RADIO
Justin Carter's top daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks and betting picks for 6/1/22. Expert WNBA DFS advice for DraftKings and FanDuel and today's best bets.
Happy June! After a packed night of WNBA action last night, there are just two games on Wednesday's slate, with the Lynx taking on the Dream and the Fever taking on the Liberty.
I'll be providing daily fantasy lineup picks for the WNBA this season here at RotoBaller. In addition, 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 and, because I think this is important, that I'll be making myself.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 6/1/22. These lineups picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. The slate locks on 6/1/2022 at 7:00 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.
WNBA DFS Lineup Picks: Forwards
Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx) - @ ATL - DK: $10,500, FD: $8,000
Minnesota is a mess, but Fowles is averaging 17.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. Atlanta gets blocked more than any other WNBA team and allows the second-most steals. The defense has played well overall, holding teams to 40.7% shooting inside the arc a d 37.2% shooting overall, but Fowles has shot under 50% just once this year. Unstoppable force and immovable object kind of game, and I lean the force of Fowles. Atlanta doesn't have the size to stop her.
NaLyssa Smith (Indiana Fever) - @ NY - DK: $8,800, FD: $6,500
New York allows the fifth-most points and the most rebounds per game in the WNBA this season. The team's frontcourt has been a weakness, and it's going to be hard for them to slow down Smith, who grabbed 17 rebounds the last time these teams met. She also had 12 points on 5-for-15 shooting in that game. To still post a dominant fantasy score in her worst shooting performance of the season—impressive. I expect better efficiency in this game.
Han Xu (New York Liberty) - vs IND - DK: $7,200, FD: $5,500
I definitely didn't have "Han Xu becomes the Liberty's best big" on my 2022 bingo board. After playing sparingly in 2019, she sat out the past two seasons and was a surprise return in 2022. She started out with a lot of bench time, but has now played 15 or more minutes in four consecutive games. She's scored at least 10 points in every game she's played this year, and has three consecutive games with at least seven rebounds. Her height makes her such a mismatch, especially since she has some nice shooting touch.
WNBA DFS Lineup Picks: Guards
Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream) - vs MIN - DK: $9,400, FD: $7,700
Howard's hit a bit of a rough patch, going 0-for-9 against Washington then following that up with 12 points against Phoenix, her lowest point total of the season outside of that scoreless game.
Still, Minnesota allows the fourth-most points per game in the W and teams are shooting 45.6% against them. Howard is capable of scoring 20-plus points at any time, and she fills the stat sheet up everywhere else too. This is the bounceback game for her.
Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty) -vs IND - DK: $9,100, FD: $6,000
Ionescu might be the most frustrating player in the league. When she's on, she's on, like in the first game against Indiana where she had 31 points, three rebounds, seven assists and four steals. That showing is the reason I'm high on her today: in a game where she played a defense as bad as Indiana, she delivered.
But then there are the lows. She's been held under 10 points in three of the last four games and hasn't shot over 37.5% from the floor since that Indiana game. Ionescu keeps getting shut down. A big part of it is that she doesn't have another backcourt player to take pressure off of her, which Betnijah Laney did last year...and did against Indiana this year, when she played 40 minutes. But Laney's out for this one with a knee injury, so we'll see what happens.
Bridget Carleton (Minnesota Lynx) - @ ATL - DK: $4,700, FD: $5,700
Carleton feels interchangeable with Rachel Banham. One of them will see more minutes and usage on Wednesday with Moriah Jefferson out. Looking back at the beginning of the season, Carleton has definitely more consistent, while Banham had the best overall game of the two. Honestly, both could bust on Wednesday, but the DFS price on them is so cheap that I like the idea of using one as a punt play and just kind of hoping it'll work out.
WNBA Betting Picks for 6/1/2022
Looking to make some WNBA bets? Let's look at some options for you.
Yesterday's Results: 0-2
Fever Spread (+4.5)
I understand that the Fever are on the road and are on the second night of a back-to-back. But New York has lost seven in a row and just consistently looks lost, plus will still be without Betnijah Laney. Maybe the Liberty sneak out a win, but taking the Fever spread here feels like easy money. Indiana, for as much as it's struggled, is a team. New York feels like a bunch of disjointed parts right now.
Atlanta Dream Spread (-5)
With Moriah Jefferson out, the Lynx are back to not having a point guard. Minnesota was 0-3 before signing Jefferson, losing 97-74, 78-66 and 82-76, with the last one coming to a Fever team that is much worse than Atlanta. The Dream should win this one comfortably.
