Prime-Time First TD Bets — Monday Night Football, Week 16
Alex Christenson
Welcome back to another WNBA DFS season. Last year, we saw a condensed season conducted in a bubble, in which several key players opted out. Due to the conflicting seasons between the WNBA and European teams, many players will be late on their respective arrivals to their WNBA clubs. That will be something we have to navigate, in addition to the usual COVID-19 protocols.
With this article, I’ll give you my daily four-player core for WNBA DFS, along with some other interesting options to round out your player pool. A formatted model designed to offer you some building blocks, along with some analysis on the importance of the roles they will play in each slate. You’ll also see projected starting lineups for a convenient search of expected starting lineups, especially in a time where getting news may be hard to come by. With that, let’s dive into Sunday’s slate.
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Core WNBA DFS Picks for Tonight
Sabrina Ionescu ($10,000 DK, $8,000 FD)
This should be a no-brainer. Short slate, we want the best player available, and that is Sabrina Ionescu. Opening night should ease any fears of limitations to begin the season. After a double-double performance, adding six rebounds and a game-winner, Ionescu should have no issue lighting up this very same Fever team in the back-end of their home-and-home. She’ll be chalk, but this is chalk we want to eat on this slate.
Teaira McCowan ($9,800 DK, $7,000 FD)
A lot like the Ionescu play, McCowan will be chalk (as will many on a two-game slate), but there’s no path to the optimal lineup without McCowan. The Liberty did nothing to address their interior defense over the last two days, meaning they have yet to bring anyone else in, nor have gotten Natasha Howard or Kiah Stokes back. McCowan feasted on the offensive glass (12 second chance points), as well as with points in the paint (20 in the opener). There is simply no way for New York to stop McCowan.
Briann January ($6,600 DK, $3,600 FD)
Let me start by saying I prefer this play on FanDuel. On DraftKings, I’d rather have Danielle Robinson at $6,100. January did see 30 minutes in the opener, despite concerns from the Sun that she may not even be able to suit up. As long as she’s in the lineup, we should expect a similar workload, and while January isn’t a high-usage point guard, she is being underpriced on FanDuel in a matchup that does suit her well as Skylar Diggins Smith has posted a 105 Defensive Rating or worse over her last four seasons. Jonquel Jones will be locked into a more difficult matchup than she saw in the opener. We should expect a few more opportunities to come January’s way offensively.
Injury report (OUT)
Fever @ Liberty: Julie Allemand, Lauren Cox, Natasha Howard, Kiah Stokes, Leaonna Odom, Jocelyn Willoughby, Asia Durr
Mercury @ Sun: Jasmine Thomas, Alyssa Thomas, Bria Hartley
Others to consider
Guards: Betnijah Laney, Kelsey Mitchell, DeWanna Bonner, Kia Nurse, Natisha Hiedeman, Victoria Vivians, Sami Whitcomb, Danielle Robinson
Forwards: Jonquel Jones, Brittney Griner, Jessica Breland, Jantel Lavender, Michaela Onyenwere, Rebecca Allen (FD), Kylee Shook
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Projected starting lineups
Indiana Fever: PG: Danielle Robinson, SG: Kelsey Mitchell, SF: Victoria Vivians, PF: Jantel Lavender, C: Teaira McCowan
New York Liberty: PG: Sabrina Ionescu, SG: Sami Whitcomb, SF: Betnijah Laney, PF: Michaela Onyenwere, C: Kylee Shook
Phoenix Mercury: PG: Skylar Diggins Smith, SG: Diana Taurasi, SF: Kia Nurse, PF: Brianna Turner, C: Brittney Griner
Connecticut Sun: PG: Briann January, SG: Natisha Hiedeman, SF: DeWanna Bonner, PF: Brionna Jones, C: Jonquel Jones
