WNBA DFS Picks and Lineup Tips for Sunday, August 17

Saturday had only one game on tap in the WNBA, but Sunday features a massive five-game slate. We'll analyze each game to find out which teams and players have the best value from a DFS perspective. Here's the ultimate guide for another Sunday of loaded action in the WNBA.

WNBA Schedule Today

• Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun
• Los Angeles Sparks at Washington Mystics
• Dallas Wings at Las Vegas Aces
• Phoenix Mercury at Seattle Storm 
• Atlanta Dream at Golden State Valkyries

RotoWire WNBA DFS Tools

WNBA News

WNBA Lineup Optimizer

Daily Matchups  (Vegas Odds, Team Efficiency, Pace, Opposing Stats)

WNBA Daily Lineups

Value Report

Team Trends

QUICK LINKS

DFS Optimizer

Build hundreds of lineups in seconds

MLB Lineups

See today's MLB starting lineups

Your Lineups

See your saved MLB lineups

Opponent Averages

Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun  

Line: Fever -6

O/U: 166.5

Injury Report - Fever vs. Sun

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Indiana

Connecticut

No injuries to report.

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The Fever have been one of the most depleted teams in the league of late, and the lack of depth has finally caught up to them. Losers of two straight and four of their last five after their 88-84 defeat to the Mystics on Friday, Indiana is now only two games above .500. Their solid start to the season still has them in third place in the standings, but it seems this team is trending in the wrong direction without their star player, Caitlin Clark (groin). Fortunately for them, they have an excellent opportunity to bounce back when facing Connecticut. Even though the Sun are coming off a 71-62 win over the Sky the last time out, they still have the worst record in the WNBA at 6-26. They're one of three teams with single-digit wins with less than 10 games left in the schedule.

Los Angeles Sparks at Washington Mystics  

Line: Sparks -3.0

O/U: 169.5

Injury Report - Sparks vs. Mystics

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Los Angeles

No injuries to report.

Washington

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The Sparks have been a model of inconsistency, trading wins and losses over their last five games, yet this has allowed them to go 3-2 over that stretch. Furthermore, with seven wins over their past 10 outings, it seems the Sparks are trending in the right direction ahead of the final stages of the regular season. It's uncertain if that'll allow them to secure a playoff berth, but it's clear they're trying hard. The Mystics have also gone a bit uneven of late with a 2-3 record across their previous five contests. Barring a miracle, Washington will finish the regular season in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Mystics are 7.0 games above Chicago, fifth, and 3.0 behind Indiana, third, with seven contests left. From-wise and consistency-wise, it's easy to see why the Sparks are dubbed as favorites here.

Dallas Wings at Las Vegas Aces  

Line: Aces -10.5

O/U: 169.5

Injury Report - Wings vs. Aces

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Dallas

Las Vegas

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The Wings have shown signs of being able to post a turnaround in recent weeks, but every time they do so, they get back to losing ways. This is a team that has been playing better than initially expected, and their play has been on the upswing since the All-Star break. However, they've still gone 1-4 across their last five contests. With a 9-25 record, they remain dead last in the Western Conference, and their prospects of reaching double-digit wins aren't high considering they'll take on the Aces. Las Vegas is the hottest team in the league without a doubt and sits just 1.0 game behind the Mercury for second place in the West. The Aces are coming off an 86-83 win over Phoenix the last time out, and the victory pushed their winning streak to six games.

Phoenix Mercury at Seattle Storm  

Line: Storm -1.5

O/U: 164.5

Injury Report - Mercury vs. Storm

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Phoenix

Seattle

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The Mercury are trending in the wrong direction of late and could be in danger of losing the second-place spot in the Western Conference standings if they drop a third straight contest. They're coming off back-to-back defeats to Atlanta and Las Vegas, so the team is in dire need of a turnaround if it doesn't want to cede ground on the playoff race. The Storm have been a bit underwhelming when looking at their record and recent form, with a 1-4 mark over their last five, though at least they're coming off an 80-78 win over the Dream the previous time out. The Storm are still within reach of the Valkyries, who sit in fourth place in the West standings, so winning here and starting a streak is a must for Seattle. The Storm didn't build a team with quality players on both ends of the court to miss the postseason.

Atlanta Dream at Golden State Valkyries  

Line: Dream -3.5

O/U: 153.5

Injury Report - Dream vs. Valkyries

Note: All return dates are just estimates

Atlanta

Golden State

WNBA DFS Showdown Picks and Lineup Building Strategy

The final game of the slate features two scorching hot teams that will collide, looking to strengthen their playoff positioning. On one hand, we have the Dream, who have taken full advantage of the struggles from both the Fever and Liberty to jump into first place in the Eastern Conference standings, but they have a minor 0.5-game lead while coming off a tight loss to Seattle the last time out. The Valkyries are on the rise and are one of three teams in the Western Conference with at least four wins in a row. Golden State sits three games above .500 and has already set a new record for most wins for an expansion team in its first year in the league. They've beaten the Sparks, Sun, Mystics and Sky during their winning run, but if they defeat the Dream, that would be a huge sign of what they might be ready to accomplish in the playoffs.

