Hi there! I’m Glen but I go by Blande and you can find me on twitter as @DfsBlande . I’m here over at the DFS Army with coverage of WNBA. If you are not yet an Army member, join us over here for the greatest coverage in the industry on not just the WNBA but other sports as well. Use the link here and promo code “BLANDE” to get 10% off your subscription.
We are right around the mid-point on the WNBA season and the league is heating up. The race to the playoff is in full gear and the DFS Army is running along with the league. Over at the Army, we provide detailed analysis for our VIP members through our articles and slack channel, as well as tools like our WNBA Research Station. As we march towards the playoff, very detailed game breakdowns and analysis will be provided solely on slack to our VIP members, so make sure to join us. Let’s dive into this five-game slate we have tonight!
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New York Liberty @ Washington Mystics
The Liberty have struggled this season and things won’t get any easier for them in DC. The Mystics are a middle of the pack defensive team, making this a neutral spot for most Mystics players. The key targets here are Tina Charles, Brittany Boyd, Epiphany Prince, and Kia Vaughn. They all have neutral matchups, so use them sparingly. Be extremely cautious with Charles as she has underperformed this season. Shavonte Zellous and Sugar Rodgers are not in play for me today.
For the Mystics, Elena Delle Donne and Kristi Toliver have tough matchups today. The same holds true for Natasha Cloud. Better options here today are LaToya Sanders, Ariel Atkins and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt. Sanders has a good matchup at center, and should perform well in it. Atkins should be back in the lineup tonight and the small forward matchup is perfect. The same goes too for Tierra Ruffin-Pratt who will back up Atkins.
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Indiana Fever @ Dallas Wings
The Fever are coming off a huge win against the Lynx. Taking on the Wings provides another key test of their ability to turn their season around. They’ll have to rely on Candice Dupree, Victoria Vivians, and Tiffany Mitchell to lead them to victory tonight. Dupree has a dream matchup against the Wings, however caution should be used here as this could quickly turn into a blowout limiting her upside. The matchup for Tiffany Mitchell is one of the best on the board at shooting guard, however, Mitchell has been in a slump. This is a chance for her to turn things around. Victoria Vivians and Kelsey Mitchell have neutral matchups and can achieve value.
Liz Cambage has been fantastic this season, however, the matchup is not a good one today and she might struggle to hit value (you can see for yourself in a snippet from one of our WNBA tools below). The key players to target here instead are Skylar Diggins-Smith, Glory Johnson, and Allisha Gray (who is considered one of the top value plays on our Research Station). All three of them are in excellent spots and can perform in them. Johnson is back in the starting lineup and her production will rise as a result.
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Los Angeles Sparks @ Minnesota Lynx
This is the greatest rivalry currently in the WNBA. When these two teams meet, all analysis and trends fly out the window. It is a fool’s errand to try and predict what will happen here, but I’ll give it a try anyway. There are three key players for the Sparks: Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike, and Chelsea Gray. One of them will have an excellent game, while the other two will be average. Your guess on who will have the great game is as good as mine. I’ll have shares of all three in lineups, with my preference being Parker, Gray, and Ogwumike in that order. Alana Beard, Essence Carson, and Odyssey Sims are GPP only flyers!
For the Lynx, it’s even simpler. There are two players to focus on: Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore. Both have the ability to put up 40+ fantasy points in this matchup, and they’ll have to do it for the Lynx to win this game. Seimone Augustus is a GPP sleeper, with much depending on whether Alana Beard slides onto Maya Moore. Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whalen are in tough matchups and should only be used in dire conditions.
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Connecticut Sun @ Phoenix Mercury
This is a weird game, with the potential of producing some significant value plays, but also of being the killer of lineups. Chiney Ogwumike is the main play for the Sun’s today. Her matchup should be great with Sancho Lyttle out for the season. Jasmine Thomas, Rachel Banham, and Alex Bentley have neutral matchups and are in play here. A lot here will depend on how the Mercury line up, but Banham and Bentley are potentially better plays than Thomas due to price. Jonquel Jones is a fade for me due to the matchup against Griner.
The Mercury are in a pickle here. They lost Sancho Lyttle for the season, and her replacement Camille Little is battling an injury and could miss tonight’s game. As if that was not enough, Marie Gulich is away from the team, leaving only Britney Griner, DeWanna Bonner, and Angel Robinson to fill the forward and center roles. If Little can’t go tonight, the Mercury will most likely move Bonner to the 4, and Diana Taurasi to the 3, with Angel Robinson acting as backup for Bonner and Griner. This will open more playing time for Yvonne Turner and Leilani Mitchell. In such a scenario, Diana Taurasi, DeWanna Bonner, and Yvonne Turner are all in play. Britney Griner has a tough matchup, making her difficult to roster at her price. Little and Robinson offer good GPP value at min-price.
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Chicago Sky @ Las Vegas Aces
The Sky travel to Vegas tonight to take on Aces, with each team looking to pick up their 7th win of the season. For the Sky, Stefanie Dolson, Diamond DeShields, and Allie Quigley have excellent matchups. Our Research Station has DeShields as the best value on Fanduel. Do not sleep on Courtney Vandersloot here either. Vandersloot has a neutral matchup, and given her recent form, is one of the top plays tonight. The matchup for Gabby Williams and Jamierra Faulkner is neutral as well.
For the Aces, it all begins with A’ja Wilson who has a fantastic matchup. She is my top stud on the slate. The Sky have also been the worst team against centers this season, placing JiSu Park and Dearica Hamby firmly in play. My preference is Hamby over Park here, since she is the better offensive player. With Chicago being the worst defensive team in the league, Kayla McBride and Kelsey Plum are also in play here in good spots. Moriah Jefferson is still getting her legs under her, and is not yet ready to be a DFS asset.
TOP PLAYS
Guards
Elite: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Dianna Taurasi, Courtney Vandersloot, Chelsea Gray, DeWanna Bonner, Allie Quigley, Victoria Vivians
Value: Diamond DeShields, Tiffany Mitchell, Epiphany Prince, Kelsey Plum, Allisha Gray, Rachel Banham, Yvonne Turner
Forwards
Elite: A’ja Wilson, Sylvia Fowles, Candace Parker, Chiney Ogwumike, Candice Dupree, Stefanie Dolson, Glory Johnson
Value: LaToya Sanders, Dearica Hamby, JiSu Park, Camille Little*, Angel Robinson, Morgan Tuck
