One of the things I have liked the most about this WNBA season has been the emergence of so many quality guards. The WNBA has always had a bunch of really good post players, but in 2020 it seems like the guards are finally catching up, at least in terms of fantasy production.
That being said, the way the schedule has worked out, Tuesday’s DFS slate feels much more like the WNBA of the last few years. While there are a couple of guards I am interested in paying up for, the slate mostly features solid guards at modest prices. That is good because you almost have to pay up for forwards. Cheap forwards are awfully hard to find, so you may as well spend your money at that position. I usually prefer slates where I feel like there are different ways to build competitive lineups, but barring more injury news, that doesn’t appear to be the case Tuesday.
As always, the lineups below are examples of lineups you can make using the players in the Playbook and are not for plug and play.
Guards |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Kiara Leslie | WAS | MIN | 5000 | 10.39 | 3300 | 10.26 |
Leslie got the start and played a season-high 27 minutes Sunday, scoring 14.3 FD fantasy points. If Aerial Powers is out again, Leslie is a solid punt play. |
Jackie Young | LV | IND | 6900 | 16.25 | 4700 | 15.41 |
Young has played at least 28 minutes and scored 15 points in each of her last two games. She has been much more aggressive of late, and she is a good fit off the bench for Las Vegas. |
Sydney Wiese | LA | NY | 5900 | 11.89 | 4600 | 10.79 |
Wiese only played 17 minutes Sunday despite shooting 6-8 from the field and 3-4 on threes. That is a bit concerning. That being said, she started for the third consecutive game, and she should be relatively safe with Tierra Ruffin-Pratt out. |
Brittney Sykes | LA | NY | 5700 | 15.32 | 4200 | 15.07 |
Sykes played 21 minutes Sunday, and I would expect her to get at least as many minutes Tuesday with Tierra Ruffin-Pratt out. Sykes has struggled a bit after a solid start, but we know she can perform well when given an opportunity. |
Julie Allemand | IND | LV | 8300 | 25.04 | 5300 | 24.49 |
Alemand has scored at least 32.9 FD fantasy points in three of her last five games. She had zero turnovers in her last game, which is encouraging. |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Lexie Brown | MIN | WAS | 9600 | 27.95 | 6600 | 29.40 |
Brown only scored seven points on 2-8 shooting Sunday, but she is still averaging 41.9 FD fantasy points in three games since returning from a concussion. It seems silly that Brown could score 21 fantasy points and see her price increase $400, but I think she's worth it. She still got quality shots in that game, and we know her shots will go down more often than not. |
Tiffany Mitchell | IND | LV | 7500 | 23.71 | 5100 | 23.03 |
Mitchell played 37 minutes Sunday with Stephanie Mavunga out, and Mitchell has scored at least 25.75 fantasy points in two straight games despite not shooting the ball paricularly well. Of course, Mitchell almost never shoots it well, but she gets enough rebounds and assists to be useful for fantasy. |
Kia Nurse | NY | LA | 6500 | 14.25 | 4700 | 13.62 |
Los Angeles's perimeter defense takes a huge hit with Tierra Ruffin-Pratt out. Nurse still doesn't look like the player who was an All-Star in 2019, but we know she'll get some shots up. |
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Forwards |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
A'ja Wilson | LV | IND | 11700 | 39.93 | 7900 | 39.99 |
Wilson is probably second in the MVP race through two weeks, and it shows in her fantasy production. Wilson has at least 32 fantasy points in every game this season, and she has at least 45 fantasy points in each of her last two games. |
Sylvia Fowles | MIN | WAS | 9700 | 37.85 | 7500 | 38.50 |
On her podcast, Cheryl Reeve said they are being extra cautious with Fowles's calf injury, and it doesn't sound like we need to be concerned about it affecting her performance when she takes the floor. Fowles has at least 34 fantasy points in four of her five games this season. |
Napheesa Collier | MIN | WAS | 10000 | 31.04 | 7000 | 30.74 |
Collier has at least 32.25 fantasy points in three straight games with Sylvia Fowles. With Fowles on the floor, Collier is able to beat up on small forwards in the paint, and that's what I expect to happen Tuesday if Fowles plays. |
