I’m always looking for what makes each WNBA DFS slate unique, and in the case of Friday’s four-game slate, it is that there are so many awesome players but only a few have a really great matchup. The four teams with the fewest points allowed all play Friday, and only one of the three worst defenses in the league is in action.
The other thing that stands out is how many potential value plays we have on both sites. I’m not sure any of them are truly slam dunks but they are cheap enough and have been productive enough in the past to allow us to play up for just about any top-tier player we want. The key to the slate will probably be finding the right balance between value plays and dart throws.
| Guards | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Marine Johannes | NY | CHI | 3000 | 0 | 4400 | 17.51 |
| I have no idea how much Marine Johannes will play this season, and I don't know if the Liberty will ease her in slowly following her time playing in France. That being said, Johannes averaged 18.2 minutes and 13.8 fppg as a rookie before seeing those numbers bump up quite a bit last season. Even if she just matches her rookie numbers, which I consider to be her floor, she should be the best punt play on the slate. | ||||||
| Zia Cooke | LA | PHO | 5700 | 15.42 | 4300 | 15.13 |
| You can pivot to Shey Peddy (on FanDuel) if you need to save some money, but Cooke is safer and probably a bit underpriced. She should be safe for at least 15 minutes, and I expect her to bounce back after tough back-to-back matchups with Las Vegas. Cookie scored 22.5 fantasy points in 15 minutes against Phoenix in her first WNBA game and she doesn't need to be that good to return value, especially on FanDuel. | ||||||
| Layshia Clarendon | LA | PHO | 6000 | 21.25 | 5200 | 22.40 |
| Clarendon has shown a higher floor than Zia Cooke, albeit in fewer games. She doesn't have much of a ceiling, but she is a solid starter in a good matchup and she is pretty cheap on DraftKings. | ||||||
| Sophie Cunningham | PHO | LA | 6700 | 18.5 | 5700 | 18.05 |
| Cunningham is a little bit risky. Shey Peddy is available and Sug Sutton is playing well, so Cunningham may never get back to the 29.5 mpg she averaged last season. That being said, Cunningham scored 28.25 fantasy points in 24 minutes against Minnesota and if she just matches that production Friday, she is too cheap. There is also a decent chance Cunningham sees even more minutes as she continues to distance herself from the knee injury that kept her out of the season opener. | ||||||
| Natasha Cloud | WAS | DAL | 7900 | 23.06 | 6400 | 22.80 |
| Much has been made of Washington's disappointing guard play, but this is by far the best matchup they've had in the young season. In my mind, the only challenge is choosing the right guard to break out in this game. You can pivot to Ariel Atkins if you need to save some money but Cloud averaged 30.3 fppg against Dallas last season, up from her season average of 25.2. This is by far the cheapest she has been this season and I doubt she stays this cheap for long. | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Chelsea Gray | LV | ATL | 9600 | 33.69 | 7100 | 32.38 |
| In general, I think I would rather pay up for guards than forwards on this slate. In addition, its difficult to know which Aces guard is going to go off in any given game. That being said, I think Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard need to match up with Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, which would put Aari McDonald on Chelsea Gray. Gray has at least 32 fantasy points in three of her four games, and I would take the over on that total again Friday. | ||||||
| Forwards | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Elena Delle Donne | WAS | DAL | 11300 | 37.44 | 8100 | 36.75 | |
| There is never a bad time to play Elena Delle Donne, but the best time to play her is probably coming off six days rest against the team that has allowed the second-most points and rebounds to opponents this season. Last season, Delle Donne averaged 36.8 fantasy points on 6+ days rest, up from her season average of 30.3 fppg. | |||||||
| Nneka Ogwumike | LA | PHO | 9100 | 29.62 | 8300 | 31.15 | |
| Ogwumike's numbers, and her price on DraftKings, are down because she played just 19 minutes in a blowout at Las Vegas. Ogwumike had 33 fantasy points in 27 minutes against Phoenix in the season opener and there is no reason to think she won't match that production Friday. Nneka is much cheaper than the elite forwards and much safer than the forwards who cost less. | |||||||
| Kalani Brown | DAL | WAS | 7500 | 25.25 | 4200 | 25.90 | |
| Brown is the free space on FanDuel after she played 26 minutes off the bench in her Wings debut. She is riskier on DraftKings but so are all of the forwards in her price range. Brown's presence in the lineup allows Natasha Howard to guard Elena Delle Donne and leaves Satou Sabally matched up with one of Washington's guards. Its hard to imagine she wouldn't play 20+ minutes. | |||||||
| Alanna Smith | CHI | NY | 7800 | 20.25 | 6300 | 20.60 | |
| At this point, Smith may just be the ultimate GPP play. She has topped 20 minutes in three games this season, scoring 30+ fantasy points in two of those but fewer than 15 in the other. I'll probably pay up for somebody safer if I can but none of the cheaper forwards can match her upside. | |||||||
| Shakira Austin | WAS | DAL | 9500 | 30.81 | 6900 | 30.77 | |
| You could argue that Kalani Brown's introduction to the lineup is actually good for Shakira Austin. More importantly, Dallas has allowed more points and rebounds than any team in the slate, and Austin has played at least 26 minutes and scored at least 31 fantasy points in three straight games. She is fairly-priced on DraftKings and too cheap on FanDuel. | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| A'ja Wilson | LV | ATL | 10900 | 39.56 | 8600 | 40.72 | |
| Atlanta is 10th in fantasy points allowed to fowards, worse than every other team on the slate. Feel free to pivot to Breanna Stewart if you can afford it but otherwise I love the value on Wilson. | |||||||
| Kristine Anigwe | CHI | NY | 3200 | 10.5 | 4000 | 11.12 | |
| I'm shocked her price went down after she scored 23.25 fantasy points in 20 minutes at Atlanta Tuesday. Anigwe played every second that Elizabeth Williams was on the bench, and if that happens again, she is a great punt play, especially on DraftKings. We already saw Sika Kone have a great game off the bench and then come back down to earth the next game, but the difference is Anigwe is even cheaper than she was on Tuesday. This is Anigwe's last game before she leaves for Eurobasket, so that could provide more incentive for James Wade to give her minutes. | |||||||
| Breanna Stewart | NY | CHI | 13000 | 53.56 | 9700 | 54.30 | |
| On the one hand, there are enough punt plays on this slate to make Stewart playable, even on FanDuel. On the other hand, Chicago is fourth in points allowed and fifth in rebounds allowed. On another hand, Stewart's numbers are skewed by her career-high 45 points against the worst team in the league. On another hand, do we really think Alanna Smith, Sika Kone and Robyn Parks are capable of slowing Stewart down? There are a lot of very good fowards on this slate and my inclination is to play someone more affordable, but you fade Stewart at your own risk. | |||||||
Core Plays
| Draftkings Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | Chelsea Gray | $9,600 |
| Nneka Ogwumike | $9,100 | |
| Mid Tier | Natasha Cloud | $7,900 |
| Alanna Smith | $7,800 | |
| Value Tier | Marine Johannes | $3,000 |
| Kristine Anigwe | $3,200 | |
| Fanduel Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | Chelsea Gray | $7,100 |
| Elena Delle Donne | $8,100 | |
| Mid Tier | Sophie Cunningham | $5,700 |
| Shakira Austin | $6,900 | |
| Value Tier | Shey Peddy | $4,000 |
| Kalani Brown | $4,200 | |
Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football, Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Basketball content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!
Keep the WNBA DFS winning going! Check out our partners over on PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy & join our FREE Discord!