RADIO
After a Wednesday that featured no games, the WNBA is back on Thursday night with a three-game schedule. Aces/Liberty kick things off, followed by Sky/Mercury and Fever/Sparks.
Some interesting games on deck, especially that Sky/Mercury rematch. On Tuesday, Phoenix won that one on a Kia Nurse buzzer beater.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 6/2/21. 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: Aces @ Liberty
When: 7:00 PM ET
Watch: WNBA League Pass
Injuries: Las Vegas: OUT: Angel McCoughtry, QUES: Destiny Slocum
New York: OUT: Natasha Howard, Jocelyn Willoughby, PROB: Leaonna Odom
Players of Interest: Let's start with the big news for the Aces: Kelsey Plum is available. It seems that she's going to come off the bench this year, but she'll play heavy minutes, pushing some playing time away from Jackie Young and Riquna Williams. When it comes to Young, this game should be fast-paced enough to keep her fantasy relevant and the Liberty are a team who turn the ball over a lot, creating opportunities for Young on the other end. As for Plum, she's only $6,100 on DraftKings and $4,600 on FanDuel. Those are really low prices for a player with her upside.
At forward, Liz Cambage is coming off her best game of the season, playing 35 minutes against the Sun and scoring 28 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, and three blocks. She has eight blocks in the past two games. New York is thin up front right now and will be asking Kiah Stokes and Kylee Shook to slow Liz down. Cambage is a top play, as is A'ja Wilson, though the mismatch at the five is such that we could see Wilson defer some to Cambage.
For New York, the top plays are obvious. Betnijah Laney seems incapable of not scoring 20 or more points in a game, while the offense is running through Sabrina Ionescu, giving her upside in scoring and assists. Ionescu worries me more though, as she'll be matched up with Chelsea Gray -- who is another strong play on this slate.
A potential sleeper pick is Kiah Stokes. She has a little more size than Kylee Shook, so I'd guess we see a good bit of Stokes at the five in an attempt to slow Cambage. Won't work, but she could add some scoring and rebounding in her time on the floor. Michaela Onyenwere is a strong play as well, coming off of a 29-point game the last time she was on the floor.
WNBA DFS Game Breakdown: Sky @ Mercury
When: 8:00 PM ET
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Injuries: Chicago: OUT: Candace Parker, PROB: Allie Quigley, Stefanie Dolson
Phoenix: OUT: Diana Taurasi, Bria Hartley
Players of Interest: Things get interesting now in Chicago, with Quigley and Dolson expected to play. This ultimately makes it tough for me to know what to do at all with this team.
Stefanie Dolson is super cheap though and started in the opener, so if you want to take a value swing at her, go ahead. But her presence will cut down on Ruthy Hebard and Astou Ndour-Fall's minutes, so this probably isn't the most welcome news for fantasy.
The one player I can trust in Chicago is Courtney Vandersloot. No Candace Parker means Vandersloot will have playmaking duties, and she's coming off a huge game with 17 points and 10 assists. The points could go down, but she'll have her wife, Allie Quigley, back to help get her more assists. (Quigley is a decent value too, but I'd like to see more about her role before I play her too much.)
On the Phoenix end, the return of Dolson complicates things, because Brittney Griner has struggled at times in her meetings with Dolson. There's enough concern there for me to look elsewhere in this Phoenix lineup, like the guards.
Kia Nurse had 18 points and eight rebounds in the last game. Skylar Diggins-Smith had 24 points and five assists. Even Megan Walker got in on the action if you want a sleeper play, with 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal. This trio is where the value lies for Phoenix in this one.
WNBA DFS Game Breakdown: Fever @ Sparks
When: 10:00 PM ET
Watch: WNBA League Pass
Injuries: Indiana: OUT: Aaliyah Wilson, QUES: Bernadett Hatar
Los Angeles: OUT: Jasmine Walker, QUES: Chiney Ogwumike
Players of Interest: Indiana has one player I trust in fantasy: Teaira McCowan. She can easily get you a double-double and is becoming the most reliable source of scoring on this Fever team. I don't think Los Angeles will have much of an answer for her.
Beyond that...I don't know. Kelsey Mitchell is shooting too poorly for me to recommend hr. Danielle Robinson is a solid play, though I think there's a ceiling on her that might keep you from creating the optimal lineup. In terms of value, Victoria Vivians is interesting to me, as she's had a few strong games lately, including on May 30th against Vega when she had 17 points, four rebounds, and three steals. She's probably the most affordable Fever player who you can get away with playing, as I'm officially out on using Kysre Gondrezick or Lauren Cox as punt plays.
On the Los Angeles side, plenty depends on Chiney's availability. If she's out, the Sparks could so something weird again, like start Nia Coffey at the four and Te'a Cooper at the three. But hey, last game Coffey had eight points and six rebounds, while Cooper had 12 points, three rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Both offer some decent value.
Nneka Ogwumike is the top play, but she only took five shots against Dallas. Still, that was the first time this season she took fewer than 11 shots, so I'd expect a bounce back. And Kristi Toliver is also of interest, as she's coming off her best game this year, with 14 points against Dallas. Risky play because the game before that she scored zero points, but some upside.
