RADIO
The New York Liberty won a game! After starting the year out by looking like a team that could be historically bad -- especially after Sabrina Ionescu went down with an injury -- the Liberty beat the Mystics on Friday, playing a complete game and keeping players like Ariel Atkins from doing much of anything. Maybe Washington is actually not the team we thought they were after the first week? Maybe New York isn't horrible? Maybe the truth is somewhere in between?
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/8/20. These lineups picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
Want to talk more about the WNBA? I'm always available on Twitter and always down to discuss women's basketball: @juscarts
WNBA - DFS Guards
Chennedy Carter (G, Atlanta Dream) – vs Dallas Wings (DK: $9,100, FD: $6,300)
On Thursday, Chennedy Carter became the youngest player in league history to score 30-plus points in a WNBA game.
The rookie has become a star already for the Dream, and on Saturday she gets a juicy matchup against Dallas to try to keep it going. The Wings allow the fifth-most points per game this season, including allowing the Dream to go off for 105 in the first game of 2020.
In that one, Carter didn't make a three, but still finished with 18 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Now, she seems to be more locked in as a shooter, so the sky's the limit in this matchup.
Skylar Diggins-Smith (G, Phoenix Mercury) – vs Seattle Storm (DK: $8,800, FD: $6,100)
If Bria Hartley misses her second game in a row, you need to ignore the worrisome matchup with Seattle and play a lot of SDS.
While her early returns as a member of the Mercury aren't what many expected, against Chicago -- the first game Hartley missed -- she had 17 points, three assists, two boards, and two steals. Her shot's been dropping, she's getting to the foul line, and while Seattle has a great backcourt defender in Jordin Canada, Phoenix has the luxury of having SDS and Diana Taurasi. Canada can't guard both, and it's likely that Diggins-Smith winds up matched up with lesser defenders for a good chunk of the time.
Tyasha Harris (G, Dallas Wings) – vs Atlanta Dream (DK: $6,200, FD: $4,300)
The Wings have gotten out to bad starts in virtually every game, to the point that head coach Brian Agler is reportedly willing to explore lineup changes to stop that.
One change that's been bandied about on Twitter? Starting Harris over Moriah Jefferson.
Look, Jefferson's a good player, but Harris seems to have a level of control when the ball is in her hands that rookies just don't have. Harris is coming off a good one against Connecticut, scoring 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting and dishing out seven assists. If the team makes the move to Harris at the starting point, Saturday could be a huge day against a Dream defense that has the league's third-worst defensive rating and allows the second-most assists per contest.
okay, so I wrote this whole article and then the team announced after I finished it that Harris will be out after an inconclusive COVID-19 test. Without Harris, Moriah Jefferson should play a ton in a really good matchup for guards, so grabbing her is a good call. I'd also upgrade Arike Ogunbowale, who should see more time at point, and potentially consider Marina Mabrey as a dart throw.
WNBA - DFS Forwards
Alyssa Thomas (F, Connecticut Sun) – vs Chicago Sky (DK: $10,800 FD: $7,800)
Even with two torn shoulder labrums, Thomas has been huge this year for the Sun.
On Thursday, the team finally got into the win column, with Thomas contributing 15 points and 10 rebounds, plus adding five assists. Her ability to attack the glass and her ability to make smart passes to teammates that put them in good positions to explore are a great combination, and while Chicago's frontcourt has talent, they lack a dominant big who could keep Thomas off the glass and limit her upside as a scorer.
Elizabeth Williams (F, Atlanta Dream) – vs Dallas Wings (DK: $8,100, FD: $6,300)
Dallas's bigs rotation is a bit of a mess right now. Astou Ndour is talented, but getting inconsistent minutes. Isabelle Harrison is good, but not a great rim protector. Bella Alarie's offensive game hasn't developed enough for her to get heavy minutes, even though defensively she's shown a lot of aptitude.
Those questions make me feel good about Elizabeth Williams in this one. Her 13.3 points per game would be a career best, and she's shooting 58 percent so far. Sure, that'll go down, but will it go down against this Wings frontcourt? Williams is also not getting the block numbers we're used to yet, and some positive regression there is definitely coming soon.
Alysha Clark (F, Seattle Storm) – vs Phoenix Mercury (DK: $6,700, FD: $6,000)
Clark's been tough to gauge this year, as she got off to a slow start. But here are her numbers since Sue Bird was sidelined:
Without Bird in the lineup, the Storm are relying more on the veteran Clark to make some baskets, and she's been a pesky defender as well. Bird's already been ruled out for Saturday's meeting with Phoenix -- yep, we don't get to see a Sue Bird vs. Diana Taurasi battle, which really, really sucks for everyone who watches the WNBA -- so Clark should once again she some good usage that helps out anyone who rosters her in DFS.
