For the second consecutive slate, our WNBA DFS Playbook was carried to chasing mostly on the strength of our value plays. DiJonai Carrington, Nikolina Milic and Ezi Magbegor all had their best fantasy games of the young season, and they were joined in the top tier by Courtney Vandersloot and Jewell Loyd.
Tuesday’s slate looks like it should once again have some good value plays, though we may not know what those plays are until we see starting lineups. In addition to a few key injuries to regular starters, the slate is notable for the number of productive players expected to return from absences, whether due to injury, health or overseas commitments. Be sure to check your lineup throughout the evening as a lot could hinge on which players start and which ones come off the bench.
Guards
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Chelsea Gray
LV
PHO
7300
20.88
5200
20.40
Gray appears to be mostly over her minutes restriction, playing a season-high 27 minutes Friday despite sitting for most of the fourth quarter in a blowout win. On a per-minute basis, Gray has been just as good for fantasy as we are used to, but she is averaging nearly six fewer minutes per game than last season. Gray isn't the most exciting DFS play, but she is safe and cheap, and that is a difficult combination to find on this slate.
Brittney Sykes
LA
MIN
8000
27.94
6600
31.35
At some point, if Brittney Sykes continues to shoot 31.6 percent from the field, Chennedy Carter will replace her in the starting lineup. That being said, Sykes has been remarkably productive for fantasy considering her poor shooting. She has shot 40.3 percent from the field in her career and when she inevitably rebounds, she could produce some great fantasy games.
Lexie Brown
LA
MIN
5500
17.19
3800
16.92
For reasons unexplained, Sparks head coach Derek Fisher appears to love Lexie Brown. She has been the best of Fisher's rotating cast of fifth starters and while that is an extremely low bar to clear, it does give her a modicum of safety for fantasy. Brown has played at least 28 minutes in three of her four games this season, with at least 20 fantasy points in two of those. Minnesota struggles to defend guards, which makes me think a bounce-back game from Brown is coming. My only hesitation is that the Sparks play the late game Tuesday so all of the other games will have likely started by the time we know if Brown is starting or not.
Rhyne Howard
ATL
IND
9000
36.75
7400
37.03
Howard has at least 37 FD fantasy points in three of her four career WNBA games, including against Indiana Sunday. She isn't the safest guard on the slate but she is averaging the most fantasy points and she isn't priced that way.
Kelsey Mitchell
IND
ATL
9600
32.9
6900
30.86
Mitchell's run of scoring 20+ points will end sooner or later, but I would be surprised if it ends Tuesday. Mitchell's efficiency could take a hit if NaLyssa Smith sits but she has to take 20ish shots again if Indiana has any chance to win this game.
Emily Engstler
IND
ATL
6300
16.5
4700
17.32
Whoever starts for NaLyssa Smith will be a strong DFS play, but there are some reasons to expect and/or hope it will be Engstler. Engstler came in for Smith and played the final six minutes of Sunday's game after Smith's ankle injury. Perhaps more importantly, Engstler is eighth in the league in fantasy points per minute among players with at least 30 minutes this season. I can't promise she will maintain her efficiency in increased minutes but she would be an enormous value if she did.
Sami Whitcomb
NY
CON
7100
18.31
4800
17.30
Whitcomb has largely split minutes with Jocelyn Willoughby since Betnijah Laney returned, and Whitcomb played the final 16 minutes Sunday after Willoughby suffered her knee injury. I like cheap players who should play a lot and are capable of getting hot from three and Whitcomb checks both boxes.
Asia Durr
NY
CON
3000
1.58
3100
2.07
With Willoughby and Didi Richards out, Durr has a chance to see heavy minutes off the bench. Anyone playing 15+ minutes is worth a look at her price, though it is possible we get nothing from her lineup spot.
Forwards
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Elena Delle Donne
WAS
DAL
10800
37.25
8400
37.23
I like all of the top forwards on Tuesday's WNBA DFS slate but I don't love any of them. Delle Donne is averaging just 30 minutes per game and she might not even play that much with Elizabeth Williams available and Alysha Clark likely to see her minutes limit increased. That being said, she has at least 34.25 fantasy points in all three games and she doesn't need a ton of minutes to have a huge game.
Nikolina Milic
MIN
LA
4400
13.31
4600
12.65
Milic was outstanding as one of our core plays on Saturday, finishing with more fantasy points than she had scored in her previous three games combined. Her price is still very modest on DraftKings and while I don't expect 1.26 fantasy points per minute again, if she just reaches 20 fantasy points she will be a very nice value.
Kia Vaughn
ATL
IND
4700
8.25
3500
8.65
This is a pick against Indiana's forwards, even though Vaughn did little against them on Sunday. Alanna Smith and Alaina Coates could see more minutes if NaLyssa Smith is out, and that should only help Vaughn put up fantasy points. This is obviously a risky pick, but unless Smith or Coates start, Vaughn is the best value forward on FanDuel.
Dearica Hamby
LV
PHO
9100
32.94
7100
31.48
I suppose somone has to be cheapest among the elite forwards, but I'm not sure why it is Hamby. She still hasn't had a truly huge fantasy game yet but she has topped 30 fantasy points in three of her four games. Hamby looks like a very nice value, especially for cash games.
Brianna Turner
PHO
LV
8300
21.75
6500
22.80
It was nice to see Turner bounce back from a poor first game, though it is worrisome that she had just three field goal attempts in both games. Perhaps she will never get back to her production from the last two seasons but I am willing to bet that the shots come sooner than later. Her ceiling is awfully high for her price.
Queen Egbo
IND
ATL
6900
24.25
7000
25.74
In the three games since she recovered from rolling her ankle, Egbo is averaging 28.6 fantasy points. She appears to be safe for 30+ minutes, especially if NaLyssa Smith is out, and I am not scared of Atlanta's bigs.
