RADIO
Wednesday and Thursday's slate of WNBA games were canceled as the players joined a sports-wide protest against racial injustice and the police killing of an unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake. The league returns on Friday night, and in the words of the league's official press release about tonight's game: "Games resume tonight. The fight for justice and equality never stops." The league has been at the forefront of social reform this season and the players will continue to advocate for important change. Before moving on to talk about the fantasy slate tonight, it's important to voice my personal support for the players and whatever form their advocacy takes.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/28/20. Because this slate went up later than usual due to the uncertainty surrounding today's game, I won't be offering the same in-depth lineup picks as usual and am instead giving some brief thoughts on each game.
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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Minnesota Lynx vs. Atlanta Dream
The Lynx are without Sylvia Fowles again, which means Napheesa Collier is a strong play against an Atlanta Dream squad that has the worst defensive rating in the WNBA and allows the sixth-most points in the paint. That could also benefit Damiris Dantas, but mostly I think it's just good news for Collier and for guard Crystal Dangerfield.
On the other side of this, Atlanta gets a really, really tough matchup against the Lynx, owner of the fourth-best defensive rating in the league. Not having Fowles to guard the paint means that Elizabeth Williams is an interesting option, as she's averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and has been one of the league's most paint-reliant centers.
Oh, and Chennedy Carter might be back. She's a game time decision after missing two weeks with an ankle injury and has plenty of upside if she plays, as she'd be the focal point for the Dream offense. Her salary has gone down a good bit on FanDuel since she's been out, so she's an upside play on that platform, though I'd be worried more on DraftKings.
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Connecticut Sun
The league's second and fifth best teams by defensive rating face off, so this might not be a game where you want to stack players. This was an 81-76 game the last time these teams faced.
If you're looking for a lesson to learn from that first game, it's that the Sparks couldn't contain DeWanna Bonner, who had 34 points and 14 rebounds, and they couldn't keep Alyssa Thomas off the glass either, as she grabbed 18 boards. A lot has changed with the rest of the team since then, though.
As for the Sparks, Candace Parker took a backseat in that meeting, and I think this isn't a great time to play her. Who I do like if she plays is Riquna Williams. She was only 3-for-7 shooting the ball in the last meeting, but Seimone Augustus and Te'a Cooper both had big games off the bench. Those two are playing slightly lesser roles, so if Williams suits up, she has upside to do what Augustus did in that first meeting. If she doesn't...well, Seimone Augustus would take on a lot of that upside.
Washington Mystics vs. Phoenix Mercury
I think this is our "offense offense offense" game of the night, if you're looking for some stacks.
With Stella Johnson out, Kiara Leslie is likely going to get a lot of minutes for the Mystics, regardless of if she's a starter or if she comes off the bench. She's played 20-plus minutes in three of the past four games, and while the scoring hasn't really arrived, she's a good rebounding guard and has upside to score since the Mystics really need to find some scoring.
Also, Myisha Hines-Allen has been on a great run lately. She had some strong performances to start the season and seems to be returning to that level of play now.
On the Phoenix side, Brittney Griner left the bubble, which means Kia Vaughn should start, playing 20-plus minutes, and has a chance to do some damage inside against the Mystics, who've got the third-worst defensive rating over the last five games.
And speaking of players who can do some damage, Diana Taurasi is back to form, which is a scary thing for the Mystics to have to deal with. What can they do to slow her down? Anything? Bria Hartley is also a solid play here, and if you want some value on this Mercury team, you might wan to take a look at someone like Alanna Smith, who played 20 minutes in the team's last game.
