WNBA DFS lineup advice for Friday, July 31st

This is normally where we write about the upcoming matchups for today’s WNBA games, which today are the winless and rebuilding New York Liberty taking on the 1-1 Atlanta Dream, a pair of .500 teams after two games in the Indiana Fever and Dallas Wings, and the 1-1 Las Vegas Aces facing the worst professional basketball team in for at least 6 time zones in any direction, the Phoenix Mercury.

How bad has PHX been? They’re dead last in the W in point differential amongst the teams that have played two games. Losing by 23 to a Sparks team that might be ok is one thing, but losing by six to Indiana is another when having three Hall-of-Famers in Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Brittney Griner.

They look absolutely lost defensively and whether it’s back cuts, getting out-hustled, having bigs beaten down the floor, or being killed on the glass, they can’t do anything so far. It’s abysmal basketball, and we’re fading them until they figure it out.

We take a look at the lineups and see what’s available, and make some picks to help fill out your DFS roster.

Guard: Sabrina Ionescu ($10,300)

Remember when you could get her for just $7,000 in DFS salary... all of four days ago? The Next Big Thing got 33-7-7 and 52.8 DFS points in her last outing against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday. She’s back at it tonight, and though the Atlanta Dream get back Courtney Williams for the first time, it’s not like she’s a defensive stopper. ATL gives up 113.4 points per 100 possessions and 86 points per game, and Ionescu will continue to have free reign to do whatever she wants as the Liberty rebuilds. And those 4.5 turnovers a game she’s averaging? They don’t count against you in DFS.

Forward: Dearica Hamby ($9,200)

Sometimes we can really overthink this DFS thing: Just take anyone playing against the colander that is the Phoenix Mercury defensively. And since the Aces might be looking to limit Angel McCoughtry’s minutes, and A’ja Wilson is DFS pricey, we’ll take Hamby who should get more burn and went for 34.8 DFS points via 20-7-2 against the Dream last time out.

Meanwhile PHX might give up triple digits to the catering staff that serves them the pregame meal. They’re conceding 123.2 points per 100 possessions, good for dead last in the free world. It would be last everywhere if North Korea didn’t give you three points for a dunk and four for a swished three-pointer.

Flex: Kayla McBride ($7,700)

Gotta save some cap space somewhere, so let’s do it with an Aces point guard that played much better in Game 2 than Game 1. She had 14 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes vs. the Dream. ATL isn’t exactly a defensive beast, but imagine what she can do against a team that can’t stop anything?