Nneka Ogwumike | LA | NY | 8300 | 22 | 6300 | 21.58 |
Ogwumike's price has plummeted thanks to playing 34 minutes total in her last two games. She is the cheapest forward I actually trust for cash games, and she could be a nice value if she's able to play 25+ minutes. |
Lauren Cox | IND | LV | 4500 | 8.25 | 3000 | 8.40 |
Cheap forwards are awfully hard to come by in this slate. Cox has played at least 14 minutes in all three games this season, and while her WNBA career has gotten off to a slow start, I blame that on contracting COVID in the offseason. I think she will be good sooner than later, and she's worth a shot if you need to save some money. |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Tianna Hawkins | WAS | MIN | 6300 | 14.62 | 4400 | 14.55 |
I think Hawkins is a bit overpriced after she scored 36 fantasy points in 22 minutes Sunday. The production was welcome, though I was hoping for more than 22 minutes with Aerial Powers out. That being said, Hawkins is averaging more than a fantasy point per minute for the second consecutive season. If she gets 20+ minutes again, she will likely be worth her inflated price. |
Amanda Zahui B | NY | LA | 9800 | 29 | 6400 | 28.13 |
Zahui B is shooting 56.5 percent on threes in her last three games, and I don't necessarily want to pay for that hot streak on DraftKings. That being said, she has at least 26.8 FD fantasy points in all four games with Sabrina Ionescu out, and her price is more reasonable on FanDuel. |
Dearica Hamby | LV | IND | 9100 | 27.68 | 6000 | 26.71 |
It is easy to overlook Hamby because she hasn't had any huge games this season, but she has been one of the most consistent forwards in the league. She is a great cash play, especially on FanDuel. |
Example Lineups
DK Cash | Pivot | DK Pivot Cash |
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | | Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Kiara Leslie | WAS | @MIN | 10.39 | $5,000 | To | G | Kia Nurse | NY | @LA | 14.3 | 6500 |
G | Sydney Wiese | LA | NY | 11.89 | $5,900 | To | G | | | | | |
F | Sylvia Fowles | MIN | WAS | 37.85 | $9,700 | | F | | | | | |
F | A'ja Wilson | LAV | @IND | 39.93 | $11,700 | | F | | | | | |
F | Nneka Ogwumike | LA | NY | 22 | $8,300 | | F | | | | | |
Util | Dearica Hamby | LAV | @IND | 27.68 | $9,100 | | Util | Tiffany Mitchell | IND | LAV | 23.7 | 7500 |
| | | | Total | $49,700 | | | | | | Total | 14000 |
DK GPP | Pivot | DK Pivot GPP |
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | | Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Lexie Brown | MIN | WAS | 27.95 | $9,600 | To | G | | | | | |
G | Kia Nurse | NY | @LA | 14.25 | $6,500 | To | G | Jackie Young | LAV | @IND | 16.3 | 6900 |
F | Tianna Hawkins | WAS | @MIN | 14.62 | $6,300 | | F | | | | | |
F | Dearica Hamby | LAV | @IND | 27.68 | $9,100 | | F | | | | | |
F | Sylvia Fowles | MIN | WAS | 37.85 | $9,700 | | F | | | | | |
Util | Julie Allemand | IND | LAV | 25.04 | $8,300 | | Util | Nneka Ogwumike | LA | NY | 22.0 | 8300 |
| | | | Total | $49,500 | | | | | | Total | 15200 |
FD Cash | Pivot | FD Pivot Cash |
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | | Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Jackie Young | LV | IND | 15.4 | 4700 | | G | Julie Allemand | IND | LV | 24.5 | 5300 |
G | Kiara Leslie | WAS | MIN | 10.3 | 3300 | | G | | | | | |
G | Brittney Sykes | LA | NY | 15.1 | 4200 | To | G | | | | | |
F | Candace Parker | LA | NY | 37.6 | 7300 | | F | Napheesa Collier | MIN | WAS | 30.7 | 7000 |
F | Dearica Hamby | LV | IND | 26.7 | 6000 | | F | | | | | |
F | A'ja Wilson | LV | IND | 40.0 | 7900 | | F | | | | | |
F | Amanda Zahui B | NY | LA | 28.1 | 6400 | To | F | | | | | |
| | | | Total | 39800 | | | | | | Total | 12300 |
FD GPP | Pivot | FD Pivot GPP |
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | | Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
G | Kia Nurse | NY | LA | 13.6 | 4700 | | G | | | | | |
G | Julie Allemand | IND | LV | 24.5 | 5300 | | G | | | | | |
G | Jackie Young | LV | IND | 15.4 | 4700 | To | G | | | | | |
F | Emma Meesseman | WAS | MIN | 30.5 | 6800 | | F | Dearica Hamby | LV | IND | 26.71 | $6,000 |
F | Tianna Hawkins | WAS | MIN | 14.6 | 4400 | | F | | | | | |
F | Amanda Zahui B | NY | LA | 28.1 | 6400 | | F | Sylvia Fowles | MIN | WAS | 38.50 | $7,500 |
F | Candace Parker | LA | NY | 37.6 | 7300 | To | F | | | | | |
| | | | Total | 39600 | | | | | | Total | $13,500 |