Eric Moody, ESPNSep 1, 2023, 12:00 PM ET
CloseFormer manager at a Fortune 100 financial services company, now living my dream creating fantasy and sports betting content about the NFL, NBA, and WNBA for ESPN.
Each day of the WNBA season, our team of fantasy and betting experts breaks down every game on the slate, making note of everything from injuries and lineup changes to recent trends and more.
All odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook. Times are ET.
Here’s what to look for during today’s slate:
Dallas Wings at Indiana Fever
7:00 p.m. ET, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Line: Wings -5.5
Money line: Wings (-225), Fever (+185)
Total: 167 points
BPI prediction:
Wings: 61.5% chance to win.
Projected margin of victory: 3.2 points
Injury report
Wings: Natasha Howard (Out), Satou Sabally (Day-To-Day), Lou Lopez Senechal (Out), Diamond DeShields (Out)
Fever: Lexie Hull (Out), Aliyah Boston (Day-To-Day)
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Best bet: Wings -5.5. Dallas is the superior team in this matchup and well positioned to cover the spread on the road. From here on out, every win matters for the Wings, who are currently the fourth seed in the playoff picture. The Fever are 3-1-1 against the spread in their past five games at home, but rookie of the year frontrunner Aliyah Boston could be ruled out or limited on Friday due to a thumb injury. Even without Natasha Howard, the Wings will find a way to win convincingly given their circumstances.
Fantasy streamer: Grace Berger (rostered in 3.0% of ESPN leagues) has played more minutes recently for the Fever. The rookie was drafted No. 7 overall by Indiana. Over the past three games, she has played 24+ minutes and in two of those games, she has scored 20+ fantasy points.
Fantasy streamer: Awak Kuier (rostered in 1.7% of ESPN leagues) should continue to start with Natasha Howard ruled out of Friday night’s game because of the league’s health and safety protocols. In the past two games, Kuier has played more than 29 minutes and scored more than 16 fantasy points.
Connecticut Sun at New York Liberty
8:00 p.m. ET, Barclays Center, Brooklyn
Line: Liberty -8.5
Money line: Sun (+300), Liberty (-385)
Total: 164 points
BPI prediction:
Liberty: 69.7% chance to win.
Projected margin of victory: 5.7 points
Injury report
Sun: DiJonai Carrington (Out)
Liberty: Sabrina Ionescu (Day-To-Day)
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Best bet: Liberty -8.0. Only a few weeks ago, the Aces were cruising to the No. 1 seed, but New York has gained momentum since then. Las Vegas is just a few games away from losing the No. 1 seed to the Liberty. New York are 8-2 against the spread in their last 10 games. The Liberty are also playing on their home court and should be well rested. As for the Sun, they played the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night and are locked into the third seed. Which team’s more motivated?
Fantasy streamer: Marine Johannes (rostered in 9.2% of ESPN leagues) should play more minutes against the Sun. Sabrina Ionescu is questionable for Friday’s game due to a right calf injury and could be ruled out or limited. When given minutes, Johannes has been very productive in fantasy hoops. The last time she played 25+ minutes was against the Phoenix Mercury on August 18th. Johannes scored 29 fantasy points in that game.
Atlanta Dream at Minnesota Lynx
8:00 p.m. ET, Target Center, Minneapolis
Line: Dream -1
Money line: Dream (+100), Lynx (-120)
Total: 165 points
BPI prediction:
Dream: 54% chance to win.
Projected margin of victory: 1.1 points
Injury report
Dream: Nia Coffey (Out)
Lynx: Jessica Shepard (Out), Lindsay Allen (Out), Natalie Achonwa (Out)
Best bet: Lynx +1.0. While the spread is narrow, I can’t shake the Dream’s inconsistent play. Minnesota and Atlanta are tied for sixth in the standings, but I don’t see the Dream completing a sweep of the season series on Friday night. My recommendation is back the Lynx on their home court. The Dream are 0-8 against the spread in their last eight road games.
Fantasy streamer: Dorka Juhasz (rostered in 34.3% of ESPN leagues) remains a top streaming option for the Lynx regardless of Jessica Shepard’s status. She’s scored 20 fantasy points in three of her past five games. Over that time period, Juhasz has averaged 19.4 minutes per game.
Fantasy streamer: Aari McDonald (rostered in 29.2% of ESPN leagues) is the top streaming option from the Dream. She has scored 19+ fantasy points in three of the past four games and averaged 23 minutes per game during that span.