RADIO
Justin Carter's top daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for 9/1/20. Expert WNBA DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for DraftKings and FanDuel.
Happy September! We're now in the final month of the WNBA season somehow, even though it feels like this season just began.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 9/1/20. 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
DeWanna Bonner (G, Connecticut Sun) – vs New York Liberty (DK: $10,300, FD: $7,400)
Bonner's consistently high usage hadn't been paying off as well because of efficiency issues, but the veteran scorer seems to have gotten back on track. She faces a struggling Liberty team on Tuesday who she had a double-double against in the last meeting between these two clubs, and she also managed to dish out six assists in that one as well. New York's youth and inexperience make it tough for them to get necessary stops defensively, and Bonner will take advantage of that.
Chennedy Carter (G, Atlanta Dream) – vs Indiana Fever (DK: $7,300, FD: $5,400)
She's back! After missing a couple of weeks with an ankle injury, Carter returned last week, struggling in her first game before returning to form in the second game against the Sparks. 26 points on 11-for-19 shooting, plus four rebounds and an assist. And now, Carter gets to face the Fever, a team with the second-worst defensive rating in the WNBA AND Indiana is playing on the second night of a back-to-back? That sounds like a recipe for success for Chennedy Carter.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (G, Phoenix Mercury) – vs Las Vegas Aces (DK: $4,800, FD: $4,900)
VALUE. With Bria Hartley done for the year, SWK is now starting for the Mercury as they keep going with a three guard lineup. Against Minnesota, Walker-Kimbrough scored just six points, but made up for it by adding four assists, a rebound, and two blocks, ending up with a solid day. But hey, you aren't playing Walker-Kimbrough with the expectation that she scores 40 fantasy points; you're playing her because her low salary and upside as a starter means she can have a solid game and would allow you to save roster space for multiple top-flight options.
WNBA - DFS Forwards
A'ja Wilson (F, Las Vegas Aces) – vs Phoenix Mercury (DK: $11,000 FD: $8,200)
Speaking of top options, how about A'ja Wilson against the Brittney Griner-less Mercury? In the first meeting of these teams, Griner helped slow Wilson down, holding her to 36.8 percent shooting. But expect numbers more in line with Wilson's season averages in this one, as I don't see what Phoenix is going to be able to throw at her to keep her from having a stellar game. So far in 2020, Wilson is averaging 20.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, along with 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.7 blocks. She does basically everything for Vegas, and she'll keep doing that in this one.
Alyssa Thomas (F, Connecticut Sun) – vs New York Liberty (DK: $10,000, FD: $7,800)
New York's weaknesses are aplenty, but one of them has to be their inability to stop strong interior players. Case in point: the last time these teams faced off, Alyssa Thomas scored 25 points. She only had five rebounds in that one, lower than what we're used to, but she did add two assists and two steals. Thomas has a chance to get to the basket with ease in this one, and her rebounding numbers should take a step up from where they were at in that last meeting considering she's averaging nine of them per game.
Teaira McCowan (F, Indiana Fever) – vs Atlanta Dream (DK: $6,300, FD: $4,900)
Finally, Teaira McCowan. This is a risky play because Indiana is on night two of a back-to-back and McCowan's conditioning has been a question before, so if you want to pivot to rookie teammate Lauren Cox as a "hmm, maybe I shouldn't trust McCowan" option, I wouldn't hate that idea.
But McCowan does have a good matchup here. Atlanta allows the fourth-most points in the paint in the WNBA, the third-most offensive rebounds, and the fourth-most blocks. McCowan had 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting in the first meeting between these teams, grabbing six rebounds and blocking a shot, so while she didn't reach her potential ceiling in that one, she had solid numbers.
Plus, she only played 19 minutes last night, so she shouldn't be too worn down. She had a double-double in those 19 minutes, by the way. McCowan's upside is that she can very quickly establish herself as an inside force on both ends, even if she doesn't play a ton of minutes.
