RADIO
Three WNBA games on Sunday, including a pair of highly-anticipated ones: Liberty/Sky in the afternoon and Sun/Aces in the evening.
Can New York bounce back after a loss to Washington and come away with a big victory? Can Connecticut stay hot? And hey, there's a Mystics/Fever game too, if you're interested in that kind of thing.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/23/21. 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.
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WNBA - DFS Guards
Betnijah Laney (G, New York Liberty) – @ Chicago Sky (DK: $9,700, FD: $6,700)
Sabrina Ionescu has been getting most of the attention in New York this year from fans and the media, but Betnijah Laney has been just absolutely incredible.
She's third in the league in points per game right now at 22.5, plus is adding 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per contest. She's become a knockdown shooter from three over the past couple of seasons and while her 55.6 percent mark from deep won't stick around, she will remain a huge part of this New York offense. Natasha Howard should make her Lib debut Sunday, but I don't particularly think Howard hurts Laney -- it'll be Kylee Shook and Michaela Onyenwere seeing less usage in the frontcourt because of Howard.
Ariel Atkins (G, Washington Mystics) – @ Indiana Fever (DK: $8,500, FD: $5,400)
Atkins is off to a solid start to the season. She's making a career-high 2.7 threes per game, with averages of 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest. She's taking a career-high 12 shots per contest and now gets to face a Fever team that has the second-worst defensive rating in the league so far. Should be a good game from Atkins here, especially with Indiana's opponents shooting 45.7 percent from three.
Washington still doesn't have their team at full strength, which means Atkins will continue to see extra usage. Really solid play. (ALSO SHE IS SO AFFORDABLE ON FANDUEL, nd so is Courtney Vandersloot at $5,300, even though her numbers are down.)
Jackie Young (G, Las Vegas Aces) – vs Connecticut Sun (DK: $8,300, FD: $6,500)
Kelsey Plum has departed for the Olympic 3-on-3 qualifiers, leaving this team a little thin at guard. Young's played 30-plus minutes in each game and actually saw her fewest shot attempts of the season last game, but she still managed to score 17 points thanks to her ability to get to the line, as she's taking 19 shots from the line over the past two games. And while her minutes were down against the Sparks, that game was also a 28-point blowout that saw Young play most of the game before sitting at the end when the Aces emptied the bench. If this one is competitive, I'd expect to see 35 minutes from her, with a lot of chances to compile numbers.
WNBA - DFS Forwards
Jonquel Jones (F, Connecticut Sun) – @ Las Vegas Aces (DK: $10,800, FD: $8,100)
Jones' ability to impact the game both inside and outside could trouble the Aces in this one. I also think that Jones' versatility on defense could lead to lower numbers for A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage, which is why I'm targeting Jones as my big-priced forward.
On the year, Jones is averaging a double-double with 18.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest. She's shooting 57.1 percent from three on 3.5 attempts per game.
I mean, look: Jonquel Jones has basically reached the "always have some exposure to her" tier, where Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson live. If you're making one more one lineup, she's got to be on some of them.
Azura Stevens (F, Chicago Sky) – vs New York Liberty (DK: $7,300, FD: $5,100)
Stevens is set for her season debut after an ankle injury had kept her out. I really don't know what to expect from her in terms of minutes, but she's the best big on this team not named Candace Parker, so if it seems like she's trending towards seeing a full workload, I think you'll want to have some exposure to her.
Last year, Stevens averaged 11.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, shooting 50 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from deep. She also blocked 1.8 shots per game. Her price will jump once she's played a game or two, so this is a good time to get her in your lineup at a cheap price and hopefully get some production.
Bernadett Hatar (F, Indiana Fever) – vs Washington Mystics (DK: $5,400, FD: $3,500)
In looking for a value play for this slate, I almost went with Aces guard Destiny Slocum, who saw some additional usage last game with Kelsey Plum out. But I just don't think I can trust Bill Laimbeer's usage of a rookie guard.
I'm not sure I can trust how the Fever use bigs either, but Hatar did play 20 minutes last game, scoring 12 points and blocking two shots, though she pulled down just two boards. Her height gives her an interesting advantage inside and if you believe that Fever head coach Marianne Stanley will keep being funky with how she uses Teaira McCowan, Hatar is interesting.
Of note, though, is that Lauren Cox appears to be getting closer to making her season debut. Keep an eye on that injury report, as Cox's return would cut into Hatar's value big time.
