One of the things I love about playing WNBA DFS is that I can still be surprised by a player or by a slate. When I did my research for Sunday’s slate, I was surprised at how many players felt like better cash game plays than GPP plays. Usually, I feel like I can get a pretty good balance of both, and if anything, I find more players who I like but are risky. I play the Optimal Lineups every day, and on those days that I play additional lineup, they are almost always GPP lineups. I have created four lineups (so far) on top of the optimal lineups, and while I’m probably going to enter them in a tournament, they all feel more like cash lineups.
Sometimes you just get a slate that feels more conducive to cash games, but I think there are three factors that make Sunday feel especially good for cash games:
- There hasn’t been any injury news.
Other than Stefanie Dolson returning Friday, not a whole lot has changed in the last week. A lot of the best GPP plays come when a good player returns from injury—like Dolson—or when a good player goes down and opens up an opportunity for one or more of her teammates. That hasn’t really happened this week, assuming Moriah Jefferson remains out.
- Most of the worst defensive teams are in play.
The Washington Mystics have the day off, but there are plenty of other teams to target who are giving up a ton of points. In a smaller slate, you may have to take some more risks, but there is value to be had simply by taking safe players facing the Sky, Aces or Fever.
- The Lynx are back.
Minnesota is on a three-game winning streak, and while that team was largely unplayable for fantasy a couple of weeks ago, they now have four players who feel super safe. Three of them play prominently in my cash lineups this week.
With that in mind, there are some players going Friday with GPP upside, they may just be a bit harder to find.
| Player | FanDuel Price | DraftKings Price | Comments |
| Breanna Stewart, F, SEA | $ 8,500 | $ 13,100 | The only problem with starting Stevens and Liz Cambage is I'm not sure either of them can guard Breanna Stewart. Stewart had 28 points, seven rebounds and four assists in her first game against Dallas this season, and she is certainly capable of doing that again. |
| Candace Parker, F, LA | $ 8,100 | $ 11,500 | Candace Parker's 28.0 fantasy points on DraftKings Friday were her fewest in her last six games. The Liberty have the third lowest rebound rate and fifth lowest defensive rating in the league, and they don't have anyone who can match up with Parker defensively. |
| Maya Moore, F, MIN | $ 7,300 | $ 10,400 | Maya Moore has at least 20 points, four rebounds and four assists in each of her last three games. The Aces have allowed the second most points, rebounds and assists in the WNBA this season. |
| Chiney Ogwumike, F, CON | $ 6,800 | $ 11,600 | Chiney Ogwumike is the 12th most expensive forward on FanDuel, but only six forwards cost more on DraftKings. Ogwumike had a modest showing in her first game back after missing a game with a knee injury, but she scored at least 30 fantasy points in each of her last four games before the injury. |
| DeWanna Bonner, G, PHO | $ 6,600 | $ 9,600 | On Friday I called DeWanna Bonner the safest guard on the slate, and she proceeded to have more turnovers than made field goals. She is shooting 27 percent over her last two games, and I expect that to turn around. The Sky have the worst defensive rating in the WNBA, and it's not even close. |
| Courtney Vandersloot, G, CHI | $ 6,600 | $ 8,500 | This is as cheap as she has been all season, and now that Stefanie Dolson is back, I expect Courtney Vandersloot to start looking like her old self. Stefanie Dolson is much better in the pick-and-roll than any of Chicago's other bigs, and she can also space the floor a little bit and give Slooty some room to work. |
| Candice Dupree, F, IND | $ 6,400 | $ 7,600 | Candice Dupree had 15 points and seven rebounds Friday after he combined for 10 points and eight rebounds over her previous two games. I can't think of a single reason she should be cheaper than Cheyenne Parker, Natalie Achonwa, Jonquel Jones and Stefanie Dolson on DraftKings when Parker is the only one who is (barely) outscoring her this season. |
| Jasmine Thomas, G, CON | $ 6,000 | $ 9,300 | Thomas is shooting 26 percent in her last two games, but she had 29 points, five rebounds and six assists in the game before that. Only the Aces have allowed more fantasy points to opposing guards than the Fever this season. |
| Stefanie Dolson, F, CHI | $ 5,600 | $ 8,000 | Big Mama Stef finally returned Friday after missing seven consecutive games due to a foot injury. She scored a season-high 13 points in just 15 minutes. Her price is down due to the injury and her early-season struggles, but now that Chicago finally has its entire team healthy, the Sky is the limit (please forgive the pun). |
| Kelsey Mitchell, G, IND | $ 5,500 | $ 8,300 | Mitchell's ceiling is clearly lower than it was when Candice Dupree is out, but she has still attempted at least 12 shots in nine of her last 10 games. Mitchell is shooting 29.4 percent over the last 10 days, but she could easily get hot and knock down a bunch of threes. |
| Erica Wheeler, G, IND | $ 5,400 | $ 6,400 | Wheeler is a cash play, especially on DraftKings. She has scored at least 16.0 fantasy points in each of her last five games. |
| Sancho Lyttle, F, PHO | $ 4,600 | $ 6,500 | Lyttle has been feast or famine of late, scoring 29+ fantasy points in two of her last five games and fewer than 13 in each of the other three. I love the matchup against the team allowing the most points, blocks and steals in the WNBA this season. |
| Rebekkah Brunson, F, MIN | $ 4,500 | $ 5,300 | Rebekkah Brunson has played at least 26 minutes and scored at least 19 fantasy points in each game during Minnesota's current three-game winning streak. She has only shot 36 percent during that span, so there is a fair amount of upside there. |
| Seimone Augustus, G, MIN | $ 4,200 | $ 5,200 | In each of her two games since coming back from a hamstring injury, Seimone Augustus has had at least 14 points, one rebound, three assists and a steal. |
| Azura Stevens, F, DAL | $ 3,700 | $ 3,600 | In her first start of the season Friday, Azura Stevens matched her career high with 24 minutes while putting up 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. She appears to be a much better fit alongside Liz Cambage than Glory Johnson, and she should be safe so long as she starts. |