Saturday is our first four-game WNBA slate, and each game is interesting in its own right. Seattle will play the second of a back-to-back and their third game in four days, all on the road. They also lose an hour traveling from Atlanta to Chicago. They face a Sky team that has had a full week of practice coming off an embarrassing performance at Minnesota in the season-opener. The Sky look like they will be one of the weaker defensive teams in the league again this season, but it is difficult to trust the Storm at the end of such a tough stretch.
Atlanta is also playing the second of a back-to-back, and they’ve looked awful through two games this season. I expect them to play better at some point, but maybe they’re missing Damiris Dantas more than anyone expected. They face a Washington team that will be super interesting if Kristi Toliver is able to play alongside Emma Meesseman and Elena Delle Donne. Those last two are value plays no matter what, but there will likely be more shots for everyone if Toliver sits.
I liked Dallas a lot for DFS, and I don’t want to give up on them after one poor game, but I really wish they were playing anyone other than Minnesota. It looked like the game was too fast for Arike Ogunbowale in her first WNBA game, and I’m not super optimistic that will change against the best defensive team in the league. I think Glory Johnson will bounce back after a poor game last week, but I don’t want to play her against Sylvia Fowles. On the other side, Fowles was much better at home than on the road last season, so I will pay close attention to how she and her teammates do in their first road game.
Finally, the Liberty and Fever face off in a rematch of Opening Night. New York hasn’t played since that game, which they lost on a Tearia McCowan buzzer beater. I don’t want to overreact too much to that one game, but I think most of the players who did well in that game took advantage of favorable matchups, and I kind of expect them to do it again.
| Player | FanDuel | DraftKings | Comments |
| Candice Dupree, F, IND | $7,500 | $11,000 | Dupree has been great through two games, providing rebounds and assists in addition to points. I worry a little bit that the midrange shots will stop falling at some point, but the Liberty do not match up well with her, and they allow a lot of open midrange shots. I don't see any reason to pay her price on DraftKings, but her FanDuel price is much more reasonable. |
| Elena Delle Donne, F, WAS | $10,900 | $10,600 | Delle Donne is the cheapest of the stud forwards, especially on DraftKings. I'm not worried about how she'll play next to Emma Meesseman, though EDD might be a bit safer for fantasy if Kristi Toliver sits. |
| Teaira McCowan | $4,700 | $8,700 | It's pretty crazy to see a player who costs $4000 more on DraftKings than on FanDuel. McCowan is still risky even on FanDuel, but she matches up very well with the Liberty. |
| Diamond DeShields | $6,100 | $8,200 | DeShields was awful in the season opener Saturday, due to a combination of foul trouble, a blow to the face and smothering Minnesota defense. At home against a tired Seattle team, she has 40 fantasy point potential. You can't say that about many of the guards on this slate. |
| Stefanie Dolson | $5,500 | $7,700 | We knew it would be a rough matchup for Dolson against Minnesota, but she has a chance to bounce back against Seattle. I don't trust her for cash, but she has 20-and-10 potential. |
| Allie Quigley, G, CHI | $5,600 | $7,400 | Chicago is in a great spot at home againsti a tired Seattle team, and Allie Quigley is the cheapest of the Sky forwards. She'll never be the focal point of Chicago's offense, but they often go to her when they need a bucket, and when their offense is humming, she gets a lot of open catch-and-shoot opportunities. That being said, she's probably more of a cash play than a GPP option. |
| Napheesa Collier | $5,800 | $7,000 | She's still pretty cheap for considering only four players on Saturday's slate are averaging more than her 34.0 fantasy points per game. Her ceiling will likely be capped if Karima Christmas-Kelly returns, but I think I like her best for the price even if that happens. |
