RADIO
We've got a weird slate for y'all today, with a one-game afternoon slate and then a two-game night slate. Instead of giving you actual picks, I'm going to preview each slate from a macro level.
I'll be providing daily fantasy lineup picks for the WNBA this season here at RotoBaller. In addition, I'll be sprinkling in some basic betting picks. Not going to get complicated since there's limited space in this piece, but I'll throw you a bet or two each day that I like and, because I think this is important, that I'll be making myself.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 6/15/22. These lineups picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. The slates locks on 6/15/2022 at 1:00 p.m. ET and 7:00 p.m. ET. Want to talk more about the WNBA? I'm always available on Twitter and always down to discuss women's basketball: @juscarts.
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Aces @ Wings Showdown Slate
I only play one-game slates on DraftKings, not on FanDuel, so this section will be biased toward that site. Sorry!
In terms of a captain to get you the 1.5x points on this slate, I think there are some really good options, as A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young all average over 34 fantasy points per game. Wilson is the obvious pick because her ceiling is highest, but Young has been really consistent lately and costs $1,500 less to captain on DraftKings than Wilson does. Intriguing.
I captained Young in the sample lineup I'm putting together. On DK, that left me with an average of $7,420 to spend on each player. So, the next thing I did was look for a value play, which is where the Wings injury issues come into play. Satou Sabally is out for this game and Marina Mabrey is returning from COVID and I'm not sure of her exact status, so there's two players who I think could be great plays because of increased roles: Isabelle Harrison ($6,200), who was consistently scoring 20-plus fantasy points per game before Sabally joined the team and Tyasha Harris ($5,600), who played 29 minutes last game with Mabrey out, finishing with 10 points and six assists.
If you play both of those plus Kayla Thornton, you can afford to have A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum in your lineup. You don't get the upside of Arike Ogunbowale or Allisha Gray, but I'm fine fading those two to go with a Vegas stars and Wings rotation players lineup.
The Night Slate
Alright, onto the night slate, where I will address FanDuel and not just DraftKings.
Let's start with who I see as the best value on each site.
DraftKings: AD Durr (listed on DraftKings under their former name Asia Durr) is $4,700 and played 25 minutes in their Dream debut, taking nine shot attempts and adding three rebounds, three assists and one block. If they can shoot better than 2-for-9, there might be upside here to use AD as a punt play.
FanDuel: Diamond DeShields ($5,300) is cheaper than Shey Peddy and scored 32.6 FD points last night, scoring 21 points and pulling down eight rebounds. The Fever have the worst scoring defense in the W. Really love this value. On DraftKings, her $8,000 salary is $1,700 more than Peddy.
Alright, now that that's out of the way, here are some other plays I like:
Skylar Diggins-Smith gets to face a Fever defense that has allowed the most points per game in the W. With how reliant the Mercury are on the starters, you can also confidently play Diana Taurasi on this slate as well. On DraftKings, SDS is $10,300 while Taurasi is $9,100, while on FD SDS is $8,500 and Taurasi is $7,600.
The Mercury are on the second night of a back-to-back though, so some tired legs could be an issue defensively, which is why I'm going to play more Fever plays than I usually would. NaLyssa Smith has been on fire over the last three games. Kelsey Mitchell can always score buckets. Both are good plays.
As for Atlanta vs Connecticut, that game scares me a little. I've stopped trusting Sun guards when it comes to finding value and the Dream defense has been good, so while I'll sprinkle Jonquel Jones and Alyssa Thomas into lineups, I'd rather have the Phoenix players as my high-priced anchors.
In terms of Dream players, keep an eye on the injury status of Erica Wheeler. If she's out again, Aari McDonald becomes a really good play. She played 39 minutes last game with Wheeler out, scoring 13 points and adding four rebounds and four assists. Connecticut's defense is too good for me to trust McDonald if she doesn't have that bump in minutes, so monitor the injury news. (Update: Wheeler is out.)
WNBA Betting Picks for 6/15/2022
Looking to make some WNBA bets? Let's look at some options for you.
Yesterday's Results: 0-1
Dallas Wings Spread (+9)
This game is in the middle of the day on a weekday. It's in Dallas. I think there's a chance for some real weirdness. A mid-day Wings game was when Liz Cambage broke the single-game scoring record a few years back. The Aces are the better team here, but Dallas has a confluence of factors going in its favor to potentially keep this one closer than expected. I'd still bet Aces ML though.
Phoenix Mercury Spread (+1.5)
The Fever are favored in this game? Huh. Okay. Phoenix had won three in a row before losing to the Mystics and the Fever are 4-12 on the season. Phoenix is on the second night of a back-to-back, but I don't think that really will make too much of a difference when there's a big talent discrepancy here.
