After a week full of day time games, things get back to normal on Friday with a three-game slate that's all at night. As fun as it is to have WNBA games during the early afternoon, it makes it a lot easier to have the games at night.
I'll be providing daily fantasy lineup picks for the WNBA this season here at RotoBaller. In addition, I'll be sprinkling in some basic betting picks. Not going to get complicated since there's limited space in this piece, but I'll throw you a bet or two each day that I like and, because I think this is important, that I'll be making myself.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 7/22/22. These lineups picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. The slates lock on 7/22/2022 at 8:00 p.m. ET. 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 Picks: Forward
Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm) - @ PHO - DK: $10,800; FD: $8,700
The Mercury are playing small and they're playing their starters heavy minutes. That's good news for the Storm, who should be able to take advantage of the Mercury's tired legs and the mismatches. Brianna Turner can't cover everyone. She might try to cover Stewie, but I'm not sure that's the best use of her, as it would leave Ezi Magbegor matched up inside with...Sophie Cunningham? Which is why I think the Mercury won't get cute with this and will let their center guard the other team's center, leading to a great chance for Stewart to explode. We haven't seen her against the Mercury yet this season, but Stewart does have three 20-plus point games in her last four and is always a threat to put up 40-plus fantasy points.
Brionna Jones (Connecticut Sun) - @ MIN - DK: $8,800; FD: $8,100
Jonquel Jones missed last game due to health and safety protocols. This pick is being made under the assumption that she won't be back on Friday either. With Jonquel out, Brionna Jones played 34 minutes, going 9-for-15 from the floor with 21 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal. The Sun should continue to use her down low regardless of Jonquel's situation, but it would obviously up her ceiling if JJ is out again.
Natalie Achonwa (Minnesota Lynx) - vs CON - DK: $5,600; FD: $5,400
Damiris Dantas has stepped away from the Lynx, so her 10-ish minutes per game will need to be distributed somewhere. It's between Achonwa or Nikolina Milic for those minutes and since Achonwa is already in the rotation, I would guess we see more of her. Not a great matchup here, but Achonwa has double-digit fantasy points in three consecutive games and if she winds up playing around 25 minutes because of the Dantas news, she should have a chance to return some decent value here. Boring play, but there's a clear reason to sprinkle Achonwa into some lineups.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Skylar Diggins-Smith (Phoenix Mercury) - vs SEA - DK: $10,700; FD: $6,600
The Mercury have no depth. None. Until Diamond DeShields is back, the starting five will all play over 30 minutes per game.
That's not a good thing for the Mercury, a team that I'm sure wants to win basketball games. But it is good for Skylar Diggins-Smith's fantasy value, as she's forced to do basically everything on this team. While her efficiency has been down, her high workload and her ability to garner assists and rebounds have put SDS on a strong run, as she's now had 30-plus fantasy points in seven consecutive games. This matchup isn't ideal, but the volume should win out.
Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm) - @ PHO - DK: $9,000; FD: $6,600
Like I mentioned above with Stewie, the Mercury are going to be tired. The team has allowed the second-most points per game in the W this season and will be playing a SDS and Diana Taurasi backcourt for like 35 minutes. That's not great defensively, which is why I think we should load up on the top Storm players. Loyd is coming off of an 18-point game against the Sky, her fifth game in a row with double-digit points. She had a rough patch back in late June/early July, but that appears to be behind her.
Julie Allemand (Chicago Sky) - vs DAL - DK: $4,900; FD: $4,600
Courtney Vandersloot is set to miss another game with a concussion, which should put Allemand in a good position to succeed. She didn't really do much last game, finishing with four points on 2-for-4 shooting with two rebounds and two assists, but the game before, Allemand had eight assists. This Sky offense is built for passing and at this salary, I'm taking a chance on the player who'll be playing point guard in the offense, even if her lack of scoring chances does lead to a lower ceiling than I might like.
WNBA Betting Picks for 7/22/2022
Looking to make some WNBA bets? Let's look at some options for you.
Yesterday's Results: 2-1
Money Line Picks For 7/22
Let's keep it simple today. Here are my picks to win today's games:
Sky over Wings
Sun over Lynx
Storm over Mercury
Sure, there could be an upset here, but we have three teams over .500 playing three teams under .500, and while the Sun and Storm will have to do it on the road, there's just a huge talent gap in each of these games, which is why I'm taking all the favorites.