WNBA DFS Breakdown: Friday, September 1st
Mangone takes a look at the five-game WNBA slate giving you some of his favorite plays on the board. He’ll also run over his favorite fade for the night.
Friday, September 1st
Brittney Griner: Griner is in the best DFS game of the day: it’s the highest over under and there’s only a one-point spread. Plus, she’s at home against the third best team in the league. Griner had 37 minutes and 47.1 FanDuel points in her last outing, finally looking like herself again, and she has secure minutes again, which we have not seen coming back from injury. The price tag of only $7,800 is also very appealing her and makes Griner one of my favorite forward plays on this slate.
This feels like a great game for the Mercury to really gauge what their team looks like for the playoffs, so I expect them to lean on Griner in this matchup. A showdown against Jonquel Jones is not the easiest, but with some teams securing playoffs and playing mediocre teams, I like the idea of this being a competitive playoff type atmosphere. I also love seeing Griner get 37 minutes in her last game. At this price tag I just think the ceiling that Griner can have is too high to pass up.
Kayla McBride: With Moriah Jefferson out the past three games, we have seen McBride average 37 minutes and 20 FanDuel points per game. For $4,700 I don’t hate what McBride has been doing, and it is clear at this price tag she has more upside than most. In her last outing against the Liberty, she put up 41.2 FanDuel points, and the Liberty are poor at defending jump shooting guards, so I expect McBride to have a nice day in this spot. She has shot 15-for-40 in her last three games, which is not great, but with her shooting that poorly and still averaging 20 FanDuel points per game, it just seems like a great bounce-back spot here with a built-in floor and immense upside.
I understand this is the lowest total on the board, but the price, minutes and shot attempts are just too good to pass up. You can also go to a cheaper option like Plum if you want exposure to the Stars guard plays, but I truly think the best way to take advantage of Jefferson’s injury and capture the most upside is through McBride.
Jasmine Thomas: For a price tag of $5,300, I love the upside in the highest total and closest spread game of tonight. Thomas has not been dominating since she came back from injury, but for this price she still has great upside, and she draws a nice matchup against the Mercury. Thomas could really have a nice shooting day against Taurasi here. With Griner protecting the paint, this could lead to many jumpers for Thomas, and if she gets going expect her to keep shooting. She also has a nice floor, with her usage and picking up of stats in all other categories. For this price tag, I like using Jasmine Thomas as a way to get exposure to the Connecticut Sun.
Elena Delle Donne: Washington still has some injuries they are dealing with, and Delle Donne has returned from injury scorching hot, posting 46.7 FanDuel points in her last two games. I get she is the most expensive on the board, but with Washington lacking much offense, it seems Delle Donne should be asked to carry the load the rest of the way. Washington has clinched playoffs already, but against a team like Seattle and with home court advantage still up for grabs, I expect them to show up here. Breana Stewart is not a defender to be worried about down low, so I would expect if the shots are falling for Delle Donne to have a big game in this spot.
Fade of the Night: The fade of the night for me is Allie Quigley at $7,000. I really don’t like how points dependent she can be, and for that price in the toughest matchup on the board this seems like an easy pass. In her last game against Minnesota she had 21.1 FanDuel points, and taking a point dependent player at this price in a difficult matchup just sounds like a recipe for disaster. Staying away from Quigley and paying up for a top tier forward on this slate sounds like more of an optimal strategy, given I see there being more upside at the value guard spots than the value forward spots.