.
In the last game, two of the worst teams from 2019 will battle in a game that could be pivotal for both teams’ playoff hopes. Dallas added a ton of depth in the offseason, though it remains to be seen if they have enough top-end talent to make the playoffs. Atlanta added top-end talent, but with Courtney Williams Glory Johnson and Kalani Brown out, they may not have enough on their roster to stay competitive even against a borderline playoff team.
Playbook
Guards |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Moriah Jefferson | DAL | ATL | 5500 | 0 | 4000 | 11.01 |
Jefferson topped 20 fppg in each of her first two WNBA seasons, but injuries and a deep roster in Las Vegas have limited her since then. She does have competition for minutes in Dallas, but I think she is very good offensively when she is healthy. |
Chennedy Carter | ATL | DAL | 6000 | 0 | 5000 | 0.00 |
As we saw with Sabrina Ionescu, simply having the ball a lot on a team devoid of talent is not necessarily a recipe for a successful WNBA debut. That being said, someone has to score for Atlanta, and if it's not Carter, I have no idea who it will be. |
Alexis Jones | ATL | DAL | 3500 | 8.27 | 3200 | 8.12 |
Jones has never really gotten a chance in this league, but she will almost certainly have to play at least 20ish minutes with Courtney Williams out. She'll be a must-play if she starts, but I think she is a good punt play even off the bench considering how little Betnijah Laney provides offensively. |
Rachel Banham | MIN | CON | 3900 | 6.58 | 3100 | 6.34 |
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve confirmed Banham will be the first guard off the bench Sunday, and she should have more ball-handling duties than she did in Connecticut. Her ceiling may not be particularly high, but I consider her safe for cash games. |
Karima Christmas-Kelly | MIN | CON | 4500 | 7.12 | 3000 | 7.50 |
She isn't actually a guard, but I'm not sure that matters for fantasy. She is reportedly healthy, and I think at worst she will be the first forward off the bench. She has averaged 20+ fantasy points in four different WNBA seasons, and she has a chance to get back to that production when healthy. |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Natisha Hiedeman | CON | MIN | 5000 | 8.46 | 3400 | 9.15 |
Hiedeman averaged 0.89 fantasy points per minute last season. She should probably start at shooting guard with Briann January out, and I think she has a chance to replace a lot of Courtney Williams's production from last season. Kaila Charles and Bria Holmes would be playable if they start as well. |
DeWanna Bonner | CON | MIN | 10400 | 34.99 | 7100 | 34.62 |
Bonner was fifth in the league in fppg last season, and while there may be some growing pains with her new team, Connecticut will likely need her to produce quite a bit with all the players they have missing. I don't really expect Bonner to miss a beat, and we're getting her at a bit of a discount. |
Diamond DeShields | CHI | LV | 10600 | 30.15 | 6700 | 29.28 |
DeShields's ceiling is as high as anyone's. She took a big step forward in 2019, but I think this is the season when she puts this franchise on her shoulders. She wasn't super consistent last season, but I like her chances against the Aces' backcourt. |
| | | | | | | |
Forwards |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Sylvia Fowles | MIN | CON | 10100 | 31.28 | 6500 | 31.53 |
I'm not sure why she's so cheap, especially on FanDuel. She may not play quite as many minutes, but she should have more space to operate with more shooting on the floor. |
Dearica Hamby | LV | CHI | 9200 | 25.85 | 5500 | 24.85 |
Hamby averaged 33.3 fppg as a starter last season. Alyssa Thomas averaged 32.3 fppg, and Hamby is $2000 cheaper on DK. This is as cheap as Hamby will be this season with Liz Cambage gone. |
Cheyenne Parker | CHI | LV | 8100 | 20.93 | 5900 | 21.66 |
Parker has averaged over 1.07 fantasy points per minute in each of the last two seasons. With Chantel Lavender out and Astou Ndour in Dallas, Parker has a chance to finally top 20 mpg. If Azura Stevens starts, she would be a great GPP play. |
Satou Sabally | DAL | ATL | 4100 | 0 | 5100 | 0.00 |
Whoever starts at the three for Dallas will likely be in most of my fantasy lineups, but I'm rooting for Sabally. The second overall pick in the draft has as high a ceiling as anyone. I can't for the life of me figure out why she is cheaper than Bella Alarie on DK. |
