RADIO
The WNBA playoffs are here! We've got a couple of games on tonight's slate, as the Sky host the Liberty and the Aces host the Mercury in Game 1 of those first-round series. The playoffs will then continue on Thursday with the opening game of the other two playoff series.
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. This isn't just something I'm doing because the NBA isn't in season.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/17/22. These lineup picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. The slates lock on 8/17/2022 at 8:00 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) - vs PHO - DK: $11,500, FD: $8,000
Wilson, who is either going to finish first or second in the MVP race this season, is my top play on Wednesday night's slate.
Even with Wilson likely having Brianna Turner on her defensively for a lot of this game, I just see too much upside to fade her here. Wilson has two 20-point double-doubles in her last three games. She's seen an uptick in her assist numbers. She's always a threat to record multiple blocks and steals in a game, like when she combined for six of those in the penultimate regular season game.
We haven't seen the Aces and Mercury play since May, when Phoenix was a different (and better) team. But she had double-doubles in two of the three meetings and should find success against a Mercury team that has slimmed down since.
Kiah Stokes (Las Vegas Aces) - vs PHO - DK: $6,600, FD: $5,700
The Mercury have one big who can defend really well. I expect that they'll stick Brianna Turner on A'ja Wilson a lot, leaving a lot of room for Stokes to have a sneakily good game.
Stokes ended the regular season with consecutive strong showings. First, she had nine points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal against the Sky. Then, she followed that with nine points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals against Seattle.
Because Dearica Hamby is still out, Stokes should be on the floor for around 30 minutes on Wednesday night. She'll get a few easy buckets, so as long as she can pull down some boards and stays active defensively, this can pay off.
Megan Gustafson (Phoenix Mercury) - @ LV - DK: $4,800, FD: $5,000
This is much more about Phoenix's lack of depth than it is about Gustafson. I don't particularly think that Megan Gustafson is someone who should be getting minutes in the playoffs, but because the Mercury have such major issues right now with player availability, she comes into play for DFS purposes.
Gustafson's minutes vary pretty wildly, but she saw 26 minutes of action last game, scoring 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting and adding 10 rebounds and two assists as well. The rebounding numbers were a big jump from what she had been averaging.
Because of the size Vegas has, we could see Gustafson more than expected, as an attempted counter to Kiah Stokes.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty) - @ CHI - DK: $11,200, FD: $8,700
Any time Ionescu steps out on that court, she's capable of posting some mind-blowing numbers, though she could also do what she did in the regular season finale and shoot 1-for-12.
Ionescu was relatively quiet in her last game against Chicago, going 4-for-10 with 16 points, four rebounds and six assists. But the game before that, she almost had a triple-double against this team, with 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting with eight rebounds and nine assists.
Ionescu is someone who can really compile some numbers. The Liberty are going to need her to do that on Wednesday night if they want to score an upset victory and flip homecourt.
Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky) - vs NY - DK: $9,100, FD: $5,000
Vandersloot's numbers are a little down this year, and she hasn't had 10-plus assists in a game since July 31st. We're used to seeing Vandersloot dishing out a few more than she has been.
Still, she's the league's best point guard and we should see an uptick in minutes and usage now that the postseason has arrived.
The last time Vandersloot took on New York, she finished with 23 points, six rebounds and nine assists. This Liberty team doesn't have the defensive prowess in the backcourt to slow down Vandersloot, and the team's turnover issues should give Sloot a chance at a few steals too.
Jennie Simms (Phoenix Mercury) - @ LV- DK: $6,300, FD: $4,500
Like Gustafson, this play is about availability. But unlike Gustafson, I actually feel really good about playing Simms. There's some steps needed to make Gustafson pay off. There's not with Simms.
Because Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith are both out, we can pencil Simms in as a starter in this backcourt on Wednesday night. She's played 28 or more minutes in four consecutive games and is coming off of a 12-point, eight-rebound showing against Chicago to close the regular season.
Getting a player who is guaranteed to see 30-plus minutes of playing time at this price is such a great value.
