RADIO
Welcome back to the WNBA! Every team has now played a game this season. The Aces, Dream and Liberty all look strong after changes at head coach, while a few teams like the Lynx and Mercury really struggled on the opening night.
Just as I have for the last couple of years, I'll be providing daily fantasy lineup picks for the WNBA this season here at RotoBaller. But because I also moved to a state with legalized sports betting earlier this year, I'll be sprinkling in some basic betting picks. Not going to get complicated since there's limited space in this piece, but I'll throw you a bet or two each day that I like.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/7/22. These lineups picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. The slate locks on 5/8/2022 at 3:00 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 Lineup Picks: Guard
Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces) - vs SEA - DK: $9,300, FD: $7,200
Under Bill Laimbeer, the Aces mainly used Plum off the bench. But new head coach Becky Hammon understands what she has in Plum and how her shooting ability at the two creates a ton of spacing for this offense. In the first game of the season, Plum played 34 minutes, going 7-for-16 with 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists. She was 5-for-9 from three. She won't be that efficient every night, but we should finally see her consistently taking a large number of threes.
Jordin Canada (Los Angeles Sparks) - @ IND - DK: $7,500 FD: $6,200
While everyone was talking about Chennedy Carter as the big offseason addition at guard for the Sparks, it was Canada who showed up big in Game 1. She started at the point and played 33 minutes, going 6-for-11 with 21 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Her overall lack of three-point shooting lowers her ceiling some, but it looks like Canada has solidified her spot at the one and is going to get a chance to showcase her passing on this team.
Stephanie Talbot (Seattle Storm) - @ LV - DK: $6,200, FD: $5,100 (Forward on FanDuel)
The Storm have some stars, but one concern over the last couple of years has been what pieces are around that core, after much of the 2020 team moved on. Talbot started to show last season that her shooting could make her a key piece of this team and she continued that on Friday, scoring 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting with two rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks. I'm a bit worried about how consistently she'll be able to deliver solid fantasy numbers, but I trust her to keep this up more than I trust Epiphanny Prince.
WNBA DFS Lineup Picks: Forward
Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm) - @ LV - DK: $10,700, FD: $8,900
Sometimes you have to just play the stars, even if you worry some about the matchup. The Aces defense could be tough for Seattle and this could turn into a lower-scoring game than expected, but Stewart should overcome that. She only had to play 26 minutes on Friday because the Storm were blowing out the Lynx and even in that time, she had 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Stewart has the highest ceiling of anyone because she's capable of going on a scoring tear at any point and putting up 30.
Myisha Hines-Allen (Washington Mystics) - @ MIN - DK: $8,600, FD: $6,600
Elena Delle Donne won't play on Sunday. Tianna Hawkins won't either. No Elizabeth Williams. No Alysha Clark. The Mystics frontcourt is Hines-Allen and Shakira Austin.
In 2020, Hines-Allen was in a similar spot where she was clearly the best big on this team. She ended up averaging 17.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
Nalyssa Smith (Indiana Fever) - vs LA - DK: $7,600, FD: $5,500
Smith had 13 points and 13 rebounds in her WNBA debut, but shot just 38.5% from the floor. She didn't have a block or a steal, something that should change based on her college numbers. I expect to see Smith shoulder a ton of the scoring load for Indiana this year, which will lead to some really good fantasy numbers. Play her while her salary is still relatively low.
WNBA Betting Picks for 5/5/2022
Looking to make some WNBA bets? Let's look at some options for you.
Yesterday's results (0-2)
Los Angeles Sparks Spead (-5)
Tough betting day yesterday, but these first few games before we see data can be tough.
The spread in the Sparks/Fever game appears to be between five and six anywhere I can find it. And, well...look, the Fever showed that they're a fun team, but the depth is shallow and they lost by 14 to the Mystics, who were missing some key pieces. The Sparks can score points in a hurry. The Fever can go very, very cold. I'll take the Sparks side of the spread here.
Minnesota Lynx ML
The Mystics have no frontcourt, as I mentioned above when I recommended playing Myisha Hines-Allen in DFS. Sylvia Fowles and company were embarrassed on the first night of the season, but I don't think we see a repeat of that. Who's going to stop Fowles up front? Sure, the Lynx have a serious point guard problem, but I really like their chances in this one.
