WNBA DFS Breakdown: Wednesday, July 19th
We have a lot of injuries on this slate and I wanted to break them down for you so we know where to go for value at these positions. I also have an important poll question that needs to be answered on my Twitter, so head over there and answer it. It is simple – who would win in a fight, a grizzly bear or a gorilla? I am team grizzly bear, but my friends and I have been debating and we need an answer.
Anyway, on to the four-game WNBA slate, which starts at 11:00 AM EST, so make sure to not forget about the early lock time! As always, give me a follow on Twitter at travismangone, as I will tweet out any news regarding the WNBA and answer all your questions.
Phoenix Mercury: With Griner out and Taurasi projected out (she missed the last game due to an undisclosed reason, so monitor starting lineups in case she’s back), we have value to be had at both forward and guard on this slate. Let’s start first with Taurasi, who is the high-usage guard on the team. The three guards to talk about that seem to be the biggest candidates for the best performance are Monique Currie, Leilani Mitchell, and Danielle Robinson. Monique Currie had a 26% usage last game and had the second-most shot attempts, shooting 3-for-10. Despite that poor shooting performance, for $3,400 she had 18.4 FanDuel points. Currie is probably my favorite guard option for the Mercury because she is not afraid to shoot and when the Liberty (her former team) had tons of guards out she really stepped up in a big way. I think this is a great spot for the veteran to step up and get up enough shots to be a top value on this slate. Next up is Danielle Robinson, who is more of a pass-first defensive guard. Robinson had a 25% usage and filled up the stat sheet. I also think she is a great value play from the Mercury and you could not go wrong taking her over Currie as well. Next is Leilani Mitchell, who is very streaky, and I would rather take my chances with the other guards, but I might get a little bit of exposure to her and prefer the other guards. If Taurasi is back, she’s a fine play and could carry the load with Griner out.
Next is Brittney Griner, who was having a career year and is just not easy to replace the production she had. Last game, the starting forwards were Camille Little, Angel Robinson (center), and Stephanie Talbot who is listed as a guard. Little had a bad game against a tough Minnesota matchup. I am going to give her a pass and play her in a matchup against the Fever, who are awful at defending down low. I think Little could be in for a big game here and should try to fill the void for Griner in the front court. Angel Robinson had a big game stepping up in Griner’s position, and I wouldn’t be shocked if she had a good game again. If you think Little is too much in your construction, I am happy with going to Robinson as well. Talbot is someone I don’t think you need to go to at guard with all the other Mercury guards. The real question is, and it is only a one game sample size, but what do we do with Yvonne Turner? I think I will let others chase her and play the other forwards I have talked about. Turner had a nice usage off the bench but scored most her production because she shot 7-for-12 from the field. I understand she’s cheap, and I will let others game log chase and hope that the other Mercury options perform better. The last game was also a blowout and she could have received more run because of that since she was shooting well. – UPDATE – I think Taurasi plays; it seems like they just rested her last game and I don’t hate the idea of playing her with an OUT tag on the sites to get low ownership on her. Also not as high on these guards if you are playing them; be sure to be ready to pivot if Taurasi plays.
Indiana Fever: Shenise Johnson is out for the season, and there are still undervalued guards that we can take advantage of. Briann January on FanDuel is listed at $4,400, which is still a tag I would like to take advantage of. In her last three games, she has had over 30 or more minutes and just seems like the option they will continue to go too with Johnson out. Tiffany Mitchell also has an interesting price tag for only $3,400 on FanDuel. I could see going to her also as a cheap tournament play, but the problem is we have a ton of guard value, so is she necessary? I am not going to go all in on her or anything, but I think for her price tag she can be an interesting play at guard for tournaments. If she gets going from the field, she could easily take over this game and have a nice outing for cheap. Erica Wheeler has sort of been lost since Johnson has gone down. She has really struggled, but her price tag has gone down. I could see January being the most popular guard on the Fever (for good reason), but if you think paying up a little more to Wheeler makes sense, I wouldn’t argue over it. So you might hate this answer, but they are all in play; I think it just depends on your construction. January and Wheeler have seen the highest usage, so they seem like the best plays, but if you need savings to Mitchell, I get it. January’s minutes since Johnson went down give her a slight bump for me, but I think Wheeler and her are both good plays. Mitchell is someone I wouldn’t be jamming in your lineups, but if she allows you to get a ton of plays that you like and Mitchell falls in your last guard spot I don’t hate it because she should be low-owned and if she is making shots she can have a big day.
Washington Mystics: If you read my articles, you understand that I am big fan of Emma Meesseman. I think on DraftKings for $9,000, she is still in play, but on FanDuel for only $5,600 against an Atlanta team on a back-to-back, I love this spot for her. I think she is a lock for at least 20 fantasy points, and for $5,600 I don’t mind taking that when she has upside to her as well with Delle Donne gone. I am not hitting the lock button on her for this slate, but I think she is a play that you will want exposure to. Meesseman had a 33% usage in Delle Donne’s last game out and the game she got hurt she had a 24% usage. In the 33% usage game with no Delle Donne, she also only played 23 minutes due to the blowout. Washington is currently a four-point favorite in this spot, and although it is the lowest total on the board and I don’t want to go overboard jamming players from this game in, I think Meesseman is a good play on this slate. Tierra Ruffin-Pratt also gets a nice bump with Taylor Hill out. Ruffin-Pratt had the third highest usage at 24.1% only played 18 minutes and shot 1-for-7. People will see this and shy away from her, but for $4,000 I think this is a good spot for her to bounce back. I don’t expect her to play this bad in this game and hopefully after one game with no Hill and Delle Donne she can bounce back with a nice performance.
Dallas @ Minnesota: This game is a 170.5 total and a nice pace boost for the Minnesota Lynx. We are also seeing Fowles and Maya Moore specifically on FanDuel at cheaper price tags. I want to take advantage of them there even though they are a -15 favorite. That is the one concern I have with the Lynx – if I knew this game was competitive I would load up on those two, but that is the one reason I am a little cautious. Either way at those price tags and even on DraftKings I think they are good plays too.
Connecticut @ New York: This situation has all healthy players in it and should be the most competitive game on the slate, with a 162 total and Connecticut a -2.5 favorite. I love the price tag of Jasmine Thomas against the Liberty tomorrow for only $9,100 on DraftKings. That is a bargain for the team leader in usage, shot attempts, and minutes. Jasmine Thomas is averaging 28.8 DraftKings points per game on the season, and this price tag has a nice floor with upside on this slate. If you have the money for Charles I understand paying up for her, but I will likely play Jonquel Jones or Alyssa Thomas for at least $2,000 cheaper. I think between Alyssa Thomas, Jasmine Thomas, and Jonquel Jones they are all great plays at this price tag in a closely contested game. I expect the Sun to lean heavily on their big three making them all plays I want exposure to. I would rather play them than pay up for Charles, and with all the forward options, I will likely do my best to be underweight on her at that price tag. I understand the upside Charles can have, and if she fits my construction, I have no issues, but I do think between all the forward options on the slate we don’t need to prioritize Charles. If I want Liberty exposure, I will likely take a shot on one of the guards.