WNBA DFS Picks: Sunday, June 18th
I am back talking WNBA for you all and will be doing these writeups a couple times a week. We have a nice four-game slate today starting at 3:00 PM EST, and I will give you two guards, two forwards, and one player that I am fading on this slate.
My write-ups will be geared towards the big low dollar FanDuel tournament. That’s where I’ve been focusing my attention, considering it’s where the best prize is. As always, if you have any questions give me a follow on twitter @travismangone or post here in the comments section, and I will be happy to answer them.
Guards
Shenise Johnson ($4,600): Shenise Johnson benefits from Briann January being out, and while I know Erica Wheeler has been dominant with January out, this is more of a point per dollar play here. Shenise is $2,400 cheaper and coming off a bad game which could keep ownership down. Looking at her past games with January and comparing her to the other options below $5,000 at guard, she seems like the best option to get 20 FanDuel points or more. The 8.4 FanDuel point game she had was due to foul trouble and other options doing better that game so she was phased out. I would expect Johnson to have a nice bounce-back performance, as she contributes in all categories and at $4,600 I will take 20 or more FanDuel points and use that extra salary to fit in the studs.
Jewel Loyd ($6,900): Loyd gets a matchup against the worst team in the league, a team who struggles at covering guards. The Stars are awful at defending guards last year and have still struggled this year. There is a lot to love about Loyd, as she has a nice floor and upside at that price tag. She also is ranked first in usage for players who play more than 16 minutes per game. She is ranked 7th in free throw attempts per game, the Stars give up 24.1% of their points to free throws, and Loyd averages 14 field goal attempts per game. This matchup just plays well to Loyd’s style and I think she not only has a safe floor but great upside at this price. There are a plenty of cheap guards to like for upside, but at this price I know what I am getting in production, and it feels like a value for a really good player with some built-in upside.
Forwards
Elena Delle Donne ($8,500): 
Ever since Emma Meesseman went to Belgium to play, Delle Donne has been one of the best and most consistent options in the WNBA. She has played four games without her and Delle Donne has provided 40 or more FanDuel points in every game. She gets a matchup against the Dallas wings, who lead the league in pace and are second worst in the league in defensive rating this season, which should give her more opportunities for fantasy points. At a price tag of $8,500, Delle Donne is the best expensive forward option from a point per dollar standpoint, and she should continue her 40 point fantasy point streak again this Sunday.
Krystal Thomas ($4,600): When there is someone out, I like to target the opportunity as much as I can, and with no Meeseman, Thomas has certainly been a great option for only $4,600. The matchup against Dallas is too juicy, which I said before should be a fast-paced game, as they have the second worst defensive rating in the league. It’s a great matchup for Thomas and an easy price tag for her to pay off. One thing I love about this play is that we can play both Thomas and Delle Donne and be contrarian that way, because many don’t love to roster two forward players on the same team, especially on a four-game slate. The thing about that is and we see this many times in NBA that it can be profitable playing two PF and C from the same team. We can do that with Thomas and Delle Donne and I will be doing that in tournaments. You can also play Thomas with another expensive forward if you prefer, but either way I think both will pay off their price tags. Another reason to play two forwards in this matchup is that the Vegas total for this game is 173 points, which is 5, 9 and 11 points more than any other game total on the slate.
Fade of the Night
Isabelle Harrison ($5,100): I understand she has a high usage and there is tons of upside for her price tag of $5,100, but she is too inconsistent for me to play. Normally this volatility is great for tournaments, but she is coming off her best game of the season at 42.6 FanDuel points which could lead to increased ownership. This is also the lowest Vegas total on the slate and with McBride and Jefferson becoming more consistent and back to their normal roles on this offense, I am going to fade Harrison and look for her to score a game in the teens – which at that price tag it won’t help me out in tournaments.