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Justin Carter's top daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for 6/17/21. Expert WNBA DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for DraftKings and FanDuel.
Huge day of WNBA action on Thursday, with five games on the schedule, something that won't happen again until July 11th.
With so many games and so many words to write, let's jump right into the analysis. And because there's more games than usual, I'll be pointing out just two players per team that I'll want to play.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 6/17/21. 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 Game Breakdown: Storm @ Fever
When: 7:00 PM ET
Watch: Facebook
Players of Interest: For Seattle, the obvious play is Breanna Stewart. When these teams faced earlier this week, Stewie had 20 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. She's the best fantasy play in the league every night that the Storm play basketball, and this matchup against the Fever makes her an even better play.
Sue Bird is my other play. I like Jewell Loyd too, but Bird's a little better value and has been shooting well from deep, plus has some nice assist upside. Bird's having a great season.
For Indiana, Kelsey Mitchell had one of her boom games on Tuesday, with 26 points on 9-for-20 shooting. Her usage makes her the best fantasy play for the Fever, even if her efficiency isn't ideal. She also plays a ton of minutes.
I also like Tiffany Mitchell. The frontcourt rotation for Indiana has been tough to predict, but the wing rotation is way more clear: Tiffany Mitchell plays 30-plus minutes and has a lot of scoring upside, even if she isn't shooting many threes.
WNBA DFS Game Breakdown: Dream @ Mystics
When: 7:00 PM ET
Watch: WNBA League Pass
Players of Interest: A rematch of a game from the 13th that the Dream dominated, can the Mystics turn things around in this one?
We'll see. My guess is no, but let's talk about the fantasy options here.
For Atlanta, Odyssey Sims has been playing some really good basketball lately. Her assists have been up for awhile, but the scoring caught up last game, as she had her first 20-point game of the season. She's had 14 or more field goal attempts in two of the last three games. I think a lot of people forget how good Sims is.
Another Dream play I like is Cheyenne Parker, who missed a good chunk of the year because of COVID but is now back and is showing why she was one of the marquee free agents this offseason. Parker should be able to at least do something like 10 points and five boards as, like, a bare minimum.
On the Washington side, there's one obvious play. Tina Charles has looked like the Tina Charles of old, except with the addition of three-pointers. She had just 13 points last game, but is easily capable of scoring 20-plus.
Meanwhile, one surprising player Atlanta struggled with was Theresa Plaissance. She had 10 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block on Sunday. Huge risk, but I think this Mystics team is one where I really want to dig for value.
WNBA DFS Game Breakdown: Sun @ Sky
When: 8:00 PM ET
Watch: Twitter
Players of Interest: With Jonquel Jones out, things seem bleak for the Sun. But there are some DFS upsides because of Jones being at EuroBasket.
Brionna Jones is currently the team's top big. She had 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks last game and should play 30-plus minutes. Great option if you don't want to break the DFS bank on a Sun team that might not score a ton.
As for a value play, Kaila Charles had 14 points in 16 minutes last game. It was her best game of the season by a mile and she's unlikely to replicate it, but I think there's a decent argument to play her because she gives them some offense at a time when offense is hard to come by for this team.
On the Chicago side, the lack of Jonquel Jones up front to slow her down makes Candace Parker a top play on this slate. She had a bit of a down game on Tuesday, but that "down game" still saw her finish with 12 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists against a really good Lynx frontcourt.
I'm also interested in Allie Quigley for the potential value. She's been playing well, scoring 23 points last game, making that her third game in a row with double-digit points and multiple threes.
WNBA DFS Game Breakdown: Lynx @ Wings
When: 8:00 PM ET
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Players of Interest: For Minnesota, Napheesa Collier had a huge game against the Sky, with 27 points, five rebounds, and a steal. I can't really see this Wings defense slowing Collier down, though I suppose they could see if Satou Sabally can slow her? Even then, I think you need to play Collier.
Injuries on the wing mean a lot of minutes for Kayla McBride. She's been struggling, but someone has to score for this team and this Wings defense has enough holes for McBride to break out of her slump against.
For Dallas, Satou Sabally has really come alive. Against Vegas, she was the Wings best player, playing 33 minutes and scoring 24 points with eight boards and two assists. She's got the best ceiling on this team, though her matchup worries me some.
The other play I like is another obvious one: Arike Ogunbowale. She's coming off an eight-assist game and has taken a ton of shots every time out. Her two makes last game were her lowest of the season and broke a string of four consecutive games with at least seven made shots. Great offensive player, especially when it comes to fantasy basketball.
WNBA DFS Game Breakdown: Liberty @ Aces
When: 10:00 PM ET
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Players of Interest: The Liberty and Aces played a couple days ago, and after a close first half, the Aces ran away in the second half.
On the Libs side, Sabrina Ionescu is questionable because of an ankle injury. If she misses, Jazmine Jones has been playing really well with Ionescu out. I think she almost has to be a must-play if there's no Sabrina.
The other player to target is Betnijah Laney. Her production was down last game, but she still led the team in field goal attempts and has been the best player on this team.
For Vegas, we probably can't expect Kelsey Plum to score 32 points again, but the Liberty couldn't stop her in the second half on Tuesday. Think she'll be a solid value on this slate with a ton of upside.
Liz Cambage is my favorite interior play for the Aces. She had a double-double last game and New York's center rotation of Kylee Shook and Reshanda Gray is not going to slow Cambage down. I expect an even more dominant showing than we saw on Tuesday.
