We have our first four-game slate of the WNBA season. Surprisingly enough, this is also the first slate where I really had to struggle to find value plays. The league has been relatively injury free over the last week or so, and there really aren’t any bench players we can expect to have a significantly bigger role than usual.
On the other end of the spectrum, I don’t think you are getting great value for the top options at either position. Brittney Griner, Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker all scored below their season averages when Phoenix played L.A. a week ago, and I think there is a pretty decent chance that happens again. Diana Taurasi was good in that game, but I don’t love the idea of paying $7,400 for someone who has topped 30.3 fantasy points just once in eight games.
While I think you still have to pay for a couple of studs if you want to be competitive, I’m looking for value towards the bottom of the top tier with players like Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd as opposed to paying for the top options. That is the biggest advantage of playing a four-game slate: There are a lot of really good players at the top, so you can afford to be a bit more discerning in which ones you pay for.
| Player | FanDuel Price | Comments |
| Stefanie Dolson, F, CHI | $ 6,000 | Is there anyone in the WNBA as consistently inconsistent as Stefanie Dolson? She scored a season-high 42.3 fantasy points against San Antonio June 10 and followed that up with 9.4 fantasy points Friday. Dolson played only 16 minutes Friday thanks to foul trouble, but she should have a far easier time again the Fever, who have allowed the second-most points in the WNBA and are last in rebound percentage. |
| Kelsey Plum, G, SA | $ 3,300 | The Stars are winless in 10 games, and beyond the fact Kelsey Plum isn't going to get any better playing five minutes per game, it would be good for the league if the former Washington standout got extended run in her first game back in Seattle. Plum's price has finally bottomed out, and so I think she is worth the risk as a punt play in GPP lineups. |
| Allie Quigley, G, CHI | $ 5,000 | Quigley has scored at least 19.8 fantasy points in every game this season, and she has at least five assists in three straight. She is a solid cash play with some upside in a nice matchup. |
| Moriah Jefferson, G, SA | $ 5,800 | If I knew for sure Jefferson was going to play at least 30 minutes, as she has the last two games, she would be a must-play in cash and GPP games. It was just three games ago that Jefferson was barely cracking 20 minutes, and there is at least some risk that happens again Saturday. |
| Alysha Clark, F, SEA | $ 3,900 | Clark has scored at least 18.3 fantasy points in five of her last six games, the only exception coming a week ago against the Liberty in a game I got completely wrong. Clark had 21.6 fantasy points in her only meeting with the Stars this season, and San Antonio does not have the size to shut Clark down the way the Liberty do. |
| Breanna Stewart, F, SEA | $ 7,700 | Stewart is every bit as good as Candace Parker or Elena Delle Donne, but she costs significantly less. Stewart has failed to score 30 fantasy points three times this season: In her first two games when she was still nursing a sprained PCL, and in a home loss to the Lynx. I'm not penalizing her for those performances, and you shouldn't, either. |
| Elena Delle Donne, F, WAS | $ 8,500 | Elena Delle Donne has scored at least 40.4 fantasy points in four consecutive games, including a season-high 44.7 fantasy points at Dallas two weeks ago. |
| Glory Johnson, F, DAL | $ 6,600 | Johnson is averaging 33.5 fppg over her last six games, and she had 19 points and eight rebounds against the Mystics two weeks ago. |
| Jantel Lavender, F, LA | $ 3,500 | Lavender has played at least 17 minutes and scored at least 14.7 fantasy points in three consecutive games, including a nine-point, four rebound, three assist effort against the Mercury a week ago. She may not have much upside, but she is one of the few cheap options you can actually feel reasonably confident about playing. |
| Allisha Gray, G, DAL | $ 5,200 | Allisha Gray has been a complimentary scorer for Dallas all season, but she is averaging 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists over her last three games, which makes her a safe cash play even if her shot isn't falling. |
| Dearica Hamby, F, SA | $ 4,800 | It appears Hamby has risen above the forward morass in San Antonio, playing at least 29 minutes and scoring at least 23.9 fantasy points in each of her last two games. In fact, Hamby is averaging 30.8 fppg when she plays at least 22 minutes. Vickie Johnson has shown a reluctance to commit to any rotation in the past, and Hamby could easily wind up back on the bench, but at least she is producing when she plays. |
| Jewell Loyd, G, SEA | $ 6,900 | Jewell Loyd scored at least 25 points in each of the first three games of the season, then failed to top 16 points in any of her next four. In her last three games, she has scored 27, 19 and 25 points respectively. There is certainly a chance she takes a back seat again Sunday, but I love the price considering she is averaging 35.9 fppg over her last three games. |
| Kayla McBride, G, SA | $ 5,800 | The only constant in San Antonio has been Kayla McBride playing a lot of minutes and taking a lot of shots. She is 6-23 from the field over her last two games, but she went 16-28 in the two before that, including a 21-point effort against Seattle. McBride is safe, but she has a pretty high ceiling as well. |
| Krystal Thomas, F, WAS | $ 4,600 | It was nice to see Thomas finally get her first double-double of the season last week, especially with Elena Delle Donne returning to the court. Thomas is the only forward priced between $5,800 and $4,000 who I would actually consider safe. She has scored at least 16.5 fantasy points in six consecutive games. |
| POS | FanDuel Cash | $ | FanDuel GPP | $ |
| G | Kayla McBride | $5,800 | Kayla McBride | $5,800 |
| G | Allisha Gray | $5,200 | Jewell Loyd | $6,900 |
| G | Allie Quigley | $5,000 | Moriah Jefferson | $5,800 |
| F | Breanna Stewart | $7,700 | Stefanie Dolson | $6,000 |
| F | Alysha Clark | $3,900 | Alysha Clark | $3,900 |
| F | Elena Delle Donne | $8,500 | Glory Johnson | $6,600 |
| F | Jantel Lavender | $3,500 | Dearica Hamby | $4,800 |
| Total | $39,600 | Total | $39,800 | |
| Remaining | $400 | Remaining | $200 |