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Another day, another WNBA slate. Last night, the Storm won again, moving to 9-1. They beat Atlanta 100-63 even though Breanna Stewart had just seven points. The rest of the league remains in trouble because they aren't Seattle.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/13/20. 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 Guards
Kelsey Mitchell (G, Indiana Fever) – vs New York Liberty (DK: $9,300, FD: $5,800)
Another day of my least favorite guard slate -- next week can't come soon enough so we can shake this up -- gets even scarier with the return of Odyssey Sims for Minnesota, which complicates that Lynx backcourt.
Indiana's Kelsey Mitchell is the highest-priced player on DraftKings, but she's not...that highly priced at $9,300, so let's forget her struggles last game and remember she's averaging 19.1 points, 2.6 made threes, and 2.9 assists pee game. New York has the third-worst defensive rating in the league, by the way.
Leilani Mitchell (G, Washington Mystics) – vs Los Angeles Sparks (DK: $6,800, FD: $5,300)
A better value on DraftKings than FanDuel, I highlight Mitchell because the Sparks allow the fourth-most assists in the league (and the most of any team on this slate) and Mitchell has been the Mystics leader in assists this year.
She's also shooting the ball well, including a 37.5 percent mark from three, but her numbers have been a bit of a roller coaster lately, with a pair of two-point games in her last three. But again, on a slate that we don't love, you've got to take some risks, and Mitchell's a solid point guard.
Jazmine Jones (G, New York Liberty) – vs Indiana Fever (DK: $6,200, FD: $4,500)
Speaking of risk, I took one on Tuesday by deciding at the last second to throw Jazmine Jones into my lineup, and it resulted in a tournament win. I don't think we'll get that lucky two times in a row, but if you want someone with a good matchup, Jones is interesting. Indiana has the second-worst defensive rating in the league.
Jones is the backup point guard in New York right now, but also can play off the ball. She has a pair of 20-point games already, including Tuesday's 24-point effort, a game in which she also had five steals. If she gets the same kind of minutes load in this one, she's a great cheap play to throw in.
Additional Note: Jackie Young is on a three-game tear. I don't love the matchup with Minnesota, but with how she's priced, Young belongs in a lot of lineups.
WNBA - DFS Forwards
Sylvia Fowles (F, Minnesota Lynx) – vs Las Vegas Aces (DK: $9,800 FD: $7,300)
God, this forward slate is good.
I like A'ja Wilson. I like Candace Parker. But you can save a little cash by taking Sylvia Fowles, who has a chance to get off to a quick start if the Aces have Carolyn Swords matched up with her. Availability has been a recent issue for Fowles, but when she's on the floor, watch out. She has four double doubles in six games, including 16 points and 13 rebounds in just 25 minutes of action against the Mystics. The Aces are the hottest non-Seattle team in the league, so this will be a battle, which should get Fowles back into the low 30s in minutes.
Amanda Zahui B (F, New York Liberty) – vs Indiana Fever (DK: $9,600, FD: $6,600)
After a slow start, Zahui B is on fire and might be New York's best player. She's scoring 11 points per game and shooting 44.2 percent on 5.4 threes per game. She's grabbing nine boards, dishing out 1.8 assists, and blocking 1.4 shots per contest as well.
Indiana's front court is interesting, but I don't know how they slow down the outside attack of Zahui B. Stretch forwards like Dearica Hamby and Emma Meesseman have both had good success in recent games against the Fever.
Natalie Achonwa (F, Indiana Fever) – vs New York Liberty (DK: $5,300, FD: $4,900)
New York is stretchy, with all their bigs capable of scoring from the outside. That's not a great defensive matchup for the paint-bound Teaira McCowan, so I'm expecting Fever head coach Marianne Stanley to give a lot of minutes to the more versatile Achonwa, even if McCowan's the better player.
Achonwa hasn't had much success this year, not scoring more than six points in any game, but New York's allowing the fourth-most rebounds and third-most points per game, so if you want to take a risk on a big getting more points and rebounds than we're used to seeing from them, Achonwa is a solid option for you to trust.
This is the riskiest pick of this article. Indiana's trying to play four different players at two spots. But Achonwa is shooting 60 percent from the floor. She's still grabbing five boards per game despite not scoring much. If Stanley's substitution patterns and lineup decisions continue to be as weird as they've been, this is a good candidate for one of those "why is Achonwa getting all of McCowan's minutes???" games.
Again, risky. You might want to just go with McCowan instead for the upside, which I'd completely understand.
