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We've got a two-game slate on Thursday night in the WNBA. The Storm faces the Fever in one of the contests, while the Sky plays host to the Sparks in the second game of the night. Not a great slate if you want to watch the top teams in the league, but the individual games should be good.
Last night, the Mercury lost to the Liberty, but considering they made it competitive after being held to just 47 points on Tuesday, it was a good showing for Phoenix. Elsewhere in the WNBA, the Dream defeated the Mystics, with Washington still searching for their first win. The Aces also had a convincing win over the Lynx.
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 Thursday, May 30, 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
Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles Sparks) at CHI (DK: $10.8K, FD: $8.3K)
Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby continues to impress in her 10th WNBA season, posting averages of 20.0 points and 12.7 rebounds through the first six games of the 2024 season. Hamby, who has never averaged more than 13.0 points per game, is on track for the best season of her WNBA career. The Sparks don't have a lot of scoring threats right now as the team shifted into a rebuilding mode this year, so they've had to rely on Hamby, which has so far worked for the team.
Last time out in a win over Indiana, Hamby had 17 points and 10 rebounds, posting a double-double for the fourth game in a row. She played all 40 minutes for the Sparks in the victory. One issue around Hamby has been if she could scale her minutes up and stay effective, but she's played 36 or more minutes in all but one game this season and is having a career season.
Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever) vs. SEA (DK: $8.2K, FD: $6.3K)
Temi Fagbenle is set to miss some time with a foot injury, so the Fever are going to have to return to relying heavily on Aliyah Boston and NaLyssa Smith. I like both in fantasy tonight, but the fact that Boston was already ahead of Smith in the pecking order makes me lean toward Boston if I have to pick one of the two.
Boston's scoring numbers were a little iffy earlier in the year, but she's figured things out lately, posting double-digit point totals in three consecutive games. The only thing left now is for her to get the rebound and block numbers up. She averaged 8.4 boards and 1.3 blocks per game in 2023 but is down to 6.1 and 1.0 this season. The Storm allow the fifth-most rebounds per game in the WNBA.
Rickea Jackson (Los Angeles Sparks) at CHI (DK: $6.6K, FD: $5.0K)
I really don't like this slate at forward when it comes to finding value. It just feels like the way these four teams rotate things; you aren't getting many plays in the frontcourt who can provide you the value you're looking for.
LA Sparks forward Rickea Jackson says she didn’t wanna play basketball at first and that she fell in love with it in the 8th grade 🏀👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/52YWpYhN22
— TimeoutSPORTS__ (@TimeoutSPORTS3) May 29, 2024
One name that does stand out is Rickea Jackson, the rookie forward for the Sparks. The former Tennessee player is averaging 10.2 points per game to open her WNBA career while shooting 50% from the floor. She had 12 points last time out against the Fever, though her other numbers could use a boost, as she had just one rebound, one assist, and two steals.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever) vs. SEA (DK: $11.1K, FD: $6.8K)
It looks like the Caitlin Clark we expected, who electrified the world at Iowa, has arrived in the WNBA. After a so-so start, Clark posted her first 30-point game on Tuesday against the Sparks, going 7-for-16 from the floor, 3-for-10 from three, and 13-for-15 from the foul stripe. Clark also added five rebounds, six assists, three steals, and three blocks.
Look, Clark's not going to be a scoring machine every night like she was in college, but she'll have nights like that one. What makes her a strong fantasy play goes beyond the scoring, though. Clark is averaging 5.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game, just filling up the stat sheet for the team.
Kia Nurse (Los Angeles Sparks) at CHI (DK: $6.9K, FD: $5.2K)
Layshia Clarendon remains in the concussion protocol and will miss her second game in a row. Two players took the most advantage of Clarendon's absence on Tuesday, with Aari McDonald playing 30 minutes and scoring 21 points. She's someone who should be in your lineups on Thursday night, but it almost felt too easy to recommend McDonald here. Instead, I want to focus on someone who saw a jump in production and might not have been expected, Kia Nurse.
Kia Nurse led her squad to victory tonight vs the Fever with a very impressive offensive performance 🤩
22 PTS
6-12 FG (50%)
5-6 3PM (83%)#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/A2mIHBrUyZ— WNBA (@WNBA) May 29, 2024
Nurse put up 22 points on 6-for-12 shooting in the win over the Fever while also adding two rebounds and an assist. Her increased scoring load is notable because she had a combined four points in the two previous games. McDonald might be a little chalk for this slate, so going with Nurse could be a good way to differentiate your GPP lineups.
Chennedy Carter (Chicago Sky) vs. LA (DK: $6.4K, FD: $4.8K)
The resurgence of Chennedy Carter might be my favorite WNBA story this year, as she returned after not being on a team in 2023. Carter is averaging 10.2 points per game for the Sky, working as a scoring threat off the bench with the green light to shoot whenever she's out there. That's helped her score in double figures in four consecutive contests. She faces a Sparks team on Thursday that allows the fifth-most points per game in the WNBA.
