This is a weird part of the schedule one week into the season. The Sparks are playing just their second game while Connecticut, New York, Phoenix and Indiana have all played three games. On top of that, you have players still returning to their teams after overseas commitments and still more players who have left their teams for the 3-on-3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Everything is in flux but one thing I know for sure is that I’m willing to bet on players who have taken a lot of shots but haven’t made a lot. We are pretty familiar with most of these players at this point, and there is a fair amount of value to be had if we assume players like Tiffany Hayes and Rebecca Allen will start shooting better soon.
Guards |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Riquna Williams | LV | LA | 6300 | 16.12 | 3900 | 15.75 |
With Kelsey Plum out, I think Williams will get more minutes and shots than what we have seen so far. We know she can get hot and score a bunch of points at any time, even if she will rarely be the focal point of the offense. |
Tiffany Hayes | ATL | IND | 6000 | 16 | 5500 | 19.00 |
Hayes was rusty in her first WNBA game in more than a year, shooting 1-10 against the Sky Wednesday. It was nice to see her play 26 minutes despite poor shooting and foul trouble, and I expect much better production against Indiana. |
Courtney Williams | ATL | IND | 10200 | 38 | 7000 | 39.20 |
I don't know why Williams is $100 less than Bonner on DK but $1000 less than her on FD. I don't necessarily expect a repeat of the eight rebounds she grabbed against Chicago, but a third straight game with 30+ fantasy points seems probable. |
Kaila Charles | CON | PHO | 4200 | 9.33 | 3200 | 9.50 |
With Briann January out, Charles should play 15+ minutes for the third time this season. She topped 12 fantasy points in the previous two games, and that makes her a reasonable punt play Friday. |
Natisha Hiedeman | CON | PHO | 7800 | 31.92 | 6800 | 32.53 |
Hiedeman averaged .89 fantasy points per minute as a rookie but fell to .60 in nearly double the minutes last year. This year she is up to 1.01 in 32.3 mpg. I don't know if that kind of production is sustainable but I think the minutes are, especially with Briann January out. |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
DeWanna Bonner | CON | PHO | 10300 | 39.08 | 8000 | 38.27 |
Bonner has been arguably the most consistent guard in the league to this point despite only playing 24 minutes against Indiana Wednesday. She played 37 minutes and scored 45.25 fantasy points against Phoenix on Sunday, and I expect similar production in this game. |
Sabrina Ionescu | NY | WAS | 11200 | 46.08 | 8600 | 40.57 |
She continues to be the most volatile player for fantasy, with 50+ fantasy points in two games and 21.25 in the third. I think she'll be more consistent when Natasha Howard joins the team but until then, she has the highest ceiling in the game. |
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Forwards |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Tina Charles | WAS | NY | 9500 | 32.5 | 6900 | 30.55 |
This is a revenge game, but I would like this matchup for Charles even without that angle. With Natasha Howard out, New York really only has Kiah Stokes to match up with Charles inside. Charles still hasn't shot the ball well but if she makes a few shots, she could have an absolutely huge game. |
Chiney Ogwumike | LA | LV | 7500 | 25 | 5600 | 22.70 |
She played 27 minutes against Dallas and with Amanda Zahui B. out, Chiney could easily play 30+ if the Sparks can keep this game close. She matched her sister's minutes fantasy production and is much cheaper. With a week off in between games, I have to imagine most Sparks will play better in this game. |
Dearica Hamby | LV | LA | 7700 | 21.12 | 5500 | 21.00 |
With Kelsey Plum gone for the 3-on-3 Olympic Qualifying tournament, I think Hamby is going to have to play 30ish minutes. She has a nice floor but I like her upside as well. |
Theresa Plaisance | WAS | NY | 4800 | 20.88 | 4800 | 22.80 |
Plaisance is a must-play on DraftKings if Myisha Hines-Allen is out. Plaisance has been productive despite shooting 23.8 percent from the field through two games. The shots will fall at some point. |
Rebecca Allen | NY | WAS | 4900 | 14.5 | 3500 | 14.80 |
Allen's fantasy production is pretty respectable considering she is averaging 13.5 minutes and shooting 16.7 percent from the field. She does not have a high ceiling but we know she is a better shooter than what she has shown to this point. You could do worse for a punt play. |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Erica McCall | WAS | NY | 5900 | 19.88 | 4200 | 19.80 |
Like Theresa Plaisance, McCall's fantasy value is depending on Myisha Hines-Allen remaining out. Unlike Plaisance, McCall rarely shoots enough to have a poor shooting night. She will score just enough to supplement her rebounding and outproduce her price on FanDuel. |
Teaira McCowan | IND | ATL | 10000 | 31.5 | 6800 | 31.97 |
She was awesome in the first game of the season, with 22 points and 16 rebounds. She had 14 and 16 in her next two games combined. She is averaging 27.4 mpg and is well over a fantasy point per minute for her third consecutive season. I wish she was a bit more consistent, but I think she will bounce back after shooting 35 percent the last two games. |
A'ja Wilson | LV | LA | 10800 | 42.25 | 8700 | 42.35 |
I don't know that you can go wrong with Wilson or Jonquel Jones, but considering Jones's worst game so far was against Phoenix, Wilson feels a bit safer. Wilson was great against Seattle, who is one of the best defensive teams in the league; she could have a huge game against a Sparks team that gave up 94 points to the Wings last week. |
Core Plays:
Draftkings Core Plays |
Top Tier | DeWanna Bonner | $10,300 |
Tina Charles | $9,500 |
Mid Tier | Tiffany Hayes | $6,000 |
Chiney Ogwumike | $7,500 |
Value Tier | Theresa Plaisance | $4,800 |
Rebecca Allen | $4,900 |
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Fanduel Core Plays |
Top Tier | Courtney Williams | $7,000 |
Teaira McCowan | $6,800 |
Mid Tier | Skylar Diggins-Smith | $6,100 |
Chiney Ogwumike | $5,600 |
Value Tier | Riquna Williams | $3,900 |
Erica McCall | $4,200 |