PHOENIX, AZ - JULY 05: Jasmine Thomas #5 of the Connecticut Sun high fives Morgan Tuck #33 and Alex Bentley #20 during the first half of WNBA game against the Phoenix Mercury at Talking Stick Resort Arena on July 5, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
There’s only one game on the WNBA schedule for Tuesday, May 28 and it features one team that hasn’t lost a game on its home court in 10 months against a team that already got a big road win to start off the season. In addition, the two teams offer fantasy team owners several great options.
How Does WNBA DFS work?
Fanduel WNBA daily fantasy games, which are the official fantasy games of the league, work differently when there is only one game on the league schedule for a day. Instead of requiring players to select three backcourt and four frontcourt players from those listed in the gallery of players on the teams in action on a given night, fantasy team managers will only select five players total. Available players aren’t selected as either forwards or guards but rather given one of four designations. Those are MVP, Star, Pro and Utility.
Players can select one MVP for their team, whose contributions on the real court will be worth twice the usual amount of points. There is also one slot for a Star, whose points will be worth one a half times the usual amount. One Pro can be designated as well with a points multiplier of 1.2. To fill out the roster two Utility players can be selected, who will carry normal point values. A player’s actual position on the real court is irrelevant for these types of games.
Fantasy team managers are still given a budget to spend on their entire roster and each player is assigned a monetary value based on last season’s performances, preseason performances and expectations for the game. The more productive a player should be, the more expensive she is to own. When the real players collect statistics in the actual games, points are earned for fantasy team owners who selected those players. To win the fantasy games, the team owners’ point totals after all real games have been played must be among the highest in the pool of all the owners who entered into the contest.
Two Tuesday, May 28 MVP Candidates
All players are expected to be in action and play significant minutes if not start for their teams on Tuesday, May 28. Fantasy team managers need to check lineups before the fantasy contests lock to make sure they don’t have a player on their roster who is injured or is not going to play for some other reason. The monetary figures after the players’ names are their cost for owning on FanDuel on Tuesday, May 28.
Jonquel Jones, Connecticut Sun, $12,000 – One of the reasons the Sun have won eight consecutive home games is Jones. Starting the last three at center for Connecticut Jones has become a focal point of this offense. Recording a double-double (10 points, 14 rebounds) in her last game in addition to three blocked shots and two steals, fantasy owners should also consider her worth this spot because of her ability to hit from the perimeter.
Candace Dupree, Indiana Fever, $10,500 – Indiana only won six games in 2018 but it was hard to blame Dupree for that as she nearly averaged a double-double in points and rebounds. Now that the Fever are seeking their first 2-0 start since 2012, Dupree should get a lot of the credit. Now in her 13th season, Dupree has been a model of consistency for fantasy team owners. She posted her normal 30+ fantasy points in the win in New York to start the season and there’s no reason to expect her to do anything different on Tuesday night.
Two Tuesday, May 28 Star Candidates
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun, $11,500 – Thomas had the most impressive debut of all the Sun players last week, shooting almost 74 percent from the field while coming two rebounds away from posting a double-double. Looking at her body of work over the past four seasons, even if her points drop in a particular game she usually makes up for that with distribution, making her a reliable source of fantasy points.
Tiffany Mitchell, Indiana Fever, $9,500 – She may have played over her head in the Fever’s upset of the Liberty last week but more signs point toward her career-high 22 points being legitimate. 13 of those 22 came at the foul line where she is a career 89.3 percent shooter and her role as a penetrating creator in Indiana’s offense is unlikely to change. This may be the season Mitchell establishes herself as a strong fantasy option.
Two Tuesday, May 28 Pro Candidates
Erica Wheeler, Indiana Fever, $9,000 – Another key component in the Fever’s strong start to the season, Wheeler helped Indiana spread the floor with her two 3-point baskets and five assists. That’s exactly what a point guard is supposed to do and fantasy team owners will love the double-digit points if she can continue that trend as well.
Courtney Williams, Connecticut Sun, $8,500 – Williams was one of the few Connecticut players who in the season opener had a down game by her standards as far as scoring went, only contributing six points, but she still posted nearly 20 fantasy points because of her five assists and rebounds. She won’t be kept off the list of double-figure scorers for long and Tuesday night might be the night she gets back to that.
Three Tuesday, May 28 Utility Candidates
Teaira McCowan, Indiana Fever, $8,000 – How does a rookie boost her fantasy value quickly? Score 11 points, grab four rebounds and hit a game-winning layup as time expires in your first game. She is likely to come off the bench again on Tuesday night but she made her 14 minutes on the court count last week and could do so again.
Shekinna Stricklen, Connecticut Sun, $6,500 – Stricklen’s minutes and therefore production has been trending downward as of late but she’s still a starter for one of the best teams in the league and that alone makes her worth this price. If 16 fantasy points are her new normal, she’s still a good bargain.
Layshia Clarendon, Connecticut Sun, $5,500 – Clarendon is one of the primary options off the bench for Connecticut and her 16 fantasy points in the season opener make her a definite option for fantasy team owners who have spent most of their budget elsewhere and need to find a low-cost option that can still be counted on for some production.
Indiana has an opportunity to start off the season with two huge road wins before its own home opener while Connecticut can keep its streak of victories on its own court going. The desire for both teams to accomplish those objectives will benefit fans and fantasy team owners.