RADIO
Justin Carter's top daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for 7/20/23. Expert WNBA DFS advice for DraftKings, FanDuel.
We've got four WNBA games on Thursday, though just three in the main slate, as the Dream and Sun playing a morning matinee. The night schedule is stacked though, beginning with Sparks/Lynx at 8 p.m. ET, followed by two games simultaneously in the 10:00 p.m. ET window, as the Sparks face the Lynx and the Sky take on the Mercury.
If you're looking for WNBA daily fantasy picks and some betting advice this season, then you're in the right place. I'll be here providing picks for any slate with two or more games.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel. These lineup picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. The slates lock on 7/20/2023 at 8:00 PM ET. Want to talk more about the WNBA? I'm always available on Twitter and always down to discuss women's basketball: @juscarts.
WNBA DFS Picks: Forward
Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury) - vs. CHI - DK: $10,200, FD: $7,800
Fans who watched the All-Star Game got a nice treat, as Brittney Griner threw down a dunk in the game.
The whole "should the rims be lowered" conversation has reared its head again and I'm not going to get into that here. I'll just say that basketball's about more than dunking, and the rarity of it in women's basketball really makes these small moments so much fun. I'm with the majority of players who say the rim height should stay where it is.
Anyway, Brittney Griner. Let's talk about her. Her scoring's been down lately, as she finished below 15 points in three of the last four games. She posted a really weird stat line against Connecticut on Tuesday, scoring 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting with five rebounds, five assists, and two blocks, but she turned the ball over seven times.
Still, I think this is a bounce-back spot for Griner. Last time she faced Chicago, she was dominant, scoring 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting while grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking four shots.
Dorka Juhasz (Minnesota Lynx) - vs. LAS - DK: $7,500, FD: $4,800
Jessica Shepard remains out due to illness, putting Juhasz in line to start once again. She's given the Lynx good minutes in the starting lineup, and while she doesn't score a ton, she adds value in other ways.
Take last game, for instance. She was just 1-for-4 with six points, but that one make was a three, and she also added 12 rebounds and blocked a shot. She's had double-digit rebounds in two of the last four games, and last game ended a streak of eight games in a row with at least two assists. Juhasz doesn't need to score to be a good play.
She's faced the Sparks twice. In one game, she played just eight minutes, but in the other, she put together a well-rounded effort, with nine points, four rebounds, three assists, one block, and two steals.
Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm) - vs. LV - DK: $7,000, FD: $5,000
Williams, who the Storm signed earlier this month, has made two appearances so far, and her shot has been off in both games, as she's a combined 1-for-12 from the floor in her return to the WNBA.
But last game, she managed to still draw a lot of fouls, which led to an 8-for-8 effort from the line. She had 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal in the loss to the Dream.
I would expect we see Williams continue to assert herself. At full strength, she's the third-best player on this team after Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor, and last year she averaged 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while being arguably just the fifth-best player. She should have an expanded role in the second half of the season.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm) - vs. LV - DK: $10,100, FD: $8,300
No player in the WNBA is asked to single-handedly carry a team in the way Jewell Loyd is. She's scored 20-plus points in four of the last five games, and that includes 39 and 41-point performances.
Last time out, Loyd was 11-for-22 from the floor, scoring 39 points and adding four rebounds and three assists. She was 9-for-16 from behind the three-point line.
It's worth noting that Aces held her pretty far below her season average when these teams last met, but she still had 17 points in that one. Loyd's volume gives her a high floor and a high ceiling.
Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces) -@ SEA - DK: $9,600, FD: $7,000
The resurgence of Kelsey Plum has actually pushed Jackie Young down to just the third-highest-priced Vegas guard on DraftKings, though she remains the top-priced one on FanDuel.
Young comes into her first post-All-Star contest having recorded five or more assists in three consecutive games. To end the first half of the season, she had 14 points, three rebounds, five assists, and two steals in a win over the Sparks.
Now, she faces the Storm. Last time she took on Seattle, the Storm had no answer, as Young was 12-for-18 from the floor, scoring 28 points.
Tiffany Mitchell (Minnesota Lynx) - vs. LAS - DK: $5,600, FD: $3,600
Mitchell was playing some solid basketball before a wrist injury cost her seven games. She was routinely playing 25-plus minutes and was getting run at point guard.
She played her first game since mid-June last time out and didn't manage to do a lot. Her shot was rusty, as she was just 1-for-5 from the floor in 17 minutes of action, scoring two points and adding one assist and one steal.
But I believe in Mitchell, and specifically, I believe that a healthy Mitchell offers enough upside as a scorer for her to siphon off some minutes from Lindsay Allen going forward. Allen's a combined 1-for-10 from the floor over the past two games.
