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Justin Carter's top daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for 7/2/21. Expert WNBA DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for DraftKings and FanDuel.
A new month of WNBA action is here. It'll be a short one because the Olympic break is approaching, but we've still got some good games before that break arrives.
Friday, we'll see the Chicago Sky face the Dallas Wings, then the Aces take on the Sparks and the Dream take on the Storm.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 7/2/21. 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.
WNBA DFS Lineup Picks
I felt like throwing it back to the old way of doing my WNBA articles today, where I mention six players I'm interested in playing and talk about just those three. I'm...not sure why I decided to switch things back up these last few days or if I'll switch back to the other format.
Anyway, here are some picks.
Guard: Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces) - @ Sparks - DK: $8,300, FD: $5,900
Honestly, any of the Aces top backcourt options -- Plum, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young -- are strong plays, but I'm slightly leaning toward Plum. For one, she's the cheapest of them on FanDuel by a decent amount, which will help with lineup building.
For another, I really like how her role has grown lately. Plum's taken at least 11 shots in five consecutive games and is coming off a really strong showing against this Sparks team, with 11 points, six rebounds, and seven assists against them despite going just 1-for-4 from deep. Efficiency has been a bit of an issue over the last few games, but if she can knock a couple more of her attempts down, we'll be talking about a fantasy score in the high 30s or even the 40s.
Guard: Chennedy Carter (Atlanta Dream) - @ Storm - DK: $8,200, FD: $6,500
Without Tiffany Hayes, the Dream are having to rely even more on second-year guard Chennedy Carter. She's played over 30 minutes in each of the last two games and it looks like Carter's fully back from the ankle injury that kept her out for about a month.
Included in Carter's recent games is a huge showing against New York that saw her finish with 24 points on 10-for-19 shooting. She's also had four assists in two of the last three games. If she can combine a good scoring night with a little playmaking, Carter will finish with a strong stat line.
Guard: Allisha Gray (Dallas Wings) - vs Sky - DK: $7,400, FD: $5,500
Wednesday's Wings/Sky game was weird. Chicago got out to a huge lead, then Dallas tried to come back before losing by 10.
But Gray was a bright spot. She played 30 minutes, finishing with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting with six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal. Gray's been hit/miss a lot this year, but her production is really trending up over the past three games, and head coach Vickie Johnson is back to giving her the kind of minutes that she deserves to get.
Forward: Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm) - vs Dream - DK: $12,400, FD: $8,800
Yeah, we don't need to dwell on this one for long. Stewie had a bad matchup on the 27th against the Aces, and while her team lost the game, she still won a lot of people their DFS matchups. In that one, she had 35 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals.
I don't see a way that this Atlanta team slows Breanna Stewart down. It's hard for any team to stop a player like her who can put up a 20/12 in her sleep. It'll be especially tough for this team, which often plays pretty small, to stop her.
Forward: Amanda Zahui B. (Los Angeles Sparks) - vs Aces - DK: $9,400, FD: $8,100
The Sparks remain without the Ogwumike sisters, which means Amanda Zahui B. is playing a lot of basketball.
And hey -- when she stays out of foul trouble, that translates into a lot of production.
Against this Vegas team on Wednesday, Zahui only committed three fouls, which allowed her to play 30 minutes. What'd she do in that time? 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal, plus a pair of threes. She took 20 shot attempts.
Zahui is an interesting matchup against the Aces, because her ability to stretch outside can create some defensive mismatches. She's also their best rebounder right now, and an underrated shot blocker. The downside is that Zahui can disappear if foul trouble gets in the way, but I still think she's worth that risk.
Forward: Lauren Cox (Los Angeles Sparks) - vs Aces - DK: $4,100, FD: $5,000
Lauren Cox? Really, Justin?
Yes. Cox has been freed from the Fever and is now the third big for the Sparks. In her Los Angeles debut -- on the day she signed with the team, so she'd barely known anything about the playbook or her teammates -- Cox played 19 minutes, scoring four points on 1-for-3 shooting and grabbing five rebounds, plus adding an assist, a block, and two steals.
Her rebounding ability can come in handy, as the Sparks need someone who can work down low. Sure, the two steals inflated her fantasy numbers, but I'd also guess that if Cox gets similar minutes in this one, she'll wind up with a few extra scoring opportunties.
Plus, this is a great value that allows you to build a strong lineup elsewhere. Why not use Cox as a punt play on this slate?
