As basketball fans’ attention turns to the NBA Finals, which tips off tonight with Game 1, the WNBA is rolling out an even more dominant team than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Fresh off their first WNBA championship, the New York Liberty are 7-0, which they will look to make 8-0 tonight against the Washington Mystics. The Minnesota Lynx, out of action tonight, are 8-0 as well.
Although there are only two games tonight — Liberty-Mystics, and Phoenix Mercury-Golden State Valkyries — there are plenty of stars in action. Here are two guards and two forwards I’m targeting tonight, and while you can mix and match between clubs, I’m just going to choose one player per team to showcase the breadth of talent that the W has.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: WNBA $40K Fadeaway [$10K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries at Phoenix Mercury, $8,400 – Even when Burton’s shot isn’t falling, she’s still a valuable fantasy asset for the run-and-gun Valkyries, given the well-rounded nature of her skillset. She put it all together in her most recent matchup, an 86-75 loss to the Lynx, as she amassed 21 points, five boards, and three assists (33.25 FPTS) in just 24 minutes. Among Golden State players who have played at least 100 minutes this season, Burton ranks third in usage rate and leads the team in assists per game, and the Mercury have been merely average against opposing playmakers.
Value
Sug Sutton, Washington Mystics vs. New York Liberty, $5,400 – It’d be a tough matchup for any team against the Liberty, and both Sutton and Jade Melbourne ($5,900) have been struggling as of late as they operate a time-share in Washington’s back-court. But Sutton has the higher ceiling: she’s a better passer than Melbourne is and also averages more steals and blocks, her playing time is more consistent because she never fouls, and she’s shot the ball less well, so there’s more room for her to benefit from shooting variance. That bounce-back might start against New York, which has allowed the fifth-most made threes per game in the league this season.
Forward
Stud
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty at Washington Mystics, $11,300 – I heavily considered her teammate Jonquel Jones ($10,100) here, but Stewart has a more well-rounded game and so much of Jones’ fantasy edge comes from her rebounding prowess, where the Mystics have been excellent this season, allowing the second-fewest rebounds and third-fewest points in the paint. Meanwhile, Stewie can score from all three levels, although she struggled from deep in the teams’ previous matchup. Plus, Washington has allowed the fifth-most steals and fifth-most blocks per game this season, and Stewart averages 2.7 combined steals/blocks per game this season, the sixth-most in the league.
Value
Murjanatu Musa, Phoenix Mercury vs. Golden State Valkyries, $3,400 – Musa has seen an uptick in playing time over her past three games, from eight minutes on May 30 to six minutes on June 1 to 18 in a blowout defeat to Minnesota on Tuesday, and though she didn’t make the most of those minutes — recording three points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal (8.5 FPTS) on one-for-six shooting from the field — the minutes trend makes her a high-potential option. Musa ranks second in the league in rebounding percentage across her 34 minutes and the Valkyries have been poor on the defensive glass. Maybe the six-foot-two Nigerian will get another chance tonight.
