FAIRFAX, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Natasha Howard #6 of the Seattle Storm holds up the trophy after the Storm defeated the Washington Mystics 98-82 to win the WNBA Finals at EagleBank Arena on September 12, 2018 in Fairfax, Virginia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The contenders and pretenders for the title of WNBA fantasy royalty have started to separate themselves as the month of June is now in its first full week. Tuesday’s slate of games features an early start so daily fantasy players need to get their lineups in first thing.
How Does WNBA DFS work?
Fanduel WNBA daily fantasy games, which are the official fantasy games of the league, require players to select three backcourt and four frontcourt players, listed in the gallery of players on the teams in action on a given day as either forwards or guards. Fantasy team managers are given a budget to spend on their entire roster and each player is assigned a monetary value based on previous performances and expectations for the day’s games. 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 managers who selected those players. To win the fantasy games, the team managers’ point totals after all real games have been played must be among the highest in the pool of all the managers who entered into the contest.
All players are expected to be in action and play significant minutes if not start for their teams on Tuesday, June 4. 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, June 4.
WNBA Schedule for Tuesday, June 4
All times listed are Eastern and games can be streamed live on WNBA League Pass and Twitter.
Los Angeles Sparks at New York Liberty, 11 a.m., League Pass, Spectrum Sportsnet, YES
Minnesota Lynx at Seattle Storm, 10 p.m., Twitter, JoeTV
Injury Updates for Tuesday, June 4
Out:
Seimone Augustus, guard, Minnesota Lynx-knee
Alana Beard, guard, Los Angeles Sparks-leg
Sue Bird, guard, Seattle Storm-knee
Alysha Clark, forward, Seattle Storm-rest
Candace Parker, forward, Los Angeles Sparks-hamstring
Breanna Stewart, forward, Seattle Storm-Achilles tendon
Shavonte Zellous, guard, Seattle Storm-knee
Four Guards to Consider for Tuesday, June 4
Jordin Canada, Seattle Storm, $7,300 – Leading the league in steals and ranking fifth in assists has Seattle not missing Sue Bird as much as it could be. Unfortunately for the Storm and fantasy players, she is also currently second in turnovers. If she can cut down on that Tuesday while keeping up her production elsewhere, a second consecutive 30+ fantasy-point performance is within reach.
Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm, $7,200 – The other half of Seattle’s starting guard tandem opposite Canada is in the top 10 of the league in scoring and rebounds despite the fact she isn’t shooting a high percentage. If she can continue to produce her fantasy average of between 22 and 27 points on Tuesday, she’s well worth the price to roster her as much of the Lynx’s defensive attention is likely going to be on Seattle’s frontcourt.
Odyssey Sims, Minnesota Lynx, $5,900 – Sims has gotten comfortable in Minnesota and it’s shown in her fantasy production. She posted a season-high 27.3 fantasy points in her last outing and this will be the second time she’s seen Seattle in less than a week. In the first meeting of these two teams, she led the Lynx with 15 points and added to her assist average, which is good for sixth in the league. Like Loyd, she needs to cut down on the turnovers to become an elite fantasy player but she’s still a good value at this price.
Asia Durr, New York Liberty, $5,000 – One of the preseason favorites for Rookie of the Year is starting to realize that potential in the fantasy game. As her minutes have increased so has her fantasy production and she has been especially productive on the defensive end, averaging 1.5 blocked shots per game. She could be a steal on Tuesday if she can reach double figures again and contribute elsewhere.
Five Forwards to Consider for Tuesday, June 4
Natasha Howard, Seattle Storm, $8,300 – Arguably the MVP for the 2019 season thus far for fantasy considerations, Howard has averaged a double-double in points and rebounds on top of being in the top 10 of the league in steals. She’s achieved the status of if she’s healthy and Seattle is playing, fantasy players simply can’t afford not to add her to their rosters.
Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx, $8,000 – Also averaging a double-double in points and rebounds so far this season is Fowles. The first game of the season against Seattle was the only one so far she hasn’t scored in double figures but she did grab a season-high 13 rebounds during that contest. She’s coming off her best performance of the season so far and if she can replicate that in another road game Tuesday, it’s going to be hard to pass on her as well.
Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks, $7,800 – While Candace Parker is out and Maria Vadeeva is in Russia, the spotlight for the Sparks has been grabbed by the Ogwumike sisters. She posted a 40-point fantasy performance her last time out and she makes the third player in this list to average a double-double in points and rebounds so far this season. While she will have to contend with the length of New York’s Tina Charles on Tuesday morning, Los Angeles has shown it can get her into good positions.
Chiney Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks, $6,400 – The other half of the Ogwumike sister tandem for Los Angeles had her best performance as a member of the Sparks to help defeat her old team the last time out, scoring 20 points while grabbing seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and blocking a shot. If she can build on that momentum it could be worthwhile to roster both Ogwumike sisters against a Liberty team that has struggled so far this season.
Damiris Dantas, Minnesota Lynx, $6,200 – Dantas saw a significant increase in her minutes the last time out, helping Minnesota get a win at Dallas with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. That performance will likely merit more minutes for her at Seattle on Tuesday and if she can be as productive as she 29.6 fantasy points average suggests she’s capable of, she will be quite a bargain at this price.
Tuesday’s games feature the league’s only remaining undefeated team (Minnesota) and one of the two remaining winless teams (New York) looking to continue and change those facts respectively. Whether or not that happens, daily fantasy players have several great options.