Each day of the WNBA season, our team of fantasy and betting experts breaks down every game on the slate, making note of everything from injuries and lineup changes to recent trends and more.
All odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook.
Here’s what to look for during Sunday’s slate:
Line: Sun (-3.5)
Money line: Sun (-170), Mystics (+145)
Total: 159 points
BPI Win%: Sun (59.5%)
Questionable: Tianna Hawkins (ankle), Shakira Austin (illness), Myisha Hines-Allen (illness)
Fantasy need to know: On Sunday, the Washington Mystics (10-7) will face the Connecticut Sun (12-4) at home. Last month, the Mystics lost to the Sun 79-71. In today’s game, the Mystics, who were without Elena Delle Donne in May’s matchup, should benefit greatly from having her in the lineup. The two-time MVP sat out the game against the New York Liberty last Thursday. After a struggling offensive showing in Brooklyn, the Mystics hope to turn things around this week. Washington ranks seventh in offensive rating (100.4) and second in defensive rating (95.7). In their last game, the Sun defeated the Atlanta Dream 105-92. Connecticut ranks first in offensive rating (108.7) and fifth in defensive rating (96.9). The game should be exciting, but let’s look at it from a fantasy basketball perspective.
Ariel Atkins (25.8), Natasha Cloud (24.9), and Delle Donne (27.8) are all must-start players for the Mystics, and they lead the team in fantasy points per game. Shakira Austin and Myisha Hines-Allen are both ill, while Tianna Hawkins has a sprained ankle. There could be a lot of players out for Washington on Sunday. It opens the door for Alysha Clark to become a viable streamer, as she is available in 56.9% of leagues. Every time the Sun take the court, they offer a large number of must start fantasy options. Jonquel Jones (32.1), Alyssa Thomas (30.5), DeWanna Bonner (27.8), Brionna Jones (24.5), and Courtney Williams (20.8) all average over 20 fantasy points per game and should be included in lineups. Since Jasmine Thomas is out for the season with a torn ACL, her minutes are being split between Natisha Hiedeman, who is available in 87.7% of leagues, and DiJonai Carrington, who is available in 94.2% of leagues. Hiedeman is my preferred streaming option. She’s averaged 17 fantasy points per game over the last four games.
Best bet: Sun -3.5. It’s not optimal for the Mystics to have a thin frontcourt against a talented Sun team. Connecticut is 4-1 against the spread in their last five games. Expect the Sun to cover. — Eric Moody
Line: Sky (-8)
Money line: Sky (-360), Fever (+285)
Total: 172.5 points
BPI Win%: Sky (68.3%)
Out: Candace Parker (knee)
Questionable: Khayla Pointer (personal)
Fantasy need to know: With Parker out for the second straight game with a knee injury, Azura Stevens (available in 54.2% of leagues) will likely draw another start. Stevens scored 15 points with 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 assists and 3 3-pointers in 32 minutes of her start on Friday.
Victoria Vivians (available in 33.3% of leagues) is expected to play on Sunday. She’s been an impact player for weeks, and in her last three games is averaging 13.3 PPG, 4.7 APG, 2.0 SPG, 2.7 RPG and 1.7 3PG. Danielle Robinson (available in 89.4% of leagues) has been alternating big scoring games in her last four games. Four games ago she scored 12 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal; two games ago she scored 16 points with 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 3-pointer and a block in 30 minutes. If the pattern continues, she could be in for a productive day on Sunday.
Best bet: Fever +8. With Parker out, eight points is too many for the Sky to give on the road. The Fever are a young team that’s scrappy, especially at home, and they have a solid chance to keep this one close. The last time these two teams played, in Chicago, the Sky only won by five points. — André Snellings
Line: Wings (-3.5)
Money line: Sparks (+140), Wings (-160)
Total: 169 points
BPI Win%: Wings (64.9%)
Ruled out: Satou Sabally (knee)
Fantasy need to know: The Sparks (5-8) head to Texas where they’ll take on the Wings (6-8) this afternoon. Their last game was against the Las Vegas Aces and the Sparks lost 89-72. Los Angeles ranks fifth in offensive rating (101.1) and last in defensive rating (107.0). The Wings lost by a score of 92-84 against the Aces in their last game. Dallas also excels offensively ranking fourth in offensive rating (103.3). The Wings rank eighth in defensive rating (103.5). The Sparks play at a fast pace, while the only other team that plays at a slower pace than the Wings is the Mystics.
For the Sparks, Nneka Ogwumike and Liz Cambage are the most reliable fantasy options. During the past three games, Ogwumike has scored 30 or more fantasy points. On the other hand, Cambage’s production has been inconsistent. In her last two games, she averaged only 20.5 fantasy points. Katie Lou Samuelson, who is available in 81% of leagues, is a good streamer for the Sparks. She has scored 20 or more fantasy points in four of the last five games.
Arike Ogunbowale (30.3), Allisha Gray (27.6), Marina Mabrey (24.0) and Isabelle Harrison (21.2) are all must-start options for the Wings since they are all averaging over 21 fantasy points per game. Satou Sabally’s knee injury has opened the door for Kayla Thornton, who is available in 68.4% of leagues, as a strong streamer. In her last three games, she has averaged 20.6 fantasy points.
Best bet: Over 169. The Wings are a better overall team than the Sparks. Dallas’ offense has a significant advantage over Los Angeles’ defense. A high-scoring game is likely. The Wings average 81.6 PPG while the Sparks average 83.0 PPG. The totals have gone over in five of Dallas’ last seven games at home. — Moody
Line: Aces (-15)
Money line: Lynx (+1000), Aces (-2000)
Total: 174 points
BPI Win%: Aces (74.9%)
Ruled out: Sylvia Fowles (knee)
Fantasy need to know: Nikolina “Nina” Milic (available in 94.4% of leagues) is a must-add in fantasy leagues while Sylvia Fowles (knee) is out. We mentioned her in last week’s Waiver Wire article, and she’s likely to be in this week’s article as well. In her last two games, she’s averaged 17.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.5 APG and 0.5 3PG in 31.5 MPG. She moved into the starting line-up last game, and has a high ceiling as long as she’s playing starter minutes.
The Aces starters are universally rostered, and all of them should be in your fantasy line-ups as usual. This includes Jackie Young, who missed two games with an ankle injury before returning on Wednesday. She only scored 8 points, but played 35 minutes and has had four more days to recover and get back in the groove since Wednesday.
Best bet: Aces -15. That’s a huge margin, but these teams are at opposite extremes and the Aces are playing at home. The Aces have the best record (12-2) and scoring margin (+10.3 PPG) in the WNBA, while the Lynx have the worst record (3-12) and second-worst scoring margin (-6.9 PPG). The Lynx are without franchise player in Fowles, and in their last four games (including the game Fowles was injured) they’re 0-4 with a -10.5 PPG scoring margin. — Snellings
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