WNBA DFS Breakdown: Saturday, August 12th
WNBA Breakdown 8/12/2017
Dallas @ Connecticut (-10) 176.5
This game is a simple one – stack it up!! The Sun are missing Jasmine Thomas and play against one of the fastest paced teams in the league in Dallas. This game should be loaded with fantasy goodness and if I were you I would want to have at least one game stack here. The other totals on the slate are 157.5, 157.5 and 165.5. There are some fantasy options that we want especially with injuries to the Sun. With one of the Sun big three down I want to go after Jonquel Jones and Alyssa Thomas at forward because Dallas struggles against opposing forwards. Jones should easily be able to dominate on the boards here and I would expect a big game from her. I love Alyssa Thomas here too especially on DraftKings at $2500 cheaper than Jones. On FanDuel, Jones is only $500 more and I think at their price tags they are playable on both sites but you can easily just buy their price tag on each site and I think have a great start to your rosters. I also don’t hate playing both if they fit because they can both have good outings. It wouldn’t be something I do across all my lineups but I don’t mind it. Jones will also be guarding Glory Johnson who gets a good amount of looks down low which could lead to a bunch of block opportunities for Jonquel. Besides the Sun stars we have value to attack at guard with Bentley, Williams and Stricklen. On FanDuel specifically, Stricklen is almost the minimum at $3200 and could be cheap enough to allow you to fit in one extra stud so she is more in play over there. On DraftKings, I would prefer to get exposure to Bentley at the price tag of $6200 and the usage and production she has seen with Thomas out has been a solid floor with upside. Courtney Williams, I think is playable on both sites and has extreme upside. The best way for me to play these Sun value guards are to get exposure to them where I see them as a value and I suggest you do the same on FanDuel and DraftKings because this helps you get exposure to all of the guards and buy low on their salary.
The Sun have not been a team to be feared with on defense so we want to obviously play some of these Wings players as well. Skylar Diggins-Smith is in play on every slate because of the upside that she has. I like throwing her in my game stacks because if this game stays close I expect Dallas to lean on their best player most the game especially in the fourth quarter. If you can’t afford Diggins but want exposure I like doing it through Alisha Gray who is always a safe and consistent option. I have not talked about Glory Johnson who has 35.2, 41.1 and 49.5 FanDuel points in her last 3 games. She has extreme upside on almost every slate and with her given streak I assume there could be some decent ownership on her. I think there is merit to fading her because of the ownership she could have but personally on a four-game slate I think I will get exposure to her because this game is such a huge total and I expect a lot of production here and I think Johnson will be part of it.
Indiana @ Washington (-6.5) 157.5
The Fever are a team that have been difficult it’s simple to tell you what will happen which ever guard between Wheeler, Mitchell and January gets hot will get the usage and shot attempts so this situation is awfully like the Liberty’s guards now. There is merit to sprinkling these guards in but on a four-game slate I don’t think we must but it is certainly viable. The Fever Forwards is very simple though and I like playing Candice Dupree here at her depressed price tag. We used to pay a lot more for her but $5100 on FanDuel and $7900 on DraftKings is cheaper than she has been. She has also rounded back into form and I think she is a safe option here that we can go to if you want exposure to the Fever.
The Mystics are still injured with Delle Donne down and their guards banged up. I would love to play Emma Meesseman but for her price I prefer playing Jones on FanDuel on DraftKings it is more of a conversation. Meesseman is a strong option but if you don’t want to pay up for an option like her we can go cheaper for Washington exposure which is what I prefer. I can easily get exposure to this game a cheaper option in Tierra Ruffin-Pratt $3900 FanDuel and $6100 DraftKings. Ruffin-Pratt bust day at high ownership was awful and I hope that doesn’t happen here but I think this is a good spot for her. With Delle Donne out there is a lot of usage that needs to go around and Pratt is a small forward that needs usage to produce and get her way to fantasy value. With no Delle Donne she sees a nice bump and for that price we can get some decent value out of her. With Delle Donne out we also have Kristi Tolliver who is needed to help on the scoring end. With other guards going down too she has been forced into more usage which has helped gives her some assists. She is normally like Klay Thompson threes or bust but with many of their high usage players down she has been forced to do more and I like her price tag a ton on DraftKings for $7400. I don’t mind her on FanDuel but if your noticing a common theme her she can be played on FanDuel but I will get more of my exposure to her on DraftKings.
Atlanta (-10) @ San Antonio 157.5
Atlanta Dream really screwed a good thing up fantasy wise by trading with Chicago. Since that trade production has really gone down for a lot of these girls and in the lowest game total on the slate against a slow-paced team like the stars I might pass on the Dream. They used to have a small 5-woman rotation but adding the extra pieces made them a better team but not as valuable in fantasy now especially since their prices have been increasing all year. The Dream are 10-point favorites but on a 10-game slate the Dream will be my fade of the night and I will say not one of them will be on the winning tournament team.
San Antonio Stars are big underdogs in a low total game but with Moriah Jefferson out we have value that we can get exposure to. Kayla McBride and Kelsey Plum can be risky because the coach is the worst but with Moriah Jefferson out they see a bump in usage and opportunities. These are not plays I want to be highly exposed to but I think they are worth sprinkling in your tournaments because of the upside they have. Isabelle Harrison is someone I always talk about who has 40-point upside on almost any slate but I don’t love the matchup. Harrison did score 33 FanDuel points in this same matchup and will be needed down low to cover Elizabeth Williams so I could talk myself into getting some exposure to Harrison. Again, this is not a team I want to be overexposed to because they are the biggest underdogs on the slate and in the lowest total.
Seattle @ Phoenix (-3) 165.5
Breanna Stewart has arguably the highest upside on any slate but in a matchup where one of the best defenders in the league Britney Griner I will pass. Stewart is the highest priced player in the league against one of the best defenders in the league so I don’t think we need to go there. If you want exposure to Seattle Jewell Loyd or Sue Bird would be the option to throw in because Phoenix struggles against guards. Loyd is priced up which is annoying but if you have the money for her I don’t hate it. If you want to take a walk down narrative street Sue Bird and Dianna Taurasi are lifelong friends and stars of the league kind of like D Wade and LBJ. I don’t hate getting some cheap guard exposure to Sue Bird if you want but Seattle is not a super appealing option to me on this slate and despite the total I don’t love this game.
Yes, you heard me right Griner is back and personally at that price tag I don’t think I will play her much(possible minutes restriction) and take the wait and see approach on her but her defense keeps me off Griner. I also think playing Taurasi now at this price is laughable when you can play someone like Diggins-Smith at the same price on FanDuel and only $600 on DraftKings. I do think Monique Currie’s role in the offense is not going to disappear but an above 30% usage will and at that price we need to let others chase those game logs. I still think she will be a productive option off the bench and she was so good I doubt her role will just disappear but she is just too priced up now for the role that she will be in. I am going to pass on most of Phoenix today because I just think there are better options.