It has only been five days since our last WNBA Playbook, but it feels like the first time in forever. While there have only been two WNBA games since Sunday, there is plenty of news that will affect our DFS lineups.
The biggest news is probably the thumb injury Elena Delle Donne suffered Tuesday. Delle Donne will miss at least two weeks. The good news is, we have a pretty good idea what Washington will look like with EDD out since she missed two games all the way back in July. The bad news is, you can no longer get Emma Meesseman and Kristi Toliver at a discount. Natasha Cloud is doubtful for this game as well, so the Mystics remaining healthy players will likely log heavy minutes.
The other big news of the week was the trade that sent Tamera Young and Imani Boyette to the Atlanta Dream for Jordan Hooper and a 2018 first-round pick. Boyette’s departure frees up Chicago’s logjam in the frontcourt and likely clears the way for Jessica Breland to play 29+ minutes for the third consecutive game. Cheyenne Parker, Kahleah Copper and Cappie Pondexter will likely see increased playing time as well, though it is difficult to completely trust them until we know for sure.
| Player | FanDuel Price | DraftKings Price | Comments |
| Jonquel Jones, F, CON | $ 7,400 | $ 12,400 | Jonquel Jones had 14 points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes against the Fever Sunday, and I anticipate a similar performance against Phoenix. The Mercury have been terrible against opposing bigs with Brittney Griner out. |
| Alyssa Thomas, F, CON | $ 6,900 | $ 10,500 | Thomas was just as good as Jonquel Jones Sunday against Indiana, with 14 points, five rebounds, eight assists and four steals in 24 minutes. Like Jones, Thomas has a very favorable matchup. |
| Stefanie Dolson, F, CHI | $ 5,900 | $ 9,000 | Dolson has scored at least 23 points in three of her last seven games, and that kind of upside makes her a worthy GPP play, especially in a nice matchup. Dolson had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists against Indiana back in June, and I suspect she will be even better this time around. |
| Jessica Breland, F, CHI | $ 6,000 | $ 8,100 | Breland had 13 points and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes despite a tough matchup against the Liberty Sunday. That may be Breland's ceiling, but she is a safe cash play after Imani Boyette was traded to Atlanta. |
| Cappie Pondexter, G, CHI | $ 3,400 | $ 4,300 | The Sky are at their best with the ball in Courtney Vandersloot's hands, which caps Cappie Pondexter's production. That being said, Cappie is the favorite to replace Tamera Young in the starting lineup, and that makes her a nice value play. |
| Kahleah Copper, G, CHI | $ 3,000 | $ 3,000 | Copper is likely the other beneficiary of Tamera Young's departure, though it is difficult to trust her for cash games until we see Sky head coach Amber Stocks's rotation with her new roster. That being said, Copper is averaging 17.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per 40 minutes, and she will be really interesting if she finally gets some playing time. |
| Cheyenne Parker, F, CHI | $ 3,000 | $ 3,000 | Parker missed Sunday's game with an ankle injury, but she is likely the first forward off the bench for the new-look Sky if she is healthy. Keisha Hampton is questionable as well, and I would like Hampton in this spot if she is active and Parker is ruled out. |
| Candace Parker, F, LA | $ 8,500 | $ 12,900 | Parker has had three straight double-doubles, and she had 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in her only game against the Liberty this season. |
| Jasmine Thomas, G, CON | $ 5,800 | $ 9,400 | The Mercury do not have anyone fast enough to keep Jasmine Thomas out of the paint, and with Brittney Griner out, Phoenix doesn't have much rim protection, either. Thomas has scored at least 13 points in six of her last seven games, and she should be a solid cash game play. |
| Crystal Langhorne, C, SEA | $ 5,600 | $ 8,000 | Crystal Langhorne is averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in two games against Dallas this season. The Wings allow more points than any other WNBA team, and Langhorne should be pretty safe against them. |
| Alysha Clark, F, SEA | $ 3,300 | $ 5,400 | Alysha Clark is averaging 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists against the Wings. Clark probably isn't quite as safe as Langhorne, but she could be the better value. |
| Glory Johnson, F, DAL | $ 5,400 | $ 8,600 | Johnson has topped 30 minutes just once since July 9, and that was against the Storm last week. If she plays 30 minutes again Friday, she will likely be worth her price, especially on FanDuel. Johnson is averaging 17.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 blocks in two games against Seattle this season. |
| Emma Meesseman, F, WAS | $ 7,300 | $ 9,600 | Meesseman is averaging 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.8 blocks over her last five games. She no longer comes at a discount, even with Elena Delle Donne out, but she has scored at least 15 points in six consecutive games, so she should be pretty safe. |
| Krystal Thomas, F, WAS | $ 5,600 | $ 7,700 | Thomas is averaging 13.8 rebounds per game over her last four games. She failed to reach double-digit points in any of those games, but her rebounding makes her safe, and I like her chances at a double-double with Elena Delle Donne out. |
| Kristi Toliver, G, WAS | $ 5,500 | $ 7,200 | Toliver has played at least 33 minutes in three consecutive games, and that will almost certainly continue with the Mystics shorthanded Friday. She is averaging 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in those games. |
| Ivory Latta, G, WAS | $ 3,400 | $ 4,500 | Latta averaged 12.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists with Elena Delle Donne out last month. Latta will almost certainly play 25+ minutes and take a lot of shots with EDD and Natasha Cloud both out Friday. |
| Odyssey Sims, G, LA | $ 4,400 | $ 4,400 | I love her price on DraftKings, and she is probably playable on FanDuel as well. In three games with Essence Carson out, Sims is averaging 9.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 27.4 minutes. Sims scored 22 points against San Antonio last week, so she has a decent ceiling even though I probably like her better for cash lineups. |
| Skylar Diggins-Smith, G, DAL | $ 7,600 | $ 10,700 | Diggins-Smith might be the safest player in the entire slate. She is certainly the safest point guard. She has scored at least 28.5 fantasy points on DraftKings in eight consecutive games, and if she isn't shooting well, as was the case Sunday, she contributes enough assists and steals to still be useful in cash games. |
| POS | FanDuel Cash | $ | FanDuel GPP | $ | POS | DraftKings Cash | $ | DraftKings GPP | $ |
| G | Ivory Latta | $3,400 | Jasmine Thomas | $5,800 | G | Ivory Latta | $4,500 | Kahleah Copper | $3,000 |
| G | Skylar Diggins-Smith | $7,600 | Kahleah Copper | $3,000 | G | Odyssey Sims | $4,400 | Jasmine Thomas | $9,400 |
| G | Kristi Toliver | $5,500 | Kristi Toliver | $5,500 | F | Jessica Breland | $8,100 | Glory Johnson | $8,600 |
| F | Alysha Clark | $3,300 | Stefanie Dolson | $5,900 | F | Krystal Thomas | $7,700 | Candace Parker | $12,900 |
| F | Crystal Langhorne | 5600 | Glory Johnson | $5,400 | F | Candace Parker | $12,900 | Alyssa Thomas | $10,500 |
| F | Alyssa Thomas | $6,900 | Candace Parker | $8,500 | UTIL | Jonquel Jones | $12,400 | Alysha Clark | $5,400 |
| F | Emma Meesseman | $7,300 | Krystal Thomas | $5,600 | |||||
| Total | $39,600 | Total | $39,700 | Total | $50,000 | Total | $49,800 | ||
| Remaining | $400 | Remaining | $300 | Remaining | $0 | Remaining | $200 |