The WNBA is into the final month of the regular season, and the DFS action rolls on. In this article, I’ll provide a few of my favorite building blocks on the day’s slate, my MME player pool and some of my preferred picks for the prop market. Keep in mind that staying up to date with player availability and starting lineups is just as important here as it is in NBA DFS, so make sure to check in with the FTN WNBA Discord channel for any news updates that our team finds.
We’ve got a great four-game slate in front of us Thursday night, so let’s dive in.
WNBA Picks for Today
Natasha Howard ($10,400 DK)
We started Tuesday’s breakdown with Howard, and with the same matchup looming Thursday and Satou Sabally listed as questionable, I have a high level of interest in the Wings forward once again. Howard had by far her worst fantasy performance of the three matchups between these teams in 2023 Tuesday, but even with the relatively inefficient fantasy production she didn’t tank our lineups with her 30.75 DK points in 35 minutes. Even if Sabally gives it a go, I’m still going to be rostering Howard, who has averaged 1.23 DK points per minute in 102 minutes against the Lynx this season. If Sabally is out, we should also have elevated interest in Teaira McCowan ($9.2k) and Kalani Brown ($5.3k). Assuming Brown got the spot start, she would be one of the best value plays on the slate. Brown has averaged 0.98 DK points per minute on the season, but that number jumps to 1.14 DK points per minute in a 95-minute sample without Sabally on the floor in 2023.
Alanna Smith ($8,300 DK) Jessica Shepard ($8,200 DK)
Even with four games in the WNBA Thursday, there’s not a ton of stand-out value as of this writing. So I’m looking at some mid-range options to help round out my lineups. Both Smith and Shepard are in tough matchups, but their prices are certainly taking that into account. Chicago is hosting Las Vegas tonight and are 14.5-point home underdogs. There’s a good chance the Aces run the Sky off the floor tonight and we’re looking at Smith losing time to blowout run. But she’s been the model of fantasy consistency of late and I’m not quite sure why a fantasy asset that has posted between 27 and 33 DraftKings points in each of the last five games is still $8.3k. I’m willing to take the chance that game remains competitive and we get another 30-ish minutes from Smith, who has averaged 0.97 DK points per minute on the season. Shepard goes to battle with the Wings frontcourt again, and she let down any believers Tuesday with 13.75 DK in 26.5 minutes. But the minutes are the important factor for me with Shepard, as she had seen less minutes in the previous two games against Seattle. Shep is far from a fantasy stud, averaging just 0.86 DK points per minute this season. But her size should be needed against Dallas tonight, even if Sabally doesn’t suit up. She played all 40 minutes in a game against the Wings earlier this season and even if she doesn’t get near that mark here, I have interest in Shepard at her low $8k tag.
Jordan Horston ($7,000 DK)
I’ll be considering Horston given the role she’s carved out in Noelle Quinn’s starting rotation with Gabby Williams out for the year. Horston has been awful from an offensive standpoint over the last five games, shooting just 9-40 from the field in that span. The minutes have been there for the most part over that stretch, getting just 16 minutes against Phoenix back on the 13th of this month but averaging over 27 minutes per game in the other four. Horston has produced 0.88 DK points per minute during her rookie season, a figure that has been dragged down a touch over the last two weeks with her poor performances. Seattle and Indiana have met twice in 2023, with Horston posting 28 DK in her 26 minutes in the last meeting between the two to close out the month of July, while recording just 9 DK points in her 11 minutes back in mid-June. She should carry next to no ownership and for those reasons I have interest in Horston in GPPs. Of course, you can opt for a “safer” route to Seattle guard exposure if you’ve got $600 more to get up to Sami Whitcomb. I prefer taking the shot on Horston Thursday.
WNBA MME Player Pool
(In order of salary, not preference)
Guards: Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Arike Ogunbowale, Chelsea Gray, Dewanna Bonner, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, Courtney Vandersloot, Kahleah Copper, Marina Mabrey, Diamond Miller, Kayla McBride, Sami Whitcomb, Betnijah Laney, Jordan Horston, Crystal Dangerfield, Tiffany Mitchell, DiJonai Carrington, Dana Evans, Tyasha Harris
