Thursday’s WNBA DFS slate does not have a ton of injuries. That’s a rarity looking back at recent slates, while we also get three games to work with. Could the WNBA have done us all a favor and took the night off to let us focus on the NFL Kickoff Game? Yep, sure could have.
Alas, there is still money to be made. It’s still a dicey spot, as two of the games have spreads at 9.5 or higher. That could make the Lynx vs. Aces game the chalky stack. By default, I’m tempted to shy way from that game, but in cash games it should be where you start your build process.
With that said, let’s get to my favorite WNBA DFS picks for tonight at DraftKings.
Aziaha James, G, Wings ($5.4k)
James is presently popping as the top value of the slate. She’s cheap, projects for 27 minutes, and has a good projection for her price. She also happens to be the best P/$ play at the moment.
If she is chalk I can see the argument in fading her, as she missed her last two games due to an ankle injury. However, Dallas has little reason not to play her, and she did log 33 minutes in her last outing.
Dallas could be extra shorthanded, too. Arike remains sidelined, while Haley Jones and Luisa Geiselsoder are both out as well. In addition, Myisha Hines-Allen is Q to suit up tonight.
This means Dallas options across the board are going to stand out more than usual, but as mentioned, it also could mean they get stomped in a game where they’re sizable underdogs. Given that reality, I think targeting a cheaper option like James feels better than committing funds to Paige Bueckers.
Alyssa Thomas, F, Mercury ($12.2k)
Once again, I am loving Alyssa Thomas. We know who she is at this point; not necessarily an elite scorer, but the offense runs through her and she does literally everything. A triple-double threat every single time she touches the floor, she is a smash play, even at this price.
The reality is she is not that far behind A’ja Wilson in terms of projection, but she is the better value by light years, coming in at $2.4k cheaper. You can also pivot to Napheesa Collier. This doesn’t feel like the slate to pay almost $15k for Wilson. I am rostering Thomas, Collier, or both (in that order).
Veronica Burton, G, Valkyries ($10.7k)
While I am down for paying for both Thomas and Collier, it’s not the preferred approach tonight. Instead, I’d much rather pay less to get Burton, who projects almost the same as Collier.
Burton didn’t smash as a core play the other day, but she has been rock solid for quite some time now – which has seen her salary be driven up. She’s not cheap, but she has the 4th best projection of the slate and is severely discounted compared to the other options in her projection range.
Golden State also is banged up, so there should be even more usage than usual to be had here. Additionally, if the Valkyries are down some key bodies, it’s possible their 11.5 point spread advantage could be a bit misleading.
That could be a sneaky game to target for both sides.
FanDuel WNBA Core
- Burton
- Fagbenle
- Thomas
Burton is crazy cheap on FD so she is a lock for me. In my opinion, she is the top stud there based on price, projection and P/$ value. That said, it’s the same situation with Alyssa Thomas, as she projects very well and is way cheaper than Wilson and slightly cheaper than Collier.
Can you build a winning lineup if you fade all three of the top studs? I don’t really want to try to survive all of them nuking. One is bound to explode and my money is on Thomas simply because she offers the best combination of value and ceiling.
Fagbenle is viable on both sites, but she stands out a bit more on FD. The aforementioned James is a direct pivot, but considering you need the extra roster spot, I would probably just play them together.
As I said before, targeting a non-Aces/Lynx game makes a lot of sense. However, simply by not paying for Wilson or Collier, we could be getting different enough.
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