RADIO
Happy Friday! We've got a pair of games on the slate today. Not a lot of marquee matchups, but we should get to see the Wings at full strength, finally.
We also get to see if the Atlanta Dream can keep their winning ways going. Is that team for real?
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 6/4/21. 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 Game Breakdown: Dream @ Lynx
When: 8:00 PM ET
Watch: Facebook
Injuries: Atlanta: OUT: Chennedy Carter, Cheyenne Parker
Minnesota: OUT: Aerial Powers, Rennia Davis
Players of Interest: The Dream have won four games in a row. The Lynx have won one game in a row, but before that lost four straight. With that said, I'm expecting a fun one here.
On the Atlanta side, Chennedy Carter is out with an elbow injury. That should mean that a sometimes-confusing backcourt makes a lot more sense: Courtney Williams -- who has discovered how to be a knock-down shooter from three and is now just even more dangerous than she already was -- and Tiffany Hayes -- who is having a resurgent 2021 campaign -- are both really strong plays. Minnesota's defense is at its best inside, so I'll play Atlanta guards all day. That includes Aari McDonald, whose role should increase with the Carter injury, though she played just seven minutes last game. Intriguing sleeper appeal, but really risky.
If we want to move closer to the paint for Atlanta, Elizabeth Williams could have some value. She's coming off her best game of the year, with 12 points and 11 rebounds against the Liberty. The matchup is bad here, but Williams probably will go a little under-rostered, so if you want a GPP pivot, she's interesting.
As for Minnesota, this feels like a game where Napheesa Collier could explode. She's only shooting 33.3 percent from the floor through two games, but Collier is Collier. She's one of the W's best young players, averaging 16.1 points and 9.0 rebounds last season. I can see Atlanta struggling to contain her.
On that note, Sylvia Fowles is a strong play too. I like Elizabeth Williams a lot, but she's just a little too undersized to trouble Fowles much in this spot. Fowles didn't face Atlanta last season for us to get a good read on this matchup, but a double-double feels easily within reach for one of the W's best centers.
As for a cheaper play, may I recommend Layshia Clarendon? In their first game with the Lynx, Clarendon hit a go-ahead three in overtime and looked significantly better than in New York. She finished with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 27 minutes. Can we guarantee they performs like this again? No, but I think this is a nice pick in what should be a fast-paced game.
WNBA DFS Game Breakdown: Wings @ Storm
When: 10:00 PM ET
Watch: Amazon Prime
Injuries: Dallas: PROB: Kayla Thornton
Seattle: OUT: Mikiah Herbert Harrigan
Players of Interest: The Wings should have Allisha Gray and Satou Sabally back for this. What does that mean for fantasy?
It means it's time to go really light on rostering Wings players.
Arike Ogunbowale remains a safe play because of her role offensively, but beyond that, I don't know what to expect from this team. Gray was great in her one game this season, but now Marina Mabrey has taken on some of that role. Will Gray's return hurt Mabrey? Will Mabrey's play hurt Gray? Will the team shift one of those players to the point full-time and then their presence will hurt the other guards instead?
As for Sabally, she'll impact Kayla Thornton's minutes, making it tough to trust Thornton. But she'll also impact all the other frontcourt pieces here: will Charli Collier and Awak Kuier get enough minutes now? Is Isabelle Harrison going to see a big cut in her time if the Wings decide to go small with Sabally and Thornton up front?
Lots of questions. Against a team as good as Seattle, I only really want to play Arike. Sabally's DFS price is way too high for me to play her immediately after returning. Mabrey had 26 in the first meeting of these teams and Thornton had a double-double, but even factoring that in, there's so much uncertainty.
On the Seattle side, things make more sense. Breanna Stewart is the top play on this slate because, well, of course she is. On the season, Stewart is averaging 23.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest, and in an earlier game against Dallas she went off for 36 points in an overtime victory.
The other obvious play is Jewell Loyd, who has been having a huge season. She had 26 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the last game between these teams and Dallas just doesn't have the perimeter defense to slow her down.
In terms of a possible sleeper play, Katie Lou Samuelson should be back. The team has said they want to bring her back in the rotation slowly, but she's a pretty affordable play if you want to take a risk.
