WNBA DFS Picks and Lineup Tips for Thursday, August 28

WNBA DFS Strategies for Thursday, August 28

It's Thursday, and we have a total of three games on the WNBA slate.

At 7 p.m. ET, the Washington Mystics and New York Liberty meet at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and that game can be viewed or streamed on Amazon's Prime Video. At 8 p.m. ET, the Seattle Storm and Minnesota Lynx tangle at Target Center in Minneapolis. In the late window, the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury meet at 10 p.m. ET at PHX Arena, and that is your second half of a Prime Video doubleheader.

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

WNBA Schedule Thursday

• Washington Mystics at New York Liberty
• Seattle Storm at Minnesota Lynx
• Chicago Sky at Phoenix Mercury

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Washington Mystics at New York Liberty

Line: Mystics +12.5
O/U: 163

Injury Report - Mystics vs. Liberty

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Washington

New York

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The Mystics (16-22) and Liberty (23-15) meet at Barclays Center for the third time this season, and New York has won both previous meetings, averaging 85.5 points per game, while allowing just 70.5. 

This will be the first meeting in New York this season. The Liberty have won eight in a row in the series, although four of the past seven in the series have been decided by eight or fewer points.

Washington has dropped four in a row and nine of its past 12 games, and it is a shell of its former self. The Mystics were sellers at the trade deadline, dealing Brittney Sykes to the Storm and Aaliyah Edwards to the Sun. In return for Edwards, they received Jacy Sheldon, and she has been sidelined due to an ankle injury.

Shakira Austin blew up for 30 points last time out, going 10-for-15 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. She added four blocks. Rookie Sonia Citron scored 14 points, and she has 13 or more points in 14 straight games. Surprisingly, Citron's three-point streak ended at 12 straight games, going 0-for-1 from distance against the Storm on Sunday. Fellow rookie Kiki Iriafen had just six rebounds against Seattle, halting a seven-game run with 10+ rebounds.

For New York, Jonquel Jones posted 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in Monday's 81-79 win over Connecticut. Sabrina Ionescu has been struggling a bit lately, going for just 11 points with four turnovers against the Sun, although she did add nine assists and seven rebounds. She is an uncharacteristic 1-for-9 from behind the three-point line in the past two games.

Seattle Storm at Minnesota Lynx

Line: Lynx -9.5
O/U: 164

Injury Report - Storm vs. Lynx

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Seattle

Minnesota

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The Storm (20-19) and Lynx (30-8) meet at Target Center in Minneapolis. In three previous meetings, Minnesota has won two, and all three have cashed Over, meaning high-scoring games. In fact, we have had an average of 171.7 combined points per game in those three meetings, so DFS players will want to load up on players in this matchup, especially with a short slate.

Seattle suffered an ugly 95-75 loss at Indiana on Tuesday. Only Nneka Ogwumike (17 points) and Sykes (12 points) showed up, as the rest of the team had eight or fewer points. To make matters worse, Seattle turned it over 13 times in the rout loss, while Indiana doubled it up by a 42-to-21 margin in rebounding.

Gabby Williams had a particularly poor night, going 1-for-5 with just two points in 18 minutes. She is averaging just 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the past four games, while going a dismal 2-for-11 (18.1 percent) from behind the three-point arc.

Meanwhile, the Lynx shot a blistering 57.1 percent (36-for-63) from the field last time out against the Fever. Napheesa Collier (ankle) returned from a three-week absence, and the confidence of the team as a whole seemed to go way up. Phee was on fire, going 11-for-16 from the field, posting 32 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.

With the superstar Collier back, Jessica Shepard shifted back to the bench, and she was scoreless in 10 minutes. Maria Kliundikova was sharp, though, going 6-for-7 off the bench, finishing with 13 points. With Collier back as the top scoring option, Kayla McBride was perfect from the field, but she was just 4-for-4 overall and 3-for-3 from behind the arc, finishing with 13 points.

Chicago Sky at Phoenix Mercury

Line: Mercury -12
O/U: 164

Injury Report - Sky vs. Mercury

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Chicago

Phoenix

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The Sky (9-28) and Mercury (23-14) meet at PHX Arena at 10 p.m. ET in the second end of the Prime Video double dip.

Chicago, already eliminated from the postseason chase, has looked like a team dead in the water lately. While Ariel Atkins and Angel Reese have returned from nagging injuries, it hasn't made much difference. Chicago has lost the past two games and 15 of the past 17 outings.

Meanwhile, Phoenix has won four of the past five games, going for at least 81 points in each of those victories. In a 92-84 win at Los Angeles on Tuesday, Alyssa Thomas exploded for 12 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists for her seventh triple-double of the season, a WNBA single-season record. It was the 18th triple-double of her career. In addition, A.T. is the first player in WNBA history to go for at least 10 points, 15 boards and 15 dimes in a single game.

Satou Sabally posted a team-best 19 points, while Sami Whitcomb went for 17 points off the bench, including five triples. She also racked up four steals, and she and Thomas combined for seven steals.

Chicago allows 86.2 PPG (11th in the WNBA), a 45.1 defensive field-goal percentage (10th) and 37.1 defensive three-pointer percentage (12th). Rack up plenty of Mercury players on this short slate.

Top WNBA DFS Picks: Key Players to Watch

FanDuel

• Napheesa Collier ($9,000)
• Sonia Citron ($6,100)
• Brittney Sykes ($5,900)

Collier is the heavy MVP favorite, and she looked rested and raring to go in her return from a three-week absence due to an ankle injury. She could have another big game against Seattle in a potential high-scoring affair. The rookie Citron doesn't put up massive numbers, but her scoring is consistent and quite good. Sykes has fit in nicely in Seattle, offering at least 10 points in five of the past six games, while providing three or more assists and rebounds in four of the past five contests. Whitcomb was on fire from distance last time out, and we'll roll the dice that her hot streak continues.

Unlocking Value: WNBA DFS Sleeper Picks

• Sami Whitcomb ($5,400)
• Maria Kliundikova ($4,500)

DraftKings

• Alyssa Thomas ($13,300)
• Shakira Austin ($9,500)
• Kahleah Copper ($7,800)

Thomas will cost you a giant chunk of your DFS allotment. However, she is just better than everyone lately, and you never know when another triple-double is around the corner. Against the defensively-challenged Sky, it's a good chance another big night is on tap. Austin had a giant stat line last time out, and she faces a Liberty defense with an OPRK that ranks 11th. With a mid-tier price, Copper is a strong option, again, because the Sky's defense is trash. Speaking of which, a Phoenix stack must include Monique Akoa-Makani, who gets a shot at Chicago, and she could easily exceed DFS expectations. Kliundikova was sharp off the bench last time out, and she is worth a roll of the dice in a potentially high-scoring game.

Unlocking Value: WNBA DFS Sleeper Picks

• Monique Akoa-Makani ($5,900)
• Maria Kliundikova ($5,200)