RADIO
We've got a three-game slate in the WNBA tonight, with the Dream facing the Mystics, Mercury facing the Liberty, and Aces facing the Lynx. Some good games on the docket, especially the one between Minnesota and Vegas, two of the league's best teams so far.
Last night, the Mercury had an absolute nightmare of a game against Connecticut, as the team was held to just 47 points. Kahleah Copper, who has three games this season with 30 or more points, was held to just seven points in the loss.
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 slate locks on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Want to talk more about the WNBA? I'm always available on X and always down to discuss women's basketball: @juscarts.
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WNBA DFS Picks: Forward
Alanna Smith (Minnesota Lynx) vs. LV (DK: $9.3K, FD: $7.4K)
The Lynx have been one of the best surprises this season. After a really underrated offseason, Minnesota has opened the 2024 season with a 4-1 record, only losing in overtime to the Connecticut Sun.
A big part of that early success has been because of Alanna Smith, who joined the team this offseason after playing for the Chicago Sky in 2023. Smith, who finished third in the Most Improved Player race last year, has really broken out in the early part of 2024, averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game.
In the last game, Smith put up 17 points in a win over the Atlanta Dream. She made three three-pointers in that game, marking the fourth time in five games that Smith has made multiple shots from deep.
Tina Charles (Atlanta Dream) at WAS (DK: $9.0K, FD: $6.8K)
The return to the WNBA for Tina Charles has been a bit of a rollercoaster, posting two double-doubles in four games while also having a night where the former MVP had just six points and three rebounds.
Overall though, Charles is averaging 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds on 47.9% shooting so far this season. She might not be having a season like her 2021 campaign when she averaged 23.4 points per game for the Mystics, but she's still a really good WNBA big.
Up next for Charles is a meeting with the winless Mystics. Washington allows opponents to shoot 56.6% from inside the arc, by far the highest mark in the league this season. Charles should eat in this one.
Bridget Carleton (Minnesota Lynx) vs. LV (DK: $6.1K, FD: $5.2K)
While Bridget Carleton's overall numbers might not stand out, with the Canadian wing averaging 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, I view her as an ideal value option on a two or three-game slate because she's averaging 28.0 minutes per game for the Lynx.
Bridget Carleton feeds Phee for the bucket to put the Lynx up 10 pic.twitter.com/3GmraiHOjX
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) May 18, 2024
She's also seen an uptick in usage lately, averaging seven field goal attempts in the last two games. In one of those, the shots were falling as she went 5-for-8 for 14 points. If the shots fall again on Wednesday, Carleton can return value at this price point.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty) vs. PHO (DK: $9.5K, FD: $7.0K)
It's been a tough shooting season for Sabrina Ionescu. After knocking down 44.8% of her 7.9 three-point attempts per game last year, she's down to just 27.3% from deep through the first six contests this year. Still, I don't think last season's numbers were the anomaly here—I think the poor shooting to start 2024 is the thing that's bound to change.
Maybe this meeting with Phoenix will help change that. Ionescu was 2-for-6 from deep last time out against Minnesota, her second time this year shooting over 30% from beyond the arc, so maybe that upward trend will continue against a Phoenix team that allows the third-most made threes per game.
Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx) vs. LV (DK: $8.6K, FD: $6.7K)
This is the third Lynx player I've mentioned in this article, so I suppose I should caution that playing all three together is incredibly risky against the Aces, even if Vegas has struggled defensively to start the year, allowing the third-most points per game. This is still a really talented Vegas team defensively, with the ability to slow down Minnesota.
Kayla McBride with one of the most insane stat lines I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/fXsD5biiLj
— Khaled (@khaled74) May 27, 2024
Still, the Lynx have been on fire so far, and Kayla McBride has been a huge part of that. She's averaging 17.2 points per game this season, her most since 2018 when she was still in Vegas. McBride is also adding 3.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per contest. Playing beside so many offensive threats this year with the additions Minnesota made this offseason, McBride is getting plenty of open space to fire away from deep, shooting 51.4% from three so far.
McBride is coming off of a monster game against the Dream, going 10-for-12 from the floor and 6-for-7 from deep on her way to scoring 31 points.
Sophie Cunningham (Phoenix Mercury) at NY (DK: $7.5K, FD: $5.3K)
Rebecca Allen was out on Tuesday due to the concussion protocol, and it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see her miss this game, too, on the second night of a back-to-back. The Phoenix offense fell apart without Allen in there, but one player who benefited from Allen's absence was Sophie Cunningham, who made her first start of the season.
In 30 minutes of play, Cunningham took a season-high 11 shots. Of course, like much of the Phoenix team, those shots weren't falling as she was 2-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-5 from three. She managed to add nine rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block, so if Allen's out again and she can actually hit a few more shots, it can be a nice fantasy night for Cunningham.
