RADIO
Big night of WNBA action, as we've got four games on tonight's slate. First up, the Fever take on the Mystics, followed by three games starting simultaneously an hour later—Dream/Sky, Aces/Wings, and Mercury/Lynx. It would have been nice if these were staggered just a bit more, but what are you gonna do, right? That's what happens when three of the four home teams are in the same time zone.
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.
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 7/7/2023 at 7:00 PM ET. Want to talk more about the WNBA? I'm always available on Twitter and always down to discuss women's basketball: @juscarts.
WNBA DFS Picks: Forward
Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury) - @ MIN - DK: $10,500, FD: $7,600
Griner comes into this one on a heater, as she's scored 20-plus points on four consecutive games, including posting 23 points on 11-for-19 shooting when these two teams met a couple of games ago. Griner also added five rebounds and an assist in that one.
To be transparent, Griner's recent lack of rebounds does concern me. She hasn't had double-digit boards in a game since June 2. But I'll live with that on Friday night because Griner's got something else in her favor: the Mercury will be without Diana Taurasi, who is missing this game for rest.
That should mean Griner becomes even more of a focal point offensively. Unfortunately for our projection here, the three games Taurasi missed earlier in the year were also missed by Griner, so we can't talk about what Griner's done without her long-time teammate, but I think there's a good shot we see Griner surpass her season high of 19 field goal attempts.
NaLyssa Smith (Indiana Fever) - @ WAS - DK: $9,100, FD: $6,400
Aliyah Boston is Indiana's best player, but the team has curiously failed to get her the ball for long stretches at various points this season. Part of that's because she's often double-teamed. I'm not going to pontificate on other reasons here, but what I will say is that NaLyssa Smith seems to have a more consistent role, even if she doesn't have the ceiling that Boston has.
Smith's coming off a strong showing against the Lynx, as she had 18 points on 8-for-18 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds. She hasn't blocked a shot in the last three games, but she's had at least 10 points and eight rebounds in six consecutive contests and has scored in double figures in all but two games this season.
Queen Egbo (Washington Mystics) - vs. IND - DK: $3,500, FD: $4,300
The Fever made a pretty puzzling trade this past week, sending second-year big Queen Egbo to the Mystics for Amanda Zahui B. I've always been a Zahui B. fan, but Egbo is younger and arguably better, so it was a weird move for Indiana.
Egbo fills an immediate need for the Mystics, which is a big who can go out and give them minutes inside until Shakira Austin is healthy. She's a much better fit for what this team needs than Zahui B. was, and she should see some immediate minutes.
While there's a good chance she doesn't wind up doing much on Friday, I think her low price makes her worth taking a shot on in a GPP, because if she does hit, you're left with a lot of salary to play around with.
WNBA DFS Picks: Guard
Courtney Williams (Chicago Sky) - vs ATL - DK: $10,100, FD: $7,300
Williams has been on fire, scoring 40-plus DraftKings points in three straight games. She's also put up fantasy numbers in a variety of ways. In two of those, she scored over 20 points. In the other, she had a triple-double.
Last game against Indiana, Williams was unstoppable, shooting 70.6% from the floor on her way to 28 points. She also added five rebounds, eight assists, and one steal. And now, she's got a really juicy matchup. The Dream defense has been bad this year, as Atlanta is allowing 88.8 points per game, the worst mark in the WNBA.
Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces) - @ DAL - DK: $9,700, FD: $7,000
Last time out, the Wings almost took down the Aces, but Vegas mounted a second-half comeback, fueled by Jackie Young's strong play. In the game, she was 10-for-15 with 28 points and also added seven rebounds and five assists.
Assuming Dallas has Satou Sabally for this one—she exited at the half with an illness and didn't return last game, but isn't on the injury report—we should see a similar trend in terms of Vegas usage tonight. Frontcourt defense is the strength of Dallas, so we probably don't see a ton out of Candace Parker, and while A'ja Wilson will still get hers, the backcourt offense will be more important than it might usually be. Considering Young tore this defense apart just two days ago, I say we ride the hot hand.
Moriah Jefferson (Phoenix Mercury) - @ MIN - DK: $7,000, FD: $6,000
With Taurasi resting, Moriah Jefferson should be the main backcourt contributor for the Mercury. The former UConn guard has already been on a nice run lately, scoring 14 points in each of the last two games, including a game against this Lynx squad.
In that game against Minny, Jefferson was 6-for-11 from the floor and also added four rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Sug Sutton should see an increased role with Taurasi out, but most of the offense outside the paint should come from Jefferson on Friday night.
