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Justin Carter's top daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for 5/21/21. Expert WNBA DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for DraftKings and FanDuel.
After a one-game slate on Thursday, we're back with four games on Friday night.
Some fun storylines, too. Can the Liberty stay undefeated? What'll happen when the Sparks visit the Aces? Will Dream/Fever be remotely watchable?
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/21/21. These lineups picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. 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 Guards
Sabrina Ionescu (G, New York Liberty) – @ Washington Mystics (DK: $11,200, FD: $8,600)
Sabrina Ionescu is coming off a triple-double. Washington allows teams to shoot 75.9 percent at the rim and 38.5 percent on above the break threes. Seems like a good recipe for Ionescu to do two things: make some shots from deep, and hit some teammates on cuts to the basket for some easy assists.
Ionescu is on fire this year. She's playing 35.3 minutes per game and in that time is averaging 21 points per contest, as well as seven rebounds and nine assists per game. She's shooting 52.6 percent from deep, though is struggling inside the arc, hitting just 29.2 percent of her twos. Still, that second number will come up, and Ionescu also doesn't need to be elite inside the arc as a scorer when she's so lethal as a passer. Add in that New York's bigs have rebounding issues and box out to let her go scoop up those boards and you can see why this is my favorite play on the slate.
(If you want to spend big at forward and save a little here though, teammate Betnijah Laney is also a great play!)
Chennedy Carter (G, Atlanta Dream) – @ Indiana Fever (DK: $8,700, FD: $5,800)
After a slow first game, Carter heated up against the Sky, finishing with 21 points, four rebounds, and six assists. Now, she gets a Fever team that's been shredded by guards this year, letting New York's Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney score at will in the first two games.
Carter has to share this backcourt with too many faces, but make no mistake: she's the future star of this Dream squad. She's also their best path to winning games this year, so expect her usage to continue to climb. She's taking 13.5 shots per game, though has only attempted a pair of three-pointers. If she can go back to attempting a couple of those per game, her value climbs even more.
Jackie Young (G, Las Vegas Aces) – vs Los Angeles Sparks (DK: $8,100, FD: $6,400)
Kelsey Plum has departed for the Olympic 3-on-3 qualifiers, so Jackie Young -- who already is playing 33 minutes per game -- is now going become even more crucial to this team.
But hey, they were planning for this, which is why Young's been starting. After coming off the bench in all 22 games last year, Young is starting at the two and is finally looking like the No. 1 overall pick she was in 2019.
Last game, Young had arguably her best WNBA game. 21 points on 5-for-12 shooting, plus 10 rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Her physical play gives her a higher rebounding ceiling than many guards, and she managed to get to the free throw line at ease, taking 10 shots from there. It seems Young's found her path to impacting the game. Love this play against a Sparks team that so far looks to be in a bit of disarray.
WNBA - DFS Forwards
Tina Charles (F, Washington Mystics) – vs New York Liberty (DK: $9,500, FD: $6,900)
Obviously, A'ja Wilson and Jonquel Jones are the top forward plays on this slate, but it'd be boring to just write about them over and over, so let's talk about some other forwards.
Like, how about Tina Charles as she faces the Liberty? Revenge Game SZN, right? The Liberty are 3-0 but allow the second-most made field goals per game inside of five feet, so I'm still targeting bigs against them. Charles is averaging 18 shot attempts per game through the first two games and while her efficiency remains as off as it was in 2019, that volume -- plus the uptick in three-point attempts and the variance that creates -- have me putting her in a good number of my lineups.
Dearica Hamby (F, Las Vegas Aces) – vs Los Angeles Sparks (DK: $7,700, FD: $5,500)
Not a great start to the 2020 season for Hamby, but this matchup against the Sparks could be what she needs to ignite. Liz Cambage will continue to see limited minutes, offering opportunities for Hamby to come in and play the four. She brings some shooting to that position that no one else does in Vegas, and with Kelsey Plum gone for the 3-on-3 stuff, Hamby's likely to see some more offensive work. She's a risky play, but I think she goes under-rostered on this slate, offering a nice way to grab value.
Theresa Plaisance (F, Washington Mystics) – vs New York Liberty (DK: $5,700, FD: $4,800)
Priced a little too high for me on FanDuel, where I'd rather pivot to the cheaper Elizabeth Williams or go with one of the riskier deeper plays like Kylee Shook, Plaisance is still super cheap on DraftKings.
Normally, Plaisance wouldn't be in this rotation, but Washington is currently without three of their four best bigs. Until Elena Delle Donne and Myisha Hines-Allen are back, Plaisance will be trotted out for 20 minutes per night. She's averaging 5.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game, but those numbers could be much higher with some better luck, as she's shooting just 23.8 percent from the floor and 9.1 percent from three. She's taken 10.5 field goal attempts per game though, and that kind of volume will lead to success. I know New York's looked good, but I won't fully trust their defense until Natasha Howard is back.
