RADIO
The 2023 WNBA season has arrived! On Friday night, eight of the league's 12 teams were in action. That includes the New York Liberty, the biggest story of the offseason as they added Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Courtney Vandersloot. And their first game together was...not good. The Mystics snuffed out the Liberty offense, with Washington winning 80-64.
If you're looking for WNBA daily fantasy picks and some betting advice this season, then you're in the right place. I'll be here providing picks for any slate with two or more games, as well as adding a little betting advice as well.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel. These lineup picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. The slates lock on 5/20/2023 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Want to talk more about the WNBA? I'm always available on Twitter and always down to discuss women's basketball: @juscarts.
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WNBA DFS Picks: Forward
A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces) -@ SEA - DK: $10,500, FD: $8,900
The Aces added Candace Parker this offseason, but I don't think that addition ends up having too much of an impact on Wilson's numbers, since Dearica Hamby's exit opens up minutes. Parker played 28.3 minutes per game and averaged 13.2 points for Chicago last year; Hamby averaged 26.5 minutes per game and averaged 9.3 points per game for Vegas. Essentially, I think if someone takes a step back to make more room for Parker, it's likely someone other than the Aces' best player.
As for what Wilson brings to the floor, she averaged 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game last season en route to her second MVP award and first DPOY. She's an elite play every night in DFS, and that's magnified on a two-game slate.
Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm) - vs LV - DK: $7,900, FD: $6,400
The Storm lost Breanna Stewart this offseason and a lot of people expect this to be one of the league's worst teams. I'm not sure if I'm willing to go that far, but what I will predict is that Stewart's departure will directly benefit Ezi Magbegor.
The Australian big averaged a career-high 24.8 minutes per game last year, scoring 9.5 points and pulling down 5.6 rebounds per game. She also added 1.8 blocks per contest.
Four Storm players had a higher usage rate than Magbegor last season; just one of those players, Jewell Loyd, remains on the team. Not having Stewie and Tina Charles in the frontcourt is going to lead to a lot of additional possessions for Magbegor. Expect a big year from her.
Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings) - vs ATL - DK: $6,800, FD: $5,800
With Diamond DeShields set to miss most of the season with a knee injury, Satou Sabally's importance becomes magnified. Able to play anywhere from the three to the five, it's likely that we see Sabally start at the three now with DeShields hurt, and we'll also see her at the four in some smaller lineups.
Sabally's a talented player, but injuries have really hurt her WNBA career so far, as she's played just 44 games in her first three seasons. She's also struggled with her shot, shooting 25% from three for her career.
But Sabally was healthy overseas this season and shot 45.3% from deep in her 18 games for Fenerbahçe, two encouraging signs. I expect this to be the year she takes a leap, and she's definitely underpriced on both platforms if you believe that as well.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream) - @ DAL - DK: $10,300, FD: $7,300
Last season's Rookie of the Year made an immediate impact, averaging 16.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game in her first WNBA season.
She did that despite shooting just 36.1% from the floor. The addition of Allisha Gray should take some pressure off Howard, which will hopefully lead to lighter defensive pressure and increased efficiency, which raises her scoring ceiling.
Also worth noting: over the final six games last season, Howard upped her scoring average to 19.3 points per game. She can be a dominant player in this league, and I expect her to get off to a fast start in her second season.
Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces) - @ SEA - DK: $9,200, FD: $7,000
I mentioned above that I don't think A'ja Wilson ends up deferring much to Candace Parker. The other Aces player I'll say the same thing about: Kelsey Plum.
Plum, the No. 1 overall in 2017, made The Leap last season, averaging a career-high 20.2 points per game while shooting 42% from three. Having Parker on the floor should just open things up even more for Plum, and Parker also gives her another player to get potential assists for—last season, Plum averaged a career-high 5.1 assists per game.
Jordan Horston (Seattle Storm) - vs LV - DK: $5,200, FD: $3,400
Horston fell to No. 9 in the draft despite, in my opinion, being a top-four talent, and she fell to a pretty perfect spot: a Storm team where she'll have plenty of chances to score as one of the lead bench players.
Back on May 8th in the Storm's preseason loss to Phoenix, Horston had some good moments, scoring five points on 2-for-5 scoring with three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Her size and her ability to handle the ball will get her on the floor. It's a little risky to play her in DFS right off the bat, but I think her price makes her really appealing, especially on FanDuel. She averaged 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game last season at Tennessee.
WNBA Bet of the Day
Every day, I'll provide my favorite bet. I'll be using DraftKings Sportsbook for the odds.
Unfortunately, with this slate starting in the early afternoon, DraftKings doesn't have odds up at publish time, so instead I'll give you a WNBA futures bet I like.
WNBA 2023 Champion - Field +380
Right now, you can either bet on an Aces/Liberty champion at -475 or take the field at +380. The field includes the Mystics, who dominated New York on Friday night. Washington has an MVP-caliber player in Elena Delle Donne and then a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. Factor in potential injuries to Vegas or New York because anything can happen during a 40-game season and, well...+380 to bet on 10 potential champions feels like a slam dunk bet, even if Vegas and New York are the heavy favorites.
