The WNBA is gearing up for the stretch run of the season. With the All-Star break in the rear-view mirror and the playoff field starting to shape up, the league’s best players are hoping to start peaking in form ahead of the postseason tournament, which is unforgiving at best given the best-of-three format in the first round.
After a five-game offering last night, there are only two games tonight, with the Dallas Wings hosting the Atlanta Dream at 8 p.m. ET and the Phoenix Mercury hosting the Golden State Valkyries at 10 p.m. ET. Both of these contests are available on DraftKings’ featured DFS slate, which includes $25,000 in available prizes.
Below, I’ll break down three players who would be in my lineup if I were filling one out for the contest.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: WNBA $25K Shootaround [$5K to 1st]
SF/PF Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings vs. Atlanta Dream, $11,300
Shepard ended the first half of the season in exceptional form, recording a pair of triple-doubles in two of her final six games before the All-Star break and averaging 46.9 FPTS per game across that span. She’s emerged as a playmaking hub this season, averaging more assists per game than any other forward besides Alyssa Thomas ($11,500), and she’s recorded double-digit rebounds in each of her last 10 games. She had seven points, five rebounds, and five assists in just 18 minutes in her maiden All-Star Game.
The Dream aren’t the easiest matchup, as they’ve allowed the fifth-fewest FPTS per game to opposing forwards, but even they have their weaknesses. Atlanta has been a little too vulnerable on the interior, allowing the fourth-most restricted-area attempts per game and conceding the sixth-highest percentage on such shots, and Shepard has made 73.5% of her layups this season, the eighth-best mark among all players to attempt at least three such shots per game. She should be able to pad her rebounding numbers against Angel Reese ($11,700), who’s excellent on the glass but provides her opponents with plenty of opportunities with her poor finishing.
PG/SG Jordin Canada, Atlanta Dream at Dallas Wings, $9,600
It’s hard to not pick Paige Bueckers ($11,100), who’s been on a tear as of late and will likely be a deserving MVP finalist come season’s end, but taking an expensive option in Shepard is too much of a constraint. Instead, I’ve opted for Canada, the third-most expensive guard option on the slate. She’s recorded at least 30 FPTS in each of her last five games, averaging a double-double by dishing out at least eight assists in each game, and unlike Bueckers, she wasn’t named an All-Star, so she should be well-rested. Canada ranks third among active players in career assist percentage and steal percentage.
In a game between two top-five defenses, there’s no such thing as an easy matchup, but players can occasionally out-fox the Wings through their passing, as Dallas has allowed the the seventh-most assists per game. Additionally, the Wings have allowed the third-highest percentage in the restricted area, and Canada has been an excellent finisher, attempting 3.3 layups per game and converting them at a 67.1% clip. Plus, if Reese — the league’s most active close-range shooter — is finishing well, she could pick up plenty of assists by dumping it down low.
PG/SG Kaitlyn Chen, Golden State Valkyries at Phoenix Mercury, $6,300
Chen has carved out a larger role for herself this season, emerging as a valuable bench asset for the over-performing Valkyries and playing at least 10 minutes in 19 of her 27 games. She’s in particularly good form, surpassing her season average of 12.4 FPTS per game in five of her last six contests, including a 20-point, six-assist (34-FPT) effort against the Washington Mystics in Golden State’s final game before the All-Star break. Chen has also demonstrated more defensive tenacity as of late, recording at least one steal in four of her last five appearances.
Meanwhile, the Mercury have the worst defense of any of the four teams in action tonight. Phoenix ranks fifth-to-last in defensive rating this season and has allowed the second-most FPTS per game to opposing guards. In particular, the Mercury have been bad at defending the perimeter, allowing the fifth-most threes per game and the second-highest percentage on such looks, which should benefit Chen, a 42.9% three-point shooter this season. Phoenix doesn’t have a single perimeter player who’s amassed more than 0.5 defensive win shares this season.
