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Justin Carter's top daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for 5/16/21. Expert WNBA DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for DraftKings and FanDuel.
After the first Monday off of the WNBA season, the league is back in action on Tuesday.
Three games on this slate, including a rematch of the Aces and Storm from Saturday. Plus, the 2-0 Liberty face their first real test as they host the Minnesota Lynx.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/18/21. These lineups picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. Want to talk more about the WNBA? I'm always available on Twitter and always down to discuss women's basketball: @juscarts.
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WNBA - DFS Guards
Betnijah Laney (G, New York Liberty) – vs Minnesota Lynx (DK: $10,200, FD: $6,700)
Laney has been one of the best surprises of this season, averaging 25 points per game so far on 48.6 percent shooting. After a strong 2020 campaign, there were concerns from some that she wouldn't be able to keep things going.
Defenses seem pretty intent on slowing down Sabrina Ionescu right now, which is giving Laney a lot of good looks against lighter defenses. And with Natasha Howard still not playing, Laney will continue to be one of the only two real offensive threats on this New York team. Her and Ionescu are both priced around this point and both are good plays based on usage, but I like Laney just a little more because she's been more efficient.
Kayla McBride (G, Minnesota Lynx) – vs New York Liberty (DK: $7,100, FD: $5,200)
I wasn't sure if McBride would play on Friday, but she ended up suiting up and playing 36 minutes.
With Napheesa Collier still not back, the Lynx are having to generate offense somewhere else. Prize free-agent addition McBride shot the ball 11 times in the opener, and while the fact she only had two attempts from deep is concerning since she's an elite three-point shooter and needs to be taking more of those, I'd guess that was a one-game blip and Cheryl Reeve will have her firing away a little more often. Plus, she had six rebounds in that first game, and the Liberty have allowed the fourth-most rebounds per game so far.
Jackie Young (G, Las Vegas Aces) – @ Seattle Storm (DK: $6,900, FD: $5,000)
The No. 1 pick in 2019, Young was kind of surprisingly named as a starter over Kelsey Plum coming into this season. She played 31 minutes in the first game, taking 15 shots and scoring 12 points while also adding four assists, three rebounds, one steal, and one block. And considering that happened against this Storm team and that Plum's impending departure for the 3-by-3 qualifiers means we likely see Plum in a reserve role again with Young playing a ton of minutes, I think Young's set to be a great value option on Tuesday.
WNBA - DFS Forwards
Breanna Stewart (F, Seattle Storm) – vs Las Vegas Aces (DK: $11,000, FD: $8,600)
One thing that's clear one game into the season: Stewie is still Stewie. With fewer options around her, Stewart took 19 shots in the opener, scoring 28 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. With no Natasha Howard anymore to take on some of her responsibility, Stewart is having to basically do everything, and the Aces aren't really equipped to stop her. Stewart has the highest fantasy ceiling of anyone in the league. Play her.
A'ja Wilson (F, Las Vegas Aces) – @ Seattle Storm (DK: $10,700, FD: $8,00)
The other high-priced forward, A'ja Wilson, is also a strong play. Liz Cambage was expected to cut into her usage, but then Cambage played just 20 minutes in the opener. It seems Liz isn't quite ready for heavy minutes yet, which means Wilson is getting to continue with her high usage. She played 33 minutes in the first game, scoring 24 points along with five rebounds, four assists, and one block. Wilson is just an incredibly lethal player who seems to knock down every shot, and she also made a three-pointer on Saturday, showing off a new part of her game.
Megan Walker (F, Phoenix Mercury) – @ Washington Mystics (DK: $3,300, FD: $3,000)
Ooh, value.
After not playing in Phoenix's first game, Walker played 16 minutes on Sunday, potentially establishing herself as one of the top bench options on a Mercury team that has some clear bench issues.
Walker scored eight points on 3-for-7 shooting, plus added one rebound, two assists, and one steal. Not great, but when Walker's DFS salary is so low that it allows you to play both Stewart and Wilson plus one of the two top New York guards, I think you've got to take a shot on her. She was a talented player in college who was in a bad situation last year, but 2021 could be the time that things get unlocked for Walker.
