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We have three WNBA games on deck tonight, including a marquee matchup between two of the league's top teams as the Storm take on the Sun. We've also got the Mercury against the Wings, plus the Dream taking on the Sky.
I'll be providing daily fantasy lineup picks for the WNBA this season here at RotoBaller. In addition, I'll be sprinkling in some basic betting picks. Not going to get complicated since there's limited space in this piece, but I'll throw you a bet or two each day that I like and, because I think this is important, that I'll be making myself.
In this article, I'll be providing you with some daily fantasy WNBA lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 6/17/22. These lineups picks will range from elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. The slate locks on 6/17/2022 at 7:00 p.m. ET. 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 Lineup Picks: Forwards
Tina Charles (Phoenix Mercury) - @ DAL - DK: $11,100, FD: $9,000
Teams are shooting 52.2% inside the three-point line against the Wings. No WNBA team has been worse in that category. So of course I'm going to want to play a Mercury player against this defense, and considering how Brianna Turner barely touches the ball offensively, the smart play here is to pay up for Charles. She had 17 points and 11 rebounds in her last meeting with Dallas and while she struggled with her efficiency in that game, her volume made up the difference. If she can play like she has over the last couple of games where she's shooting 50% or better from the floor, Charles could get 50 fantasy points in this one.
Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun) - vs SEA - DK: $9,600, FD: $5,400
Storm/Sun is a game I'm largely avoiding because you have two top-five scoring defenses going against each other. But I do think we need to sprinkle in someone from this game, which is why I'm bringing up Alyssa Thomas.
Her efficiency has been down a bit lately, including when she was just 2-for-9 from the floor against Seattle in their last meeting. But the Connecticut forward had 11 rebounds and 12 assists in that game, bolstering her fantasy numbers. Her upside in rebounding and assists makes her a safe play in this game.
Awak Kuier (Dallas Wings) - vs PHO - DK: $4,700, FD: $4,000
With Satou Sabally out with a knee injury, Kuier played 24 minutes last game. She was 0-for-5 from the floor, scoring zero points, but she made up for that with nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks. She has at least one block in four consecutive games and if she can just make a few shots on Friday, she'll return some really nice value at this salary point.
WNBA DFS Lineup Picks: Guards
Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings) - vs PHO - DK: $9,900, FD: $6,900
Phoenix allows the third-most points per game in the W. Arike scored 37 points on 11-for-24 shooting the last time she faced Phoenix, with four rebounds and five assists. Sometimes you have to keep it simple when building a lineup: a bad defense plus a good offensive player equals a smash play here. The Wings should let Arike cook on Friday night and your DFS lineup should do the same thing.
Aari McDonald (Atlanta Dream) - @ CHI - DK: $7,900, FD: $5,500
With Erica Wheeler set to miss another game, expect to see heavy minutes and usage from McDonald again. She's taken 12 shots in each of the last two games and is coming off of a 19-point, five-assist effort against the Sun in her last game. She struggled last time she faced the Sky, but that was also a very different circumstance, as she played just 16 minutes. As long as Wheeler is out, I'll keep playing McDonald in my DFS lineups.
Kahleah Copper (Chicago Sky) - vs ATL - DK: $6,900, FD: $5,400
Atlanta's been pretty good defensively, allowing the second-fewest points per game in the W. And Copper's been struggling a bit lately, with turnovers really killing her fantasy value last game and poor shooting killing it the game before.
But we also saw her put up good numbers against this Atlanta team not long ago. Earlier this month, Copper had 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting against the Dream and yanked down eight rebounds. Her lack of periphery stats is a concern, but I think there's some decent value here for DFS players.
WNBA Betting Picks for 6/17/2022
Looking to make some WNBA bets? Let's look at some options for you.
Yesterday's Results: 2-0
Seattle Storm Spread (+6.5)
I know this is on the road. But Seattle has won four in a row now and while they did lose by seven when they last faced the Sun, that game also featured Brionna Jones scoring 21 points. Bigs don't usually do so well against Ezi Magbegor and the Storm. I'm not saying Seattle wins this one straight up, but I think 6.5 is a big spread when the Storm have been playing such good basketball lately.
Mercury/Wings U 169
These defenses both have holes. But these two teams combine to average 162.5 points per game and Dallas is without Satou Sabally. Even though the defenses combine to allow 167.1 per game, I don't think this winds up being the offensive explosion that we got when these teams combined for 178 earlier in the season.
