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WNBA daily fantasy preview: New York Liberty

By Eric Thiel

BROOKLYN, NY - MAY 9: Tina Charles #31 of the New York Liberty handles the ball against the China National Team on May 9, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Matteo Marchi/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - MAY 9: Tina Charles #31 of the New York Liberty handles the ball against the China National Team on May 9, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Matteo Marchi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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I want to be a part of it…

The New York Liberty somewhat surprisingly finished second-to-last in the WNBA in 2018, just ahead of the Indiana Fever. A mere seven wins were accomplished, despite having one of the WNBA’s superstars in Tina Charles.

The rest of the team, however, was fairly young, and a year of development as well as some key young additions should push the Liberty upward in the standings. Also, the Liberty were extremely unlucky with injuries last year, and never seemed to get in a rhythm with whichever five players were starting at the time. Hopefully, this year the Liberty will have some continuity in their starting lineup and we can find value in these starters. Let’s get into the Liberty DFS preview!

The Team

The Liberty were, to put it bluntly, awful. Their offensive rating was 97.1, and their defensive rating was 105.7. These two combine for the second-worst net rating in the league. I would expect for the defense to get better, as it seemed as though rotations were way off due to unfamiliarity (the Liberty started 10 different players last year). As well, the Liberty are adding a big 6’9 center from China, Han Xu.

Though I did not watch her first exhibition game against the Chinese national team (thanks Canada), she profiles to be an excellent rim protector in her more than likely limited minutes off of the bench. In terms of pace, the Liberty played at 79.5 possessions per game last year. This comes in at the bottom half of the league. It is my expectation that this number remains the same in Katie Smith’s second year as New York’s head coach. An interesting note about the Liberty defense is that they gave up a ton of three pointers and free throws. Targeting players who take threes and also get to the free throw line when they face New York should be a great course of action.

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The Players

As I stated above, the Liberty started ten different players last season. I would expect the day one starting lineup to be some combination of Bria Hartley, Brittany Boyd, Asia Durr, Kia Nurse, Tina Charles, and Amanda Zahui B.. Obviously, Tina Charles is a lock to start, but Kia Nurse seems to be extremely likely to be a starter on this Liberty team. The big question will be how much trust is given to Asia Durr, the second overall pick in the most recent WNBA draft. Durr, Hartley, and Boyd will likely share the point guard / shooting guard minutes, with Nurse slotted in at the three.

Zahui B. is probably a better player than Kiah Stokes, the backup center, but Stokes started four games, whereas Zahui B. came off the bench in all of her games. If Zahui B. does start, however, she makes for a great daily fantasy play. She puts up about 0.84 fpm, as opposed to Stokes’ 0.68 fpm. Kia Nurse came in at 0.7 fpm, which I expect to increase as she moves into her second year in the league.

The point guard battle will be an interesting one in real life and for fantasy purposes, as Brittany Boyd produces about one fantasy point per minute. If she does win the battle, she could be a great option at a low price to start the year.

Of course, the star is Tina Charles. She produced at a 1.05 fpm last year, and was even higher the year previous. With a better supporting cast, I would expect 1.10+ fpm from Charles this year.

New Additions

Asia Durr was the second overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft, out of Louisville. In college, she put up excellent numbers, averaging 21 points, 3 boards and 3 assists. As well, she was named ACC player of the year in consecutive years to end her college career. It seems as though she will be expected to step in and contribute right away, as she earned the start in New York’s first exhibition game. Though there will most likely be bumps and inefficient games (and maybe even benchings), Durr will be a player that I will be looking to buy low on. She should begin the year with a low price on DraftKings and FanDuel, and should be able to easily pay off that low price.

New York’s second round pick was Han Xu. Though I do not have a ton of information on her, she is a 6’9 center, and scored 19 points, grabbed 5 boards, and had 3 assists in just 21 minutes in her first exhibition game with New York. If she does get enough minutes, she should be a great play on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Despite New York possibly not being a championship contender, the team still presents a lot of players that can be useful in a daily fantasy format. Tina Charles is one of the best players in the league, and the other question marks in the starting lineup should present us with a lot of choices throughout the first half of the season. All in all, this should be a fun team to watch, and a team very impactful for daily fantasy WNBA.

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