DFS WNBA Top Plays: June 20

The most important injuries to watch out for: 

Brittney Griner (Q, illness) – This is a same day downgrade for Griner which is never a good sign for a player’s chances of being able to suit up. Griner’s roll has been diminished with the emergence of Naz Hillmon so even at $7900 on DK Griner isn’t very appealing if she can play. Given the tap out risk if she is active going the full fade route makes sense. On FD where she’s only $5600 and there’s an extra roster spot that would be a bit extreme. If Griner does miss, all of Hillmon, Brionna Jones and Nia Coffey would see boosts. Hillmon would likely get the start and would immediately become one of the best plays on the slate while Coffey and Jones would also enter the cash play conversation.

A’ja Wilson (Q, concussion) – Wilson is expected to make her return today after missing the last 3 games. Tiffany Mitchell who started the last two games would return to the bench and there would be a chance Elizabeth Kitley who started the first game Wilson missed would be out of the rotation. Wilson is on the cheaper side and despite her scoring numbers being down this season at $11,800 on DK she’s way too cheap and would be a must play. At $9400 on FD she’s not the same kind of lock but is still a fantastic play.

Game-By-Game Notes:

WAS @ ATL (ATL -8.5, O/U 157.5)

• Having the lowest team total on the slate, while being the biggest underdog and playing the 3rd best defense who plays below the league average in pace is generally not a great spot for DFS purposes and that’s the case for the Mystics. Even with just three games nobody is standing out as a strong play. Brittney Sykes has been priced up all the way to $11,000 on DK which makes her tough to get to. On FD where she’s $7300 she’s much more interesting.
• Shakira Austin is grading out as by far the best play for the Mystics. She got her first start of the season last time out and just missed a double double by 1 point and 1 rebound but piled up 6 stocks. She’s been priced up a bit on DK but still grades out as a strong play. On FD she’s projecting to be mega chalk at her $5200 price tag.
• The Dream look to bounce back after coming up just short in an attempt to knock off the defending champs. They look a lot better on DK with Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard all projected for double digit ownership. The real story here is whether Griner is able to play which would open things up for the Atlanta frontcourt and would make the team more appealing overall.

DAL @ CON (CON +4.5, O/U 164.5)

• In the bad basketball game of the night the 2-11 Wings are actually road favorites against the 2-11 Sun. This game should produce all types of fantasy goodness with a tight spread and high total. There’s some uncertainty with the starting lineup as Aziaha James got in there last game which sent Dijonai Carrington to the bench for the first time since the 2023 season. Carrington did not respond well going just 1-9 from the field but did a little bit of everything else with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals while being a +16. Her price hasn’t adjusted so if she’s coming off the bench she’ll be unplayable but would be worth a few shots if she’s starting. James also did not respond well to the role change shooting just 1-6 but unlike Carrington did not do much else en route to being a team worst -12 in the 9 point win. Her price also has not adjusted which does make her appealing if she starts, and on FD where she’s just above the minimum she’s expected to be mega chalk.
• F is pretty thin on both sites today so despite middling value scores, all of Nalyssa Smith, Myisha Hines-Allen and Li Yueru are expected to be popular. This feels like a good spot to limit your exposure to this underwhelming trio.
• The expensive guards are where you want to focus your exposure to, with both Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale not drawing much ownership but carrying immense upside in this soft matchup.
• We aren’t very concerned about the minutes for Tina Charles last game as she’s an older player so the assumption is that was back to back management. She’s just 9500 on DK and 6500 on FD making her a phenomenal play on both sites.
• The backcourt duo of Brian Hartley and Marina Mabrey both look great on DK. Hartley is a strong mid range play on both sites assuming she starts, while Mabrey is one of the most expensive players on FD, leaving her with very light ownership. For comparison’s sake, Mabrey is 1200 cheaper than Brittney Sykes on DK while being 100 more on FD. Given the matchup she has enough upside where she can pay off her price and provides an easy way to get different on FD while targeting a great situation.

SEA @ LVA (LVA +1.5, O/U 160.5)

• This will be the 3rd matchup between these two teams with them splitting the first two. Since then the Storm and Aces have gone in opposite directions with the Storm winning 4 of 5 and the Aces loses 4 of 5.
• We have a really interesting spot where Dominique Malonga is projecting for a ton of ownership on both sites while Alysha Clark is expected to be unowned despite having nearly an identical projection but being $200 more on both sites. This is a spot you’d want to be under on Malonga and over on Clark since the opto won’t understand the how marginal of a difference the two are as a play and will just jam the slightly higher projected player that’s slightly cheaper.
• Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike grade out as solid plays on DK but are smash plays on FD.
• Erica Wheeler has found the fountain of youth as the 34 year old is having her best season since 2021. She has shown quite a bit of upside at her current prices but she’s also struggled with consistency as she’s alternated good and bad games over the past 7 games.
• The Aces expect to get A’ja Wilson back but even with Wilson in the lineup they have struggled, losing the last two games she played and are just 4-4 when she’s in the lineup. With that said, Wilson is too cheap on DK and is an absolute must play.
• Jackie Young remains in play even if Wilson is back as Young has benefitted all season from the attention Wilson draws.

 The Top Plays table represents the players appearing most commonly in optimal lineups at their respective positions. This table is fully automated and will not update after 30 minutes before lock as we are focused on projections as news breaks. When building lineups, we recommend mixing the context provided in the top plays notes above with the most updated projections. Please consult our daily projections as we continuously update those through the final game lock.