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Justin Carter's top daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for 8/31/20. Expert WNBA DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for DraftKings and FanDuel.
Just two games on the WNBA slate today, as the league has rescheduled some of the games that were originally scheduled last week. The Sky take on the Fever in the early match, then the Sparks face the Lynx in the second game. For Los Angeles and Minnesota, this game comes on the second end of a back-to-back, something we haven't dealt with all year since the league had planned to eliminate back-to-backs in 2020.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/31/20. 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.
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WNBA - DFS Guards
Courtney Vandersloot (G, Chicago Sky) – vs Indiana Fever (DK: $10,300, FD: $7,200)
Vandersloot is by far the highest upside guard on this slate, which makes her feel like a must play here. If you're running just one lineup, you might want to think about someone else with this slot to avoid the potential for overlap with everyone else's lineup, but let's not pretend that any other guard on this slate can reach the heights that Vandersloot can.
Vandersloot has nine or more assists in five straight games. Even when she isn't scoring efficiently, her ability to move the ball to her teammates gives her an incredibly high floor. Add in that Saturday's nine-point game was her first time scoring in single digits since August 10th and that she recently had 23 points and nine assists against this Fever team, and you can see why I'm so high on her.
Kelsey Mitchell (G, Indiana Fever) – vs Chicago Sky (DK: $9,500, FD: $5,200)
Wow, Mitchell's salary is low on FanDuel.
Anyway, on the other side of the floor from Vandersloot is one of the biggest scoring threats in the league, Kelsey Mitchell. Her ceiling isn't as high as it might have been earlier in the year since the Fever have found a point guard and allowed Mitchell to be off the ball more, but she's still averaging 18.5 points and 2.8 assists per game. This is going to be a fast-paced game, which should help Mitchell keep her scoring up. She had 16 points and five assists in the last meeting with these teams, but was just 2-for-9 from three. If she can emerge some from her three-point slump, this can be a huge night.
Brittney Sykes (G, Los Angeles Sparks) – vs Minnesota Lynx (DK: $6,600, FD: $4,900)
Our first venture into this game that features teams on back-to-backs. I think some of the older players on the Sparks team might see their minutes decrease slightly, leaving more chances for Sykes to keep being Sykes, by which I mean giving her chances to be a big scoring threat. She had 15 points against Atlanta yesterday, along with four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block. I think it's safe to assume Seimone Augustus might play fewer minutes tonight, which can help keep Sykes on the floor longer.
WNBA - DFS Forwards
Napheesa Collier (F, Minnesota Lynx) – vs Los Angeles Sparks (DK: $11,000 FD: $8,200)
There are two top-priced forwards in this game I want, and I don't think you can really go wrong. With Nneka Ogwumike leaving Sunday with a back injury and questionable for this game, Candace Parker will be called on to do a lot. But with it being night two of the back-to-back, I'd rather take my chances with the younger forward on the other side of the floor, Napheesa Collier.
Collier played her fewest minutes yesterday since August 5th, weirdly getting benched to close to the game. On one hand, Cheryl Reeve not playing her best player late is concerning, but on the other, Collier is maybe slightly more rested for this one. She's averaging 15.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, and as long as Sylvia Fowles remains out, she's got the upside to grab double-digit rebounds.
Gabby Williams (F, Chicago Sky) – vs Indiana Fever (DK: $7,800, FD: $5,300)
The Sky are in a pickle. Azura Stevens and Diamond DeShields have left the bubble. They traded for Stephanie Mavunga, who isn't cleared to play yet. They had just eight players available against Seattle and should be in that same situation tonight.
What that means is that Gabby Williams has to do more for this team. She's played 34-pls minutes in three consecutive games now, with double-digit point totals in the last two, her first back-to-back games with that many points since the first two games of the season. Her three is finally starting to fall, and she's adding a solid number of rebounds and assists to help things along. Indiana isn't a good defensive team, so I expect Williams to continue her scoring trend.
(Williams is a guard on FanDuel, by the way.)
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (F, Minnesota Lynx) – vs Washington Mystics (DK: $3,500, FD: $3,500)
On a smaller slate, we've got to take a few more risks to diversify our lineup vs. what other DFS players are putting out, so I think this is a good time to take a swing at Herbert Harrigan.
On the second night of a back-to-back, fresh legs will matter, and the rookie has been seeing more minutes lately. The combination of youth and an increased role makes this feel like a strong night coming up.
Herbert Harrigan was part of the closing lineup yesterday and has now played 10-plus minutes in five of the last six games. She took three threes yesterday and ended up with six points, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Not great numbers, but with such a low DFS salary and an increased role, I like the lineup versatility that playing MHH gives you.
