RADIO
Welcome back to another day of WNBA basketball! Yesterday, the Connecticut Sun continued their disappointing 2020 season, falling to 0-5 on the season. Will the New York Liberty join them in the 0-5 club today? We have a pretty tough slate today, especially at guard, where there's not a true standout stud to play.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/5/20. 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
Chelsea Gray (G, Los Angeles Sparks) – vs Indiana Fever (DK: $7,900, FD: $5,500)
Let's start with Chelsea Gray. This year hasn't started out well for one of the WNBA's best point guards, as she's seen drops in scoring, efficiency, and rebounds.
A big part of that has been her struggles from deep, as she's shooting 7.7 percent from three so far. Yikes. But Gray has shot at least 38.2 percent from three for three consecutive seasons, so it's fair to say this bad start isn't indicative of who Gray is as a player.
Indiana is allowing the fewest made threes per game this season, so there's definite worry, but two teams on today's slate allow a lower three-point field goal percentage than the Fever, so it's not all terrifying on that front. Indiana also allows the fewest assists per game.
None of that is good for Gray! So, why recommend her? Because as I said in the opening, this is a rough slate for guards, so I'm taking a swing on two assumptions: Gray's 2020 performance and Indiana's 2020 backcourt defense are both mirages.
Julie Allemand (G, Indiana Fever) – vs Los Angeles Sparks (DK: $7,400, FD: $5,300)
A better play on DraftKings than FanDuel because of her price, Allemand is interesting on this so-so slate because the Sparks actually allow the most assists in the WNBA and the highest three-point field goal percentage to their opponents.
The Belgian rookie is coming off her best game, a 10-point, nine-assist effort against Atlanta. She had seven rebounds and two steals as well, and now has multiple steals in three of her four games. She also had 11 assists against Dallas.
A lot of people thought Allemand would be pretty good in the WNBA, but she's ahead of schedule already. That she's played 30-plus minutes in each game helps establish a good minutes floor as well.
Kia Nurse (G, New York Liberty) – vs Minnesota Lynx (DK: $6,400, FD: $5,200)
Another player I like more on DraftKings because of her price is Kia Nurse. An ankle injury has kept the 2019 All-Star from playing like she did last year, but she finally looked healthy in New York's last game.
In that one, Nurse had 17 points, struggling to shoot the ball (she was 3-for-17) but also showing that a healthy Nurse is going to get some wild volume with Sabrina Ionescu out. She should also start to pick up more assists, serving as a secondary ball-handler now.
As long as DraftKings is pricing Nurse like she's bad, I'm going to want Nurse as an upside play.
Additional Notes: I love Ariel Atkins, but lot of mouths to feed in Washington, so her price scares me. Crystal Dangerfield has a good matchup against New York and can be considered a good value in a depleted Lynx backcourt. And a deep, deep sleeper? Kennedy Burke, who should see more usage with Victoria Vivians out.
WNBA - DFS Forwards
Sylvia Fowles (F, Minnesota Lynx) – vs New York Liberty (DK: $10,500 FD: $7,500)
My concern with Fowles is that this game has blow-out potential, but I think it's still worth the risk because her upside against the Liberty is tremendous.
New York allows the fifth-most second chance points and while they aren't among the league's worst teams when it comes to points in the paint allowed, they do allow the fifth-highest field goal percentage to opponents, the most rebounds, and the second-most blocks.
Well, hey, Fowles has the fourth-highest field goal percentage of players taking at least four shots per game, is the league-leader in rebounds per game, and is fourth in blocks per game. That sounds like a good recipe for success against New York!
Aerial Powers (F, Washington Wizards) – vs Las Vegas Aces (DK: $9,500, FD: $6,400)
It's become the Aerial Powers show in Washington.
Sure Emma Meesseman, Ariel Atkins, and Myisha Hines-Allen have been key players too, but Powers keeps filling up the stat sheet for the Mystics. She has a pair of 20-point games this year, three games with at least five rebounds, at least two assists per contest, and a pair of games with multiple steals.
Vegas is allowing the fourth-most made field goals per game this season and while they do have the third-best defensive rating, they've also played some young, inconsistent teams so far, holding Atlanta and Dallas to 70 points apiece. They struggled to slow down with Chicago and Phoenix though, and Washington fits in with the latter two teams more than the former ones.
Dearica Hamby (F, Las Vegas Aces) – vs Washington Mystics (DK: $8,500, FD: $5,800)
Hamby -- Vegas's do-it-all bench forward -- remains pretty undervalued.
No, she's not going to be starting games unless we get an injury to Carolyn Swords or A'ja Wilson, but Hamby has played between 26 and 29 minutes in each game, scoring in double figures in all four of them. She missed her three threes against Dallas, but it was good to see her take more of them, raising her DFS ceiling, and she's got at least five rebounds in each game.
Hamby's also a good passer. Nicknamed the team's "Big Guard," she had four assists against Dallas. Getting the ball into her hands more often will help this Vegas offense, so hopefully Sunday's game is a sign of Hamby's future usage.
Additional Notes: Look, Emma Meesseman rules, but how is she still the highest-priced forward on DraftKings? Don't think her price is right in that matchup. Damiris Dantas is a good value in a good matchup. Teaira McCowan's always an upside play, but has been a little too inconsistent at times this year. And for some deep sleeper names, Leaonna Odom was part of New York's best lineup in their last game. She could see an uptick in usage in this one.
