RADIO
Big slate of WNBA action on Saturday as eight of the league's 12 teams are in action, all in the late afternoon. For me, the highlight of the day is the Mystics/Wings game at 3 p.m. ET, but all four games have intrigue, so this would be a good night to catch some WNBA action, especially considering we won't get more WNBA games until Wednesday after this.
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, as well as adding a little betting advice.
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 7/2/2023 at 3:00 PM ET. Want to talk more about the WNBA? I'm always available on Twitter and always down to discuss women's basketball: @juscarts.
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WNBA DFS Picks: Forward
Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty) - @ SEA - DK: $12,500, FD: $9,400
There are some really good forwards on this slate, but Stewart's my favorite play because of her high upside and the matchup today.
Let's start on an individual level. Stewart is averaging 22.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game so far this season. She's hit a slow-ish patch lately with just one 20-plus point game in her last four, but she's still been heavily involved in those games, even if the shot wasn't falling quite as well.
And if there's a game for Stewie to have another explosive contest, it's this one. Seattle allows 86.3 points per game, the second-most in the W, as well as 30.0 rebounds per game, the most in the league.
When these teams met earlier this season, Stewart was unstoppable, scoring 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting while also adding 11 rebounds. She had two blocks and two steals as well.
Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles Sparks) - @ ATL - DK: $8,200, FD: $6,200
Chiney Ogwumike's absence last game really helped simplify the Sparks frontcourt rotation. With her out, Dearica Hamby played 30 minutes of basketball, scoring 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting with 12 rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Chiney's out again for this one, so I expect Hamby to have another good shot here against Atlanta, a team that allows a league-high 89.9 points per game. This is a matchup where you want at least one Sparks player in your lineup just because of how the Dream have hemorrhaged points this season.
Teaira McCowan (Dallas Wings) - vs. WAS - DK: $8,000, FD: $5,700
With Shakira Austin out, I'm just struggling to see how the Mystics slow down McCowan. Maybe they throw out Myisha Hines-Allen more than usual to see if she can use her size on McCowan? IDK, but I just don't really see much reason to think that McCowan can't have a dominant game, assuming the Wings work to get the ball inside to her.
I think this one ends up looking like the June 25 game against the Sparks, when McCowan was 5-for-10 for 14 points. She pulled down nine rebounds and added three blocks and two steals in that one. There's also a chance that the Wings just don't put the ball in McCowan's hands since they have a lot of high-volume players, but I think you live with that possibility in this one.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm) - vs. NY - DK: $8,700, FD: $8,800
Last time out against Minnesota, we got a reminder of how important Jewell Loyd is to this Seattle team. She played 40 minutes and scored 41 points on 15-for-35 shooting, plus added nine rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Loyd's 25.7 points per game lead the WNBA, and we're starting to get to the point where we start to wonder how this season stacks up historically, right? Diana Taurasi's 25.3 points per game in 2006 is the current WNBA scoring record, and Loyd's ahead of that through 14 contests.
Anyway, onto this matchup with New York. Loyd had 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting the last time she faced this Liberty squad, part of a streak of five games with 20-plus points to open Loyd's 2023 campaign.
Karlie Samuelson (Los Angeles Sparks) - @ ATL - DK: $6,100, FD: $5,400
Samuelson has scored in double figures in three consecutive games, seeing 29 or more minutes of action in all three contests. She's also made multiple three-pointers in each of those games as well.
As a pretty good value on both platforms, I say we might as well ride the hot shooting streak for Samuelson. Sure, a little more volume would be great, but she's been connecting on shots at a high rate, so she can still deliver a strong DFS showing even if she only takes six shots.
(If Jordan Horston is out again for Seattle, feel free to sub Samuelson out for Seattle's Sami Whitcomb, but with Horston upgraded to "probable" ahead of today's games, it looks like Whitcomb's brief time as an elite value option is probably over.)
Odyssey Sims (Dallas Wings) - vs. WAS - DK: $3,700, FD: $4,100
The Wings did a lot of roster maneuvering this week, cutting multiple players to create the room to sign Sims to a deal for the rest of the 2023 season.
It's a great move for Dallas, a team whose biggest need entering this season was finding a point guard to pair with Arike Ogunbowale. Veronica Burton and Crystal Dangerfield are both talented pieces for the Wings, but Sims is a former All-Star who brings some veteran leadership to the floor.
She came off the bench in her four games under a hardship deal with the team and she'll play off the bench again today, but I'd expect 20-ish minutes from Sims. She had six or more assists in three of her first four games with this team, though her shot's looked rusty so far. Still, that poor shooting just leaves room for improvement, right?
