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Justin Carter's top daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for 5/18/24. Expert WNBA DFS advice for DraftKings and FanDuel.
We've got a big slate in the WNBA on Saturday as eight teams are in action, equaling Tuesday night for the largest slate of games so far this season. We have two-afternoon games and two evening games, so you can sit back and spend a full day watching the W on Saturday.
On Friday night, we got to see an exciting overtime finish between the Lynx and Storm, plus the Mystics fought gallantly in a loss to the Sun. The big news from that one is that Brittney Sykes suffered an ankle injury for Washington. Her availability is huge, both in real life and for fantasy.
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 slate locks on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Want to talk more about the WNBA? I'm always available on X and always down to discuss women's basketball: @juscarts.
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WNBA DFS Picks: Forward
A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces) vs. LA (DK: $11.9K, FD: $9.1K)
Two-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson opened the 2024 season in style, scoring 30 points on 10-for-22 shooting with 13 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and three blocks. Wilson just filled the stat sheet up in the nine-point win over the Mercury.
Up next is a meeting with the Sparks. Los Angeles has the ability to be a good defensive team, but they struggled to stop the inside game in their opener against Atlanta. In that contest, Tina Charles—who sat out last season—scored 21 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. Wilson can eat on Saturday, especially if rookie Cameron Brink gets into foul trouble again and has to spend significant time on the bench.
Maddy Siegrist (Dallas Wings) vs. CHI (DK: $7.5K, FD: $4.1K)
The Wings suffered a pair of major losses after the team's opening game, as Jaelyn Brown and Natasha Howard are both out for this game, with Howard set to miss a month or more with a broken foot.
The team added free agent Monique Billings on a hardship deal on Friday, and she'll get heavy minutes at the four along with Kalani Brown and Stephanie Soares playing there in larger lineups. But when it comes to replacing Jaelyn Brown, the Wings don't have many places to turn.
I expect Maddy Siegrist to be on the floor for 25-plus minutes on Saturday. She only played 18 in the opener, but she made the most of that time, scoring 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting with five rebounds and three blocks.
Angel Reese (Chicago Sky) at DAL (DK: $7.3K, FD: $5.2K)
Angel Reese wasn't particularly great in her WNBA debut, but she managed to do enough to wind up with a really nice stat line, scoring 12 points and pulling down eight rebounds. She was 5-for-14 from the floor and added one assist and one steal.
Angel Reese v. double team, back to back. She’s tough. Not waiting to be handed anything. She’s taking it. pic.twitter.com/tb1lZvhx4t
— Shawn (@MsShawnDPrice) May 15, 2024
With Natasha Howard out, Dallas might not have a big who can slow Reese down if Chicago can make this game into a track meet. Reese has limited range with her scoring ability, but if she can get to the bucket then she can take advantage of her athleticism to get points and to grab offensive boards when other Sky players miss on their attempts.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings) vs. CHI (DK: $10.5K, FD: $8.6K)
With Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard hurt, Arike Ogunbowale is the only active member of the Big Three who led the Wings to their best season since moving to Arlington. That means a lot is going to fall on Arike's shoulders.
But if there's a WNBA player who is up for taking on that role, it's Ogunbowale. She took 23 shots in the opener, knocking down 10 of them and scoring 25 points. She also added seven assists and three steals. The Wings have serious depth concerns right now, so unless Arike gets in serious foul trouble, she's going to stay on the floor. Sure, an expanded role might be bad for her efficiency, but it's a good thing that we don't really care about missed shots in DFS.
Diamond DeShields (Chicago Sky) at DAL (DK: $7.0K, FD: $5.3K)
Note: DeShields is listed at guard on DraftKings and forward on FanDuel
Diamond DeShields returned to Chicago this offseason, the place where her WNBA career began back in 2018. She's dealt with injuries since 2020 and didn't even play in 2023. Now, after spending last season on the Wings roster even though she never appeared for them, DeShields is back in Chi-Town.
“She’s been outstanding for us … we call her the comeback kid.”
Teresa Weatherspoon on the return of Diamond Deshields. pic.twitter.com/DIgMY8e04W
— Marquee Sky (@SkyMarquee) May 16, 2024
While she only played 18 minutes in the team's season-opening loss to Dallas, DeShields made the most of the minutes she was on the floor, scoring 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting while also adding three steals and a pair of rebounds. The Sky have a dearth of scoring options, so when DeShields is on the floor I'd expect her to have the green light.
Haley Jones (Atlanta Dream) vs. PHO (DK: $5.4K, FD: $4.4K)
Jordin Canada missed Atlanta's opener with a hand injury and while her status for Saturday hasn't been announced, it's mostly safe to assume that she won't be on the floor.
That should mean Haley Jones gets another start. After a fairly poor rookie campaign, the former Stanford star got off to a strong start in Atlanta's season-opening win over the Sparks. She played 24 minutes in that one, scoring 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting while adding two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block.
Now, she faces a Mercury team that she could really take advantage of. If we assume that Phoenix throws its best defenders on Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, Jones might spend some time matched up with Diana Taurasi. That's a situation that Jones could take advantage of.