| Alex Bentley | $4,600 | $6,500 | Bentley is 4-of-19 shooting so far this season after shooting 38.7 percent from the field last season. We know she isn't afraid to keep shooting in this offense, and I have to believe the shots will fall sooner than later. |
| Danielle Robinson, G, MIN | $6,000 | $6,300 | Robinson and teammate Odyssey Sims have put up nearly identical numbers this season, and while Sims probably has a higher ceiling, |
| Erica Wheeler, G, IND | $7,200 | $6,200 | She almost certainly won't shooting 68 percent from the field for long, but she has looked awfully good getting into the paint and creating for herself and teammates. That should continue. I like her price on DraftKings, especially for cash games. |
| Kelsey Mitchell, G, IND | $5,800 | $6,000 | Mitchell is shooting 20 percent from the field and is 0-5 on threes through two games. We all know that won't continue. |
| Gabby Williams, F, CHI | $5,600 | $5,900 | Can someone please explain to me why she is listed as a guard on FanDuel? She plays exclusively at forward. Gabby was the only Sky player who showed up in the opener, with a modest 11 points, two rebounds and four assists. Like Allie Quigley, Gabby is one of the safest options for the Sky. |
| Emma Meesseman, F, WAS | $6,300 | $5,100 | I don't know why she is so much cheaper on DraftKings, but I'm not about to complain. She had 25.0 fantasy points in the season opener at Connecticut, and she should be a safe play at home agianst an Atlanta team that played the night before and has been awful defensively. |
| Reshanda Gray, F, NYL | $4,800 | $4,500 | It's her birthday today, so let's hope the Liberty gift her with more playing time. She looked great in the first matchup between these two teams, with 10 points and eight rebounds in 14 minutes. Her strong play combined with an awful game from Amanda Zahui B. could spell even more minutes for Gray. Gray has double-double potential against Indiana's frontcourt. |
| Katie Lou Samuelson, G, CHI | $4,300 | $4,300 | Katie Lou Who was a non-factor in her first WNBA game, but Minnesota's defense deserves at least some of the credit for that. She was drafted with the idea she could be a poor man's Allie Quigley, and that hasn't changed, even if the downside is she gives you nothing. |
| Mercedes Russell, F, SEA | $3,700 | $3,600 | It was awfully encouraging to see Mercedes Russell play 20+ minutes for the second consecutive night despite Alysha Clark's return. We need to play somebody cheap on FanDuel if we want to pay up at any of the other positions, and she is our best bet. |
| Odyssey Sims, G, MIN | $6,200 | $7,200 | Sims has been consistent through two games, but I still don't think she has hit her ceiling yet. Poor shooting held her back in game one and turnovers hurt Thursday night, but I think she's going to score 30+ fantasy points sooner than later. |
| POS | FanDuel Cash | $ | POS | FanDuel GPP | POS | DraftKings Cash | $ | POS | DraftKings GPP | $ | |
| G | Alex Bentley | $4,600 | G | Allie Quigley | $5,600 | G | Erica Wheeler | $6,200 | G | Katie Lou Samuelson | $4,300 |
| G | Kelsey Mitchell | $5,800 | G | Gabby Williams | $5,600 | G | Jewell Loyd | $9,600 | G | Odyssey Sims | $7,200 |
| G | Diamon DeShields | $6,100 | G | Odyssey Sims | $6,200 | Pivot | Courtney Vandersloot | $10,800 | Pivot | Arike Ogunbowale | 6700 |
| Pivot | Allie Quigley | $5,600 | Pivot | Danielle Robinson | $6,000 | F | Emma Meesseman | $5,100 | F | Reshanda Gray | $4,500 |
| F | Tearia McCowan | $4,700 | F | Mercedes Russell | $3,700 | F | Tina Charles | $11,600 | Pivot | Emma Meesseman | $5,100 |
| F | Napheesa Collier | $5,800 | F | Elena Delle Donne | $7,900 | F | Elena Delle Donne | $10,600 | F | Elena Delle Donne | $10,600 |
| F | Stefanie Dolson | $5,500 | F | Emma Meesseman | $6,300 | UTIL | Danielle Robinson | 6300 | F | Natasha Howard | $11,300 |
| F | Candice Dupree | $7,500 | F | Tearia McCowan | $4,700 | Pivot | Alysha Clark | $5,000 | UTIL | Tina Charles | $11,600 |
| Pivot | Elena Delle Donne | $7,900 | Pivot | Natalie Achonwa | $4,800 |