RADIO
We've got a pair of WNBA games on tap tonight. First up, the Aces visit the Fever, followed by the Liberty taking on the Sky. That latter game is an important one when it comes to the playoffs, as the Liberty are slipping out of the playoff picture and desperately need a win.
If you're new here, this is our (mostly) daily look at the WNBA from a DFS perspective. Each day, I recommend three forwards and three guards who you should be considering for your daily fantasy lineups. Why listen to RotoBaller over the other sites? Because I live and breathe women's hoops.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 7/29/22. These lineups picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. The slates lock on 7/29/2022 at 7:00 p.m. 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
A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces) - @ IND - DK: $11,200; FD: $9,200
Tonight's a good night to pay up for A'ja Wilson.
In her last game against the Fever, Wilson was 10-for-19 with 23 points plus added eight rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals. This Fever team is a mess, which means they're the perfect team to target on Friday night.
Wilson's most recent game overall was the Commissioner's Cup final against Chicago, which she just absolutely tore up, with 17 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks. Wilson's playing like the league MVP right now and is the most obvious play there is on this slate.
Yes, that chalkiness is a concern, so you might want to have a lineup or two where you fade her just in case this turns into an early blowout and Wilson isn't on the court much in the fourth quarter, but even in that case, she'll post big numbers to cause the blowout.
NaLyssa Smith (Indiana Fever) - vs LV - DK: $9,100; FD: $6,600
Smith has seen a surprising drop in her rebounds over the last three games, grabbing just five per contest. But her offensive load remains high.
The last time these two teams met, Smith went 9-for-15 from the floor and 5-for-7 from three, scoring 24 points to go along with her five boards and a steal.
Smith's lack of blocks isn't ideal for a big. Her ceiling is slightly limited by that and by her lack of assists. But the Fever need a big to score and NaLyssa Smith has been that big, and she's become a pretty big threat from behind the arc.
Michaela Onyenwere (New York Liberty) - @ CHI - DK: $4,300; FD: $4,100
Last year's Rookie of the Year hasn't followed that up with an impressive run. But on July 14, Onyenwere played 25 minutes against Vegas with 14 points, four rebounds, one block and one steal. She was hurt in that game, missed a couple of contests in which the Liberty seemed to have no idea what to do with the backup four role, and then she returned against Chicago, playing 13 minutes.
I think, and the keyword here is think, that Onyenwere playing 13 minutes was a way of easing her back in. New York should play her more on Friday, making her an intriguing punt play on this slate. There's no guarantee that Onyenwere does anything, but with how cheap she is on both sites and with how she played the last game she was healthy, I think there's good upside here.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty) - @ CHI - DK: $10,500; FD: $8,600
Volume. Volume. Volume.
That's what Sabrina brings to the table. She will almost always take a bunch of shots and do a bunch of other stuff.
Last time out, which also happened to be against this Sky team, she played 34 minutes, scoring 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting and adding eight rebounds and nine assists. Ionescu is really good at racking up rebounds and assists: I mean, she's already tied the WNBA's all-time record for triple doubles.
While there are often efficiency issues, those issues haven't stopped Sabrina from shooting. She could miss five shots on five consecutive possessions and she'd still have the confidence to fire it up on the next one.
Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces) - @ IND - DK: $8,800; FD: $8,400 on DraftKings, Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces) - @ IND - DK: $9,600; FD: $7,400
The Fever allow the most points per game in the WNBA. So, here's my strategy for attacking that: I take the cheapest of three starting guards on the Aces and I play her.
It sounds simple, and it is. In a game where the whole Aces team should perform well, I'm going to try to chase value a little. Which means that on DraftKings, I'm playing Jackie Young, and that on FanDuel, I'm playing Chelsea Gray.
I especially love the FD value on Gray. She's been on fire lately and while DraftKings paid attention to that and is pricing her accordingly, it looks like FanDuel just hasn't really paid as much attention to that.
Rebekah Gardner (Chicago Sky) - vs NY - DK: $6,000; FD: $5,000
Gardner is intriguing. She'll have a game where she finishes with single-digit fantasy points and then she'll follow that up with a game that makes you say "wow, she should be playing more."
Case in point: Her last three games have seen her score the following DraftKings points: 7.5, 40.0, 18.25.
With Courtney Vandersloot back last game, Gardner saw a little dip from her 40-point fantasy game, but she still hit 18.25, with nine points on 3-for-7 shooting with five rebounds and two assists. That she remained in the rotation with essentially the same number of minutes as the prior game is a good sign, and is why I like Gardner as a value play against a Liberty team that she dominated on July 23.
(Yes, I forgot to mention the 40-point fantasy game was against this Liberty team. Hmm.)
