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Justin Carter's top daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for 5/21/24. Expert WNBA DFS advice for DraftKings and FanDuel.
The WNBA is back in action on Tuesday night with three games on the docket. Up first, the Dallas Wings head to Georgia to take on the Atlanta Dream, then we have a pair of late-night contests as the Mercury visit the Aces and the Mystics visit the Sparks.
I'm particularly interested in that Mercury/Aces game. Phoenix gave Vegas its all in the season opener but just couldn't manage to get it all done in the end. The Mercury really re-tooled this offseason, so don't count them out in this one. This is a talented team, especially in terms of the starting lineup.
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 Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at 7:30 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
Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles Sparks) vs. WAS (DK: $10.1K, FD: $7.7K)
Dearica Hamby has been on fire to open the 2024 WNBA season. Through the first two games of the year, Hamby is averaging 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 61.3% from the floor and 50.0% from three.
DEARICA HAMBY
29 points
9 rebounds
3 steals— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) May 18, 2024
The Sparks have a rebuilding club this year, with multiple rookies getting heavy minutes. Add in that Azura Stevens is currently out, and you get a real lack of scoring options. Kia Nurse and Lexie Brown have provided some good scoring on the perimeter, but the team doesn't have a big that can score consistently against WNBA defenses outside of Hamby right now. Until Stevens is back, Hamby should continue to eat every night.
Tina Charles (Atlanta Dream) vs. DAL (DK: $9.7K, FD: $6.4K)
Through two games, we've got two very different versions of Tina Charles. In the season opener, the former MVP scored 21 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, but the next time out against the Mercury, she was held to just six points and three boards.
Charles is likely to be a bit of a rollercoaster at this point. Some nights, her mid-range shot will score often, while others, she'll struggle to score. I think this should be a decent night for her, though. She can pull Teaira McCowan away from the basket, giving Charles a bit of an advantage, and the Wings are without star defender Natasha Howard right now.
Stephanie Soares (Dallas Wings) at ATL (DK: $4.5K, FD: $3.9K)
The solution to the Natasha Howard injury seems to be for the Wings to do extremely big with rookie Stephanie Soares at the four. Soares, who played collegiately at Iowa State and missed last season for the Wings with an injury, saw just eight minutes of action in the opener, but Dallas saw something in those eight minutes.
Long time coming for Stephanie Soares’ first @WNBA points 👏 pic.twitter.com/Y8aIIr7OSb
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) May 17, 2024
With Howard out in Game 2 of the year, Wings head coach Latricia Trammell inserted Soares into the starting lineup. The 6-foot-6 player played 32 minutes, and while she failed to make her only field goal attempt, she made up for it in other ways, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking four shots. If she can add even just a couple of buckets to the ledger on Tuesday, you'll be happy you played her in DFS.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces) vs. PHO (DK: $10.9K, FD: $8.3K)
With Chelsea Gray sidelined by a leg injury to start the season, former No. 1 overall pick Jackie Young has stepped up. Through two games, Young is averaging 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per contest while shooting 35.3% from deep.
Young, who is now in her sixth WNBA season, has gotten better every year, upping her points per game each season she's been in the league. Young emerging as the Aces' No. 2 scorer this year isn't a surprise, but one big development has been her playmaking. That 8.5 assists per game number will come down when Gray is back, but with the star point guard's timetable still unknown, Young is a top DFS play at guard until she returns.
Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury) at LV (DK: $8.5K, FD: $6.9K)
After a huge game against the Dream, Kahleah Copper feels incredibly underpriced on both platforms. Take advantage of that by going heavy on the former Chicago Sky star.
What a night for Kahleah Copper as she sets a NEW CAREER HIGH 🔥
Dominating on both ends of the floor, the dynamic guard led her team to victory vs the Atlanta Dream with 38 PTS and 6 REBS#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/CvY6XoQgnm
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 19, 2024
Last time out, Copper put up 38 points on 11-for-20 shooting in a win over Atlanta. She also added six rebounds and an assist in the three-point victory. The Mercury has a lot of players who can score, but Copper is the most talented of those scorers, so I expect to continue to see her hover around 20 field goal attempts per game going forward, at least until Brittney Griner is back.
Sophie Cunningham (Phoenix Mercury) at LV (DK: $5.9K, FD: $4.9K)
Sophie Cunningham has settled into her role as a scoring sparkplug off the Phoenix bench well so far, averaging 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game on 55.6% shooting through two games.
Cunningham started every game last season, so coming off the bench is an adjustment. But so far, she's thriving in a lower-usage role. Her scoring is down from last season, but the increase in efficiency has helped with that. She had 10 points last time out against the Dream.
