RADIO
Happy Saturday! Three games on the WNBA calendar, with things getting started early.
Aces/Mystics will be a fun tip off at 1:00 PM, then Sky/Sparks follows. The night ends with an exciting Liberty/Sun matchup, so overall a really good day of basketball!
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 6/5/21. 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 @ Mystics
When: 1:00 PM ET
Watch: ABC
Injuries: Las Vegas: OUT: Angel McCoughtry
Washington: OUT: Elena Delle Donne, QUES: Sydney Wiese
Players of Interest: The Aces are back to full-ish strength -- Angel McCoughtry is out for the year -- and ran over the Liberty last game, with A'ja Wilson scoring 30 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Washington has a better inside game than New York, but I still don't really see this Mystics team slowing Wilson down.
Jackie Young played all 40 minutes last game, which probably won't happen again, as I'd guess Kelsey Plum plays more than 13 minutes. But still, Young is having a great season and should continue to have strong outings. As should Chelsea Gray, who is averaging a career-high 6.7 assists per game and is shooting 41.7 percent from three. Gray is playing like one of the two best point guards in the W.
For Washington, Tina Charles is still a great play with Elena Delle Donne out. In six games, Charles is averaging 26.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and her 46.8 percent mark from the floor is giving real "throwback to when Tina Charles was an elite player" vibes. Her 34 percent usage rate is the highest of her career, so even if she's got a tough matchup, that usage is just too high to fade her.
Ariel Atkins is coming off a strong game that saw her score 20 points. She's been scoring really well and has shot over 40 percent from the floor in four consecutive games. After a bit of a slow start, Atkins is on fire.
If Wiese ends up not playing, you could make a good case for Leilani Mitchell getting more minutes and giving you something like 12 points, six rebounds, and a couple assists.
WNBA DFS Game Breakdown: Sky @ Sparks
When: 3:00 PM ET
Watch: ABC
Injuries: Chicago: OUT: Candace Parker
Los Angeles: OUT: Nneka Ogwumike, Jasmine Walker, QUES: Chiney Ogwumike
Players of Interest: Another Sky/Sparks game??? Already???
This is the third meeting of these teams, though injuries will have this one looking different. Los Angeles won't have Nneka. Chicago will have Allie Quigley and Stefanie Dolson. What'll happen?
Based on earlier meetings, I'll remain all in on Courtney Vandersloot when it comes to fantasy. She had 28 in the last meeting and is averaging 12.3 points and 8.3 rebounds on the season. Also for Chicago, I like the value of Azura Stevens, whose role keeps expanding. Her shot's been off, but she had her best rebounding game of the year on Thursday against Phoenix and with a weakened Sparks frontcourt, Stevens has a chance for a double-double.
Kahleah Copper also remains a strong play, as she's been Chicago's best scorer.
On the Sparks end, no Nneka and a questionable Chiney means Amanda Zahui B should be in a lot of your lineups. Against Indiana with no Ogwumikes, Zahui B had just seven points, but also added seven rebounds, two assists, and a blocked shot.
Kristi Toliver and Nia Coffey should see most of the scoring role in this one, but I'd also have plenty of interest in Te'a Cooper and Erica Wheeler. The Sparks have a lot of players whose DFS salaries are low because they don't consistently do much, but this is a game that should be quick and feature a lot of offense, giving all those players shots at having strong showings. Toliver is a bit ahead of the rest if I had to rank them, but I'll fit all of them into at least one lineup.
WNBA DFS Game Breakdown: Liberty @ Sun
When: 7:00 PM ET
Watch: WNBA League Pass
Injuries: New York: OUT: Natasha Howard, Jocelyn Willoughby, PROB: Jazmine Jones
Connecticut: OUT: Alyssa Thomas
Players of Interest: To end the night, we get the Liberty taking on the Sun.
There's a clear top play in this game and it's Connecticut's Jonquel Jones. With Natasha Howard out, New York just doesn't have a top-end defender on the interior, which is going to mean that the Sun can get whatever they want out of Jones and teammate Brionna Jones. Both are going to find themselves in a LOT of my lineups, and Jonquel getting something like 25 points and 15 rebounds seems like something that's easily in the realm of possibility.
Expanding the usage inside could mean less work for DeWanna Bonner, but let's be real: she's still DeWanna Bonner, and she can still score 20-plus points with her eyes closed, so you'll want to roster her some.
The Sun don't rely a ton on the bench, so let's just keep rolling with their starters. Jasmine Thomas and Natisha Hiedeman should both be strong plays against a New York team that's turnover-prone and allows the third-most points in the league.
On the New York end, Betnijah Laney is the best play, as she's New York's best player and top scorer. Based on her season so far, she'll score 20-plus points.
Sabrina Ionescu has been struggling to score, but when she goes 2-for-13 from te floor and still adds nine rebounds and nine assists, you can't ignore her in fantasy, even if the efficiency has vanished over the past two games.
Meanwhile, two other names to know: Rebecca Allen seemed to find her shot last game, scoring 16 points and taking 16 field goals. And then there's Kiah Stokes, who isn't much of a factor offensively but will play 30-plus minutes. She pulled out 13 rebounds last game and while Kylee Shook should play more at the five, head coach Walt Hopkins will likely rely a lot on Stokes in this one, making her an interesting sleeper.