WNBA DFS Picks Today

DraftKings:

DraftKings has plenty of offers for Sunday's five-game slate. It includes a classic option with the entire five-game slate, and within that, it features two more contests: Phoenix vs. Seattle and Atlanta vs. Golden State. As if that wasn't enough, it also features two "Showdown" slates for specific contests: Dallas vs. Las Vegas and Atlanta vs. Golden State. Without further ado, here are the players worth targeting in DraftKings:

• A'ja Wilson ($13,000)
• Alyssa Thomas ($12,800)
• Aliyah Boston ($11,600)
• Nneka Ogwumike ($11,300)

The Aces are the hottest team in the league right now, and Wilson is their best player, so it makes perfect sense to target her to anchor most lineups. The star center is having another outstanding campaign in 2025, but her play has experienced a marked uptick since the All-Star break, as she's back to her dominant ways on both ends of the court. Wilson is averaging 24.8 points, 14.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per game during the Aces' six-game winning run, and she should be a very popular option to anchor most lineups regardless of the slate.

Thomas might not have been as dominant as Wilson of late, but few players -- if any -- in the WNBA can put up the kind of consistent numbers she's delivered all season long. Even though she's gone two games in a row without a triple-double, she's notched two triple-doubles and four double-doubles since the All-Star break. Plus, over her previous 10 appearances, the 12-year veteran is averaging an outstanding line of 17.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 2.0 steals across 32.2 minutes per game.

Boston has been forced to step her game up due to the absence of Clark. For the most part, the third-year center has delivered. Even though Boston endured a rocky patch in recent games, she's found ways to remain relevant in fantasy due to her outstanding two-way ability, and she has six double-doubles in 11 games since the All-Star break -- though none in her last five appearances. She might be trending in the wrong direction, but her role as the undisputed go-to option on offense for the Fever gives her an outstanding floor.

Ogwumike hasn't been a double-double machine this season, but the center has remained a consistent source of production down low for the Storm while making her presence felt on both ends of the court. Ogwumike has recorded double-digit points while grabbing at least eight rebounds in each of her last five contests, and she's averaging a solid line of 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game since the All-Star break. With a favorable matchup against the Mercury on tap, Ogwumike could be a solid option for fantasy managers who want to bolster their frontcourt.

Unlocking Value: WNBA DFS Sleeper Picks

• Maddy Siegrist ($6,200)
• Emily Engstler ($5,100)
• Aneesah Morrow ($7,400)

FanDuel:

FanDuel also offers different options for this slate. The "Main" slate has a full roster and includes four games, with the lone exception being the 1 PM ET matchup between Connecticut and Indiana. There's also an "After Hours" slate with the two latter games, Phoenix vs. Seattle and Atlanta vs. Golden State, and a single-game slate centered around the early matchup of Fever vs. Sun. 

As often happens, FanDuel and DraftKings tend to have the top players rated on the same level. However, here are three players you can target for your lineups in FanDuel that aren't the top picks that were already recommended in DraftKings.

• Paige Bueckers ($7,600)
• Jackie Young ($7,000)
• Rhyne Howard ($6,900)
• Veronica Burton ($6,200)

Bueckers is coming off one of her best performances of the season, posting 29 points (her second-best output of the campaign), four rebounds and five assists in the 97-96 loss to the Sparks on Friday. Even though the Wings have been struggling for most of the season, that hasn't stopped Bueckers from being a reliable fantasy alternative in most formats. She's averaging 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game since the break. Those numbers are good enough to make her a top option to anchor any lineup regardless of the slate.

Wilson will be a popular pick among fantasy managers looking at the Aces roster to anchor their lineups. However, as good as Wilson has been during the Aces' recent six-game winning run, Young's contributions can't be overlooked. The seven-year veteran has scored at least 15 points in all but one of the Aces' six consecutive wins and is averaging a robust 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Even though her upside might hit a ceiling for being the second option behind Wilson, Young is still a solid player to target for most lineups.

Howard might not be able to reach the 17.0 PPG plateau this season, but she's been remarkably consistent and productive in her four years in the WNBA. She's the engine that makes the offense go for Atlanta, and she's thrived both as a scorer and playmaker for one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. Howard missed 10 games between July 13 and Aug. 7 due to a knee injury, but she's started in Atlanta's last two contests and hasn't lost a step. The Dream face another red-hot team in the Valkyries, so they'll need Howard to be at her best to get a good result. Howard is averaging 23.0 points per game in her two starts since returning from the injury.

If you're looking to anchor your lineup with a Golden State player, though, then Burton would be a solid choice. Even though she's coming off an 11-point effort in the Aug. 15 win over the Chicago Sky, she also scored 30 points against the Mystics on Aug. 13. The lack of consistency on a game-to-game basis might be an issue, but Burton's role as one of the go-to options on the Valkyries roster could give her a solid floor. She's averaging 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game since the All-Star break.

Unlocking Value: WNBA DFS Sleeper Picks

• Cameron Brink ($5,400)
• NaLyssa Smith ($5,100)
• Sug Sutton ($4,900)