WNBA Daily Fantasy preview – July 10, 2019
By Eric Thiel
Ele-no Delle Donne
Today we have a somewhat split slate, with 4 games on DraftKings and 3 games on FanDuel. This is a very tricky slate to get a handle on right now, as there are two very big pieces of news yet to come out. Elena Delle Donne is questionable after breaking her nose in the last game, and Diana Taurasi is also questionable after her offseason back surgery. These two injuries will play a huge role in the slate. Let’s get into it!
Connecticut Sun @ Atlanta Dream
The slate starts off with a solid Connecticut matchup against Atlanta. These teams have already played twice this year, and Jonquel Jones (10.1k DK, 7.5k FD) had a ton of fantasy points in both. She has been slumping slightly, but could break out of it and grab a double double. Her teammate, Jasmine Thomas (8.8k, 5.6k) is a ridiculous price on FanDuel, and will likely be on almost all of my teams. Thomas has a shot at 30 fantasy points, and is sub-6k. We should take advantage of this price.
Atlanta’s standout against the Sun has been Jessica Breland (7k, 5.5k). Breland finally got back to normal minutes last game (she played 33), and should be in line for more of the same in this one. Connecticut gives up a lot of blocks and steals, perfect for Breland as she is a tremendous defender. As well, her price is low-ish as a result of her reduced minutes recently.
Phoenix Mercury @ Washington Mystics
The Mercury may gain Diana Taurasi back tomorrow, but likely just in small bursts. More than likely, if she plays, she steals some minutes from Essence Carson, and leaves Leilani Mitchell (7.2k, 6.3k) playing 30+ minutes. Mitchell represents a great play here, though the matchup against a great Mystics’ defense is not great. As well, it is impossible to ignore Brittney Griner’s (11k, 8.5k) last two games, with an insane 61 points in two games.
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Washington is really tricky, as Elena Delle Donne is a true questionable. I definitely could see her playing with a mask on, but it would also make sense for the Mystics to hold her out for a game. If she is out, the player who replaces her in the starting lineup will be a great play. This news should be out 30 minutes prior to tip-off on the Mystics’ twitter account. As well, if Elena Delle Donne is out, the rest of the starters also get a boost, as there are a lot of shots for other players to take.
Las Vegas Aces @ Indiana Fever
The Aces waltz into Indiana coming off of a huge win over New York. In that game, they were led by Liz Cambage (9.8k, 8.2k), who again is sub-10k on DraftKings. This is still too low of a price, and she should be closer to 11k. The last time these teams got together, however, Cambage was shut down by Teaira McCowan (at least until overtime). Kelsey Plum (5.7k, 4.5k) is the other player I like on this team, almost exclusively due to her low, low, price on FanDuel.
The Fever have switched the starting lineup back to Natalie Achonwa (6.6k, 5.9k) as the starting center. While McCowan’s emergence may put a cap on Achonwa’s minutes ceiling, she is still underpriced, as she grabbed 24 minutes last game, and was taken out with 5 minutes left due to a blowout. Two-big lineups with McCowan and Achonwa are certainly viable against the Aces as well.
Minnesota Lynx @ Chicago Sky (DraftKings Only)
The late game features the Lynx against the Sky. The Lynx will be once again missing Damiris Dantas, making Stephanie Talbot (5k) a starter once again. While Talbot struggled last game, she was incredible in her first two starts, and is in a good place to bounce back against an up-tempo Sky team. Odyssey Sims (9.5k) has been a breakout star this year, and is playing an insane amount of minutes lately, averaging close to 37 over her last 5. At sub-10k, she is very slightly underpriced.
Chicago draws a tough matchup against the slower-tempo, solid defensive team in the Lynx. Stefanie Dolson (6.2k) seems like the best value on the team, as she played 29 minutes in the last game. Courtney Vandersloot (9.1k) is a relatively low price (for being Courtney Vandersloot), and may have some extra motivation after Chelsea Gray notched the season’s first triple-double on Sunday.
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