RADIO
It's now been a week since the WNBA season started. The Mystics are way better than expected. Sabrina Ionescu has an ankle injury. The Connecticut Sun started 0-3 after making the WNBA Finals last season.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/1/20. 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
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WNBA - DFS Guards
DeWanna Bonner (G, Connecticut Sun) – vs Minnesota Lynx (DK: $12,000, FD: $8,000)
The Connecticut Sun are 0-3, but you can't blame DeWanna Bonner for that, because she's been a force through three games. I mean, look at these box scores:
Connecticut plays Minnesota for the second time and Boner did have her worst game the last time these teams played, but that "worst game" saw her score 19 points despite missing all six of her threes, and she had eight boards, two assists, three steals, and a block.
Bonner fills up a stat sheet, even when her shot is off. You might be safe just playing her every single night in DFS at this point unless they start pricing her up to some ridiculous level.
Ariel Atkins (G, Washington Mystics) – vs Chicago Sky (DK: $7,400, FD: $5,400)
I don't love the guard options on Saturday, but if you're looking for someone a slight bit below the very top pricing tier, Atkins is a good player who should excel in a fast-paced game against the Sky.
In three games, Atkins is averaging 17 points on a 54.5/55/100 shooting split. That's completely and wildly unsustainable, but also I'm willing to believe that this Mystics team can do literally anything at this point.
The one knock against Atkins: her peripheral stats aren't great, as she's averaging two rebounds and two assists. But she's active when it comes to steals, which helps add to her upside.
Jewell Loyd (G, Seattle Storm) – vs Los Angeles Sparks (DK: $7,200, FD: $5,000)
Sue Bird (rest) won't play on Saturday, which should lead to a larger role in the backcourt for Jewell Loyd, who's had a fairly pedestrian season so far.
But Loyd's incredibly talented, and Bird's absence could be the thing she needs to really kick her 2020 season into high gear.
Loyd's averages this season -- 9.3 points on eight shot attempts per game and 0.7 rebounds -- are bad in comparison to her career numbers, with all three of the aforementioned stats being career lows. But I'm not ready to write off a talented player because of a three-game sample when her career numbers are good. If she still can't produce with Bird out, I might start to worry, but for now, I'm taking my chances on her in this matchup.
By the way, I had some work training this morning, so no "additional notes" section for this slate, because I had to get some sleep last night. It'll be back for Sunday's games.
WNBA - DFS Forwards
Sylvia Fowles (F, Minnesota Lynx) – vs Connecticut Sun (DK: $9,700 FD: $7,300)
Fowles' price isn't rising as fast on DraftKings as on FanDuel, which is potentially great news for you if you play on the former!
Connecticut's inside defense is struggling this year with Jonquel Jones gone, making this a good opportunity for Sylvia Fowles to get her third double-double of the season. Minnesota has a ton of questions on the perimeter, which has meant that Fowles has had to basically be the Minnesota Lynx this year. It's not quite working in terms of win/loss record, but it is working from a statistical perspective for the veteran center.
And hey, the Sun allow the fourth-most points in the paint, so there's an added reason to go with Fowles!
Myisha Hines-Allen (F, Washington Mystics) – vs Chicago Sky (DK: $9,100, FD: $7,100)
Hines-Allen's also got a far cheaper DraftKings price than a FanDuel price, offering you another good chance to find value.
Hines-Allen has been incredible this season, a pretty surprising development based on her past performance. But through three games, Hines-Allen looks like an MVP candidate. 19 points per game on 61 percent shooting. 8.3 rebounds. 2.7 assists. 1.7 steals.
She's shooting 83.3 percent inside of five feet and faces a Chicago team that's allowing the fifth-most points in the paint. I like that combination.
There's just nothing that says Hines-Allen's not going to keep up her hot start, so I think we should just ride this out until she A) struggles or B) ends up costing more than we're comfortable with. Neither thing has happened yet, though the latter might be approaching on FanDuel.
Azurá Stevens (F, Chicago Sky) – vs Washington Mystics (DK: $9,500, FD: $5,200)
While we're on the subject of players whose value on one platform is vastly different than the others, let's talk about Stevens and her FanDuel value.
First off, I'm not playing Stevens on DraftKings because I hate this matchup with the Mystics too much, and she's the eighth-highest priced forward on the site.
But on FanDuel, Stevens is 17th in pricing for forwards. She's averaging 33.13 FD points per game, and that's with a 16.6 point game in the opener. Stevens has been producing both points and boards at a really strong rate.
Again, hate hate hate the matchup with Washington. But the upside with how she's priced on FD is just too great to pass up.
