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A Steph in the Right Direction

Today we have another split slate, with the first game at 3pm eastern, and the second at 8pm eastern. These should be two solid games, with one of them having a must-play player, so let’s get into it!

Chicago Sky @ Las Vegas Aces

The first game is between Chicago and Las Vegas, two of the quickest-paced teams in the league. This game should be full of points, rebounds, and assists, and will be a target of mine due to the abundance of fantasy points. Chicago does make it difficult, however, to choose a player to take advantage of this fast pace, as they tend to score by committee, without a true star fantasy-point-getter. With that in mind, my first choice on the Sky is Stefanie Dolson (6.9k DK, 5.6k FD). Though she did only play 17 minutes last game, it was a blowout, and Dolson should play a lot more against a Cambage-Wilson frontcourt.

Along the same lines as Dolson, Jantel Lavender (7.2k, 5.7k) is in a good spot to succeed, as she should be tasked to guard Wilson and Cambage. Lavender could see upwards of 30 minutes due to this assignment, and should grab many rebounds in that time. Of course, Courtney Vandersloot (9.7k, 7.9k) and Diamond DeShields (9.4k, 7.2k) are in consideration due to their high fantasy point ceilings, and either could pop for 40+ fantasy points.

On the Vegas side, it all starts with a value-priced Dearica Hamby (7k, 5.8k) on FanDuel. Hamby has been seeing more and more minutes as she plays next to Cambage and Wilson. As well, she has been a significant fantasy point contributor, as she has put up 1.25 fantasy points per minute played.

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Aside from Hamby, Liz Cambage (10k, 7.8k) and A’ja Wilson (11k, 8.4k) present great options against an up-tempo Chicago team. While A’ja is far more expensive, she has actually been less productive on a per minute basis than Cambage this season. Because of this, I actually like Cambage slightly more, as her price is $1000 less on DraftKings. Wilson is still, however, a great play.

Atlanta Dream @ Minnesota Lynx

Atlanta takes on Minnesota in the later game. Contrary to the first game, this one should be slower-paced, as both teams are slower than the average WNBA team. The Dream’s rotation has been a bit strange since Alex Bentley left for EuroBasket, originally starting Nia Coffey, but now moving Maite Cazorla (4.2k, 3.5k) into the starting lineup. Cazorla is a solid option if you are looking to play a couple of the higher priced players on the slate, but is not a huge producer of fantasy points.

Aside from Cazorla, Brittney Sykes (6.2k, 5.8k) has worked her way back into high-twenties minutes. Unlike Cazorla, Sykes is a great producer of fantasy points, at ~0.9 fantasy points per minute so far this year. She also produces in areas other than scoring, so even if she has a down shooting night, she will still grab rebounds and get assists.

Minnesota has had to really shrink its rotation due to injuries. Again, Damiris Dantas is out, with Karima Christmas-Kelly out for the year. Dantas being out opens up close to 30 minutes, and the Lynx transferred her minutes mostly to Stephanie Talbot (3.8k, 3k) who put up 25+ fantasy points. She is the best play on this slate, and will be in all of my lineups.

Dantas’ absence also allowed Sylvia Fowles (10.4k, 8k) and Napheesa Collier (7.7k, 6.6k) to move upwards in minutes, playing 38 minutes each in the last game. Once more, the tandem should see close to 35 minutes, and are definitely in consideration, as there should also be more rebounds for the pair to grab without Dantas.

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