Angel McCoughtry | LV | CHI | 5000 | 0 | 6400 | 0.00 |
McCoughtry has averaged at least 31.1 fppg in every season since she was a rookie in 2009. I have questions about her age, health and fit on this roster, but those questions are far less worrisome when she only costs $5000 on DraftKings. |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Brionna Jones | CON | MIN | 4900 | 6.66 | 3800 | 7.68 |
Jones averaged 0.91 fantasy points per minute last season, and she should see plenty of minutes with Thresa Plaisance out. Beatrice Mompremier should play plenty as well. She's more of an unknown quantity, but the easiest thing may be to just play whoever starts. |
A'ja Wilson | LV | CHI | 9900 | 30.74 | 7300 | 31.50 |
Wilson should be awfully safe with Liz Cambage out. Wilson averaged 1.11 fantasy points per minute last season, and she will almost certainly top 30 mpg in 2020. Wilson gives you elite production at a slight discount. |
Example Lineups
DK Cash |
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | DeWanna Bonner | CON | @MIN | 34.99 | $10,400 |
G | Lexie Brown | MIN | CON | 13.44 | $5,400 |
F | Angel McCoughtry | LAV | CHI | 0 | $5,000 |
F | Sylvia Fowles | MIN | CON | 31.28 | $10,100 |
F | Dearica Hamby | LAV | CHI | 25.85 | $9,200 |
Util | A'ja Wilson | LAV | CHI | 30.74 | $9,900 |
| | | | Total | $50,000 |
| | | | | |
DK Pivot Cash |
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Diamond DeShields | CHI | @LAV | 30.15 | $10,600 |
G | Natisha Hiedeman | CON | @MIN | 8.46 | $5,000 |
F | Angel McCoughtry | LAV | CHI | 0 | $5,000 |
F | Sylvia Fowles | MIN | CON | 31.28 | $10,100 |
F | Dearica Hamby | LAV | CHI | 25.85 | $9,200 |
Util | A'ja Wilson | LAV | CHI | 30.74 | $9,900 |
| | | | Total | $49,800 |
DK GPP |
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Diamond DeShields | CHI | @LAV | 30.15 | $10,600 |
G | DeWanna Bonner | CON | @MIN | 34.99 | $10,400 |
F | Angel McCoughtry | LAV | CHI | 0 | $5,000 |
F | Satou Sabally | DAL | @ATL | 0 | $4,100 |
F | Dearica Hamby | LAV | CHI | 25.85 | $9,200 |
Util | A'ja Wilson | LAV | CHI | 30.74 | $9,900 |
| | | | Total | $49,200 |
| | | | | |
DK Pivot GPP |
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Diamond DeShields | CHI | @LAV | 30.15 | $10,600 |
G | DeWanna Bonner | CON | @MIN | 34.99 | $10,400 |
F | Sylvia Fowles | MIN | CON | 31.28 | $10,100 |
F | Satou Sabally | DAL | @ATL | 0 | $4,100 |
F | Dearica Hamby | LAV | CHI | 25.85 | $9,200 |
Util | Lexie Brown | MIN | CON | 13.44 | $5,400 |
| | | | Total | $49,800 |
FD Cash |
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Jasmine Thomas | CON | MIN | 24.23 | $5,800 |
G | Shenise Johnson | MIN | CON | 10.71 | $4,000 |
G | DeWanna Bonner | CON | MIN | 34.62 | $7,100 |
F | Dearica Hamby | LV | CHI | 24.85 | $5,500 |
F | Sylvia Fowles | MIN | CON | 31.53 | $6,500 |
F | Brionna Jones | CON | MIN | 7.68 | $3,800 |
F | A'ja Wilson | LV | CHI | 31.50 | $7,300 |
| | | | Total | $40,000 |
| | | | | |
FD Pivot Cash |
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Kayla McBride | LV | CHI | 24.09 | $5,100 |
G | Shenise Johnson | MIN | CON | 10.71 | $4,000 |
G | Arike Ogunbowale | DAL | ATL | 28.03 | $7,400 |
F | Dearica Hamby | LV | CHI | 24.85 | $5,500 |
F | Sylvia Fowles | MIN | CON | 31.53 | $6,500 |
F | Brionna Jones | CON | MIN | 7.68 | $3,800 |
F | A'ja Wilson | LV | CHI | 31.50 | $7,300 |
| | | | Total | $39,600 |
FD GPP |
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Diamond DeShields | CHI | LV | 29.28 | $6,700 |
G | Natisha Hiedeman | CON | MIN | 9.15 | $3,400 |
G | Chennedy Carter | ATL | DAL | 0.00 | $5,000 |
F | Dearica Hamby | LV | CHI | 24.85 | $5,500 |
F | Sylvia Fowles | MIN | CON | 31.53 | $6,500 |
F | Satou Sabally | DAL | ATL | 0.00 | $5,100 |
F | Alyssa Thomas | CON | MIN | 30.54 | $7,600 |
| | | | Total | $39,800 |
| | | | | |
FD Pivot GPP |
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Diamond DeShields | CHI | LV | 29.28 | $6,700 |
G | Natisha Hiedeman | CON | MIN | 9.15 | $3,400 |
G | Jasmine Thomas | CON | MIN | 24.23 | $5,800 |
F | Dearica Hamby | LV | CHI | 24.85 | $5,500 |
F | Sylvia Fowles | MIN | CON | 31.53 | $6,500 |
F | Brionna Jones | CON | MIN | 7.68 | $3,800 |
F | Alyssa Thomas | CON | MIN | 30.54 | $7,600 |
| | | | Total | $39,300 |