WNBA DFS Playbook: May 13
Early in the WNBA season is often the time we see the biggest discrepancies in pricing between DraftKings and FanDuel. That is certainly the case in Friday’s WNBA DFS slate. Barring some surprise starters once lineups are announced, most of the best values appear to be on DraftKings. For that reason, I am far more lineup to go stars-and-scrubs on DraftKings than on FanDuel. I would love to fit A’ja Wilson and Elena Delle Donne in all of my lineups but that looks nearly impossible considering the pricing on FanDuel. The WNBA season start in 2022 has gotten off to a BANG, so let's dive into my top plays, value options, and more!
Guards | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Betnijah Laney | NY | IND | 8600 | 20.5 | ### | 18.80 |
| It was nice to see Laney play 31 minutes and get up 12 shots in her first game of the season Wednesday. She struggled with her shot and turned the ball over three times but if she cleans up those aspects she could easily produce an elite fantasy game at a discount price. | ||||||
| Rhyne Howard | ATL | LV | 8500 | 38.88 | ### | 39.85 |
| Howard might be 100 percent owned in DK lineups and I am still playing her. She has at least 38.5 fantasy points in both of her games despite shooting just 33 percent overall. For all of the Aces strengths, perimeter defense is not one of them. I am willing to pay up for Howard on FD as well though she is probably a bit riskier than her performance in her first two games would indicate. | ||||||
| Chelsea Gray | LV | ATL | 7400 | 19.58 | ### | 19.67 |
| Gray sprained her ankle during training camp and the injury has limited her minutes and effectiveness to this point in the season. Gray has averaged at least 25 FPPG in five consecutive seasons, and it is only a matter of time before she returns to that level of production. | ||||||
| Jocelyn Willoughby | NY | IND | 4600 | 19.25 | ### | 19.85 |
| With Betnijah Laney back, it looks like Willoughby will split time relatively evenly with Sami Whitcomb. I cannot for the life of me figure out why Whitcomb costs $3100 more than Willoughby on DK. Willoughby looks like the best cheap guard on DK and it isn't particularly close. | ||||||
| Kelsey Mitchell | IND | NY | 9700 | 31 | ### | 29.03 |
| With all due respect to Rhyne Howard, Kelsey Mitchell is probably the safest guard on Friday's WNBA DFS slate. She has at least 16 field goal attempts and at least 26.75 fantasy points in all three games this season. | ||||||
Forwards | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Dearica Hamby | LV | ATL | 8900 | 33 | ### | 31.43 |
| Hamby has at least 37.25 fantasy points in two of her three games. With Liz Cambrage gone, Hamby is an elite DFS play even if she isn't quite priced like it yet. | ||||||
| Stefanie Dolson | NY | IND | 4300 | 10.12 | ### | 9.40 |
| Dolson is my favorite player in the entire league, so take this recommendation with a grain of salt. That being said, she is awfully cheap considering she has played at least 24 minutes in both games this season. More importantly, Indiana does not have anyone who can match her size and physicality inside. It is obviously difficult to trust Dolson but I certainly think she belongs in tournament lineups. | ||||||
| Elena Delle Donne | WAS | DAL | #### | 38.75 | ### | 39.85 |
| The only question we have ever had about Elena Delle Donne has been health and she has answered that question so far this season. It will be interesting to see if she plays the three now that Alysha Clark is back but regardless of the position I don't think Dallas has an answer for her. | ||||||
| Myisha Hines-Allen | WAS | DAL | 8700 | 30.83 | ### | 30.80 |
| Hines-Allen is averaging at least 1.13 fantasy points per minute for the third consecutive season. She has played 29 minutes in each of her last two games and if the Mystics ever play a game decided by single digits she could actually top 30 minutes. She is as safe as any forward on the slate and she is the cheapest of the elite forwards. | ||||||
| Teaira McCowan | DAL | WAS | 9500 | 0 | ### | 29.24 |
| I feel like McCowan is the ultimate GPP play. She was 11th in fantasy points per minute last season but she inexplicably averaged just 26.5 minutes per game. She shouldn't have much competition for minutes, and I wouldn't be shocked if she leads the slate in fantasy points Friday. That being said, we don't really know what to expect in her first game with her new team, and it is possible she will just never be consistent for fantasy no matter what team she plays for. | ||||||
| Alysha Clark | WAS | DAL | 3600 | 0 | ### | |
| Mystics head coach Mike Thibault said he is going to try to limit Clark to around 20 minutes in her first WNBA game in nearly two years, but that should be plenty of time considering her price on DraftKings. Clark averaged 0.84 fantasy points per minute in 2020 and if she does that Friday she will easily justify her spot in your DFS lineup. | ||||||
| A'ja Wilson | LV | ATL | #### | 41.08 | ### | 40.97 |
| The biggest challenge in Friday's slate may be deciding which frontcourt players from Washington and Las Vegas not to play. I think Wilson is my favorite play of the slate, though she obviously isn't cheap. Elena Delle Donne did a great job against Wilson Tuesday but Atlanta doesn't have anyone who can match her athleticism. If I can find enough cheap plays in the slate, I'm paying up for Wilson. | ||||||
| Queen Egbo | IND | NY | 6500 | 21.67 | ### | 23.87 |
| Egbo is 12th in fantasy points per minute among players with at least 20 minutes played this season. She came off the bench Tuesday after rolling her ankle on Sunday, but I expect her to return to the starting lineup after finishing the win over Minnesota. If Egbo starts and plays 30 minutes she will probably outperform her price, though there is a chance she continues to split time relatively evenly with Alanna Smith. | ||||||
| Theresa Plaisance | LV | ATL | 6800 | 15.58 | ### | 15.70 |
| It is impossible to square her production with her price on FanDuel. Her minutes have been a bit inconsistent which is worrisome but she has double-digit FD fantasy points in all three games this season. | ||||||
Draftkings Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | A'ja Wilson | $11,200 |
| Elena Delle Donne | $10,700 | |
| Mid Tier | Queen Egbo | $6,500 |
| Rhyne Howard | $8,500 | |
| Value Tier | Jocelyn Willoughby | $4,600 |
| Alysha Clark | $3,600 | |
Fanduel Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | A'ja Wilson | $8,700 |
| Rhyne Howard | $7,800 | |
| Mid Tier | Kelsey Mitchell | $6,100 |
| Myisha Hines-Allen | $6,600 | |
| Value Tier | Stefanie Dolson | $4,600 |
| Theresa Plaisance | $3,900 | |
Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football, Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Basketball content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!
Dominate your NBA DFS contests today with our Player Projections, Lineup Generator, & Draft Percentage Forecaster