WNBA DFS picks for Thursday, May 25

It’s been a strong start to the WNBA season for the FTN team — the overall edge we have in a niche DFS sport like this has been prevalent. The only thing that is a bummer is the fact that contest sizing hasn’t been great, but things are filling up so that’s at least showing the sites there is a need. We have a couple of two-game slates on tap, which brings us into the weekend with a three-gamer waiting Sunday. Plenty of opportunities to find yourself with green screens.

In this breakdown, I will highlight my top plays at each position while also listing a three-player core to consider for your various builds. Additionally, I will list any favorable PrizePicks lines that I feel are advantageous.

Vegas Odds Team Odds Team Odds Total Las Vegas -975 (-13) LA +675 171 Minnesota +125 Phoenix -3 (-145) 161.5 Guards Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas ($9.9k) The Aces have a ridiculous amount of talent, and people across the industry may have forgotten about that with the creation of the NY Liberty “Super Team.” The defending champs lost longtime contributor Dearica Hamby to the Sparks but were able to add one of the best players in WNBA history in Candace Parker. Additionally, defensive stopper Alysha Clark is on board, and they return the nucleus of last year’s championship winning squad. This would normally make me wary of using too many players from a team with so many stars but the cohesion and chemistry the Aces have puts me at ease. Plum has become more dominant with each season that passes and she started 2023 off right with a 40-fantasy-point game against the rebuilding Seattle Storm. Opponent strength aside, 23-5-5 is a fantastic stat line against anyone. Fellow guards Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray will have slate-melting performances, but Plum is emerging as the top option in that backcourt. I always look at players who don’t have to make shots in order to put up fantasy points, and Plum offers us plenty of upside thanks to her contributions in other statistical categories.

Additional Guard Targets Lindsay Allen, Minnesota — Allen missed the first game of the season with a hamstring issue but returned against Atlanta and even drew the start. Playing 31 minutes, she produced an adequate 8-3-3 stat line that led to 16 fantasy points. Allen didn’t shoot particularly well from the field making just 1 of her 5 shot attempts but she was able to generate points at the foul line going 5-6. Allen is known more for her defensive prowess but I’m willing to take my chances with her at a sub-$5k price tag on DK, especially if her playing time is secured.

Moriah Jefferson, Phoenix — I love a good revenge narrative and Jefferson gets a chance to face off against the team she spent most of last season with. Jefferson is an underrated facilitator capable of scoring in a variety of ways, which is something we saw against LA last week. However, the Sky’s defensive pressure gave her problems, and she was mostly contained during that loss. That bust will likely keep Jefferson’s rostership low but there is definitely upside in this favorable matchup against the Lynx. Her minutes and role are locked in and the reasonable price of $7.8k makes her easy to fit into any type of build.

Forwards Napheesa Collier, Minnesota ($7.9k) This is what I’d call a “broken price.” Under no circumstances should Collier be priced below $10k, let alone $8k. With Sylvia Fowles retired and Damiris Dantas waived, the undisputed leader of the Lynx is now Collier. She has been the obvious focal point of the offense and has accumulated 30 shot attempts through the first two games. Collier has always been a strong source of peripheral stats as well so her inevitable spike in scoring will further push her upside through the roof. A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Elena Elle Donne are considered elite tier DFS options and are priced accordingly because of it. Very few are on their level, but Napheesa is quickly approaching that status. This makes her $7.9k price tag even more of a head scratcher. Rostership will be through the roof, but this is one chalk play that makes very little sense to fade on a two-game slate.

Additional Forward Targets Brittney Griner, Phoenix — I didn’t expect the Mercury to be one of the top teams in the league this year by any means but I certainly expected them to be competitive. It’s early in the season obviously but we have seen a somewhat disinterested and almost overmatched team through those first two games. Injuries piled up last year and bled into this season so a slow start could be expected. On top of that, they’re reintegrating star center Brittney Griner back into the lineup after missing all of last year due to being confined overseas. However, the problem hasn’t been with Griner who has shown almost no signs of rust or conditioning problems. Griner put up a solid 36 fantasy points in 25 minutes in a blowout loss to LA while throwing up over 50 fantasy points in 31 minutes of action against Chicago. Her 27-point/10-rebound double-double was vintage Griner and she has been an absolute menace on the defensive side of things racking up 8 blocks already. The matchup against Minnesota is actually advantageous for Griner and could be a developing DVP spot for us to punish. Fowles was one of the best low post defenders in the league so losing her is a tough blow for the Lynx to deal with. Elizabeth Williams (14 points/6 rebounds/3 steals/2 blocks) went nuts against Minnesota last week while wings Kahleah Copper (20 points/7 rebounds/5 assists) and Allisha Gray (26 points/10 rebounds/2 blocks) were also able to put up numbers with very little resistance from the opposition. I’ll be prioritizing Griner in my main build while also paying up for Plum and filling the rest of the lineup with underpriced options with upside.

Core Napheesa Collier Brittney Griner Lindsay Allen PrizePicks Plays Moriah Jefferson OVER 20.5 Fantasy Points & OVER 15.5 PRA Diamond Miller OVER 16.5 PRA Kelsey Plum OVER 32.5 Fantasy Points

WNBA DFS picks for Thursday, May 25

Vegas Odds

Guards

Kelsey Plum, Las...

This feature is only available to FTN Daily Premium Members Only