WNBA DFS Picks and Lineup Tips for Friday, August 22

WNBA DFS Strategies for Friday, August 22

We head into Friday's WNBA slate with three games, and each of the outings can be viewed or streamed on ION.

We have a pair of games in the early window. The Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever, and the Seattle Storm and Dallas Wings, each tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET. In the late window, the Golden State Valkyries and Phoenix Mercury lock horns at 10 p.m. ET at PHX Arena in the Valley of the Sun.

Let's check out the best options for DFS players heading into Friday. There are plenty of good values available.

WNBA Schedule Today

• Minnesota Lynx at Indiana Fever
• Seattle Storm at Dallas Wings
• Golden State Valkyries at Phoenix Mercury

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Minnesota Lynx at Indiana Fever

Line: Lynx -6.5
O/U: 163.5

Injury Report - Lynx vs. Fever

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Minnesota

Indiana

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The Lynx (28-8) and Fever (20-16) meet at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday night.

Napheesa Collier (ankle) has been sidelined since Aug. 2, but she is apparently very close to a return. Could it be in Friday's game in Indianapolis? If she starts, Jessica Shepard is likely to take the biggest hit, at least in terms of fantasy appeal.

Shepard was tremendous in Thursday's 75-73 loss in Atlanta, scoring 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting, while grabbing 16 rebounds with four assists and a steal in 32 minutes. Bridget Carleton had a team-high 16 points, including four made three-pointers, while Kayla McBride ended up with 15 points with three triples. Alanna Smith blocked a pair of shots and posted three steals, doing a great job at the defensive end.

Indiana picked up a 99-93 OT win last time out in Connecticut on Sunday. Caitlin Clark continues to sit out with a bone bruise in her ankle and a groin injury, and there is no news on when she'll be able to resume practice, let alone play in a game. The team also lost Sophie Cunningham to a season-ending knee injury, and Sydney Colson (knee) and Aari McDonald (foot) are also done for the year.

With Indiana so banged up, it might be a good idea to key on plenty of Minnesota players, especially with just six teams to choose from.

Seattle Storm at Dallas Wings

Line: Storm -8.5
O/U: 169

Injury Report - Storm vs. Wings

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Seattle

Dallas

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The Storm (18-18) and Wings (9-27) square off in Arlington, and we'll see what Paige Bueckers can do for an encore. She rolled up a career-high 44 points in Wednesday's 81-80 loss in Los Angeles. In fact, only Maddy Siegrist reached double digits, as the rookie had very little help on the offensive end.

With JJ Quinerly and Arike Ogunbowale sidelined Friday due to knee injuries, it is likely Bueckers' time again. She and Siegrist are the best of the lot, in terms of fantasy appeal, with Luisa Geiselsoder also worth a look, as she can help out.

For the Storm, they'll face a Wings defense that isn't very good. Dallas allows 87.2 PPG, ranking 12th in the WNBA, while allowing teams to hit 45.4 percent, which is 11th in the league, and 38.2 percent from behind the three-point line, which is dead-last in the league.

Nneka Ogwumike is good for 22.5 points (PPG), 7.0 rebounds (RPG), 3.5 assists (APG), 2.0 steals (SPG) and 2.0 three-pointers (3PTPG) across the past two games, and she dropped 22 in the most recent meeting with the Wings on July 22.

Golden State Valkyries at Phoenix Mercury

Line: Mercury -6
O/U: 154.5

Injury Report - Valkyries vs. Mercury

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Golden State

Phoenix

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The Mercury (21-14) will host the Valkyries (18-17) at PHX Arena, and Phoenix is playing in a back-to-back situation. The Mercury were dusted in Las Vegas by the Aces, 83-61.

Phoenix has won all three meetings with Golden State this season, scoring at least 86 points in two of the three wins. The Mercury offense is going to be mad, and it should be a good plan to stack Phoenix players. On paper, it looks like a bad matchup, as Phoenix is playing on no rest against a defense that allows 79.7 PPG (3rd), 40.8 field-goal percentage (1st) and 31.9 three-pointer percentage (3rd).

These teams just played Tuesday in San Francisco, with the Mercury rolling up a 98-91 win. Kahleah Copper, who suffered an injury while playing Thursday, scored 25 points with five three-pointers in Golden State on Tuesday night. Satou Sabally did a little bit of everything, too, going for 17 points, six assists, four rebounds and two three-pointers. Alyssa Thomas filled up the stat sheet, too, with 13 points, nine boards, eight assists and a block.

For Golden State, Veronica Burton had 24 points with 14 assists and two steals in 34 minutes in the loss to the Mercury, while Carla Leite had 15 points and four steals.

Top WNBA DFS Picks: Key Players to Watch

FanDuel

• Aliyah Boston ($7,500)
• Paige Bueckers ($7,500)
• Veronica Burton ($6,400)

The Fever will lean upon Boston rather heavily, yet again. She filled up the stat sheet in Tuesday's OT win in Connecticut, going for 14 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, while hitting 53.8 percent from the field. She is good for at least 14 points in four straight outings, while hitting the mark in six of the past seven games. Bueckers will be the first, second and third option in the offense for Dallas, as the Wings are even more shorthanded than usual. Burton comes with a nice price tag, but she could surprise in Phoenix. She had 24 points with a career-best 14 assists and two steals last time out against Phoenix on Tuesday. Can she do it again? For Golden State, Laeticia Amihere and Kate Martin could exceed DFS salary expectations, as Cecilia Zandalasini (calf) is out and Carla Leite (foot) carries a questionable tag.

Unlocking Value: WNBA DFS Sleeper Picks

• Laeticia Amihere ($3,900)
• Kate Martin ($4,000)

DraftKings

• Nneka Ogwumike ($10,700)
• Ezi Magbegor ($7,800)
• Maddy Siegrist ($7,700)

For the Storm, Ogwumike should face very little resistance against the Wings, who are dinged up and unlikely to do much at the defensive end. That's why Magbegor is a good option, too. She could do a little more than usual offensively, while providing plenty of rebounds and blocks. Staying in the same game, Siegrist is a good secondary scoring option, as Dallas doesn't have much else. Aziaha James should step up with Arike Ogunbowale and JJ Quinerly out. Shey Peddy was just signed, but she could do plenty for Indiana, as injuries open up some opportunities.

Unlocking Value: WNBA DFS Sleeper Picks

• Aziaha James ($5,900)
• Shey Peddy ($3,500)