Are your WNBA fantasy basketball leagues still running?
If so, you’re probably either in the playoffs or rapidly approaching them. That means that, just like the WNBA regular season, the fantasy basketball season is nearly over.
It also means that every move counts. At this point, there aren’t going to be any stars on your league’s waiver wire. There are probably a couple of names who will be in favorable situations for the coming week or so, though, so if you have an extra spot available on your team
(perhaps via IL), consider adding one of these players to help boost your fantasy playoff run.
Laura Juškaitė remains a consistent contributor for the Tempo
Toronto’s season-long injury woes continued when the newly-acquired Aneesah Morrow exited last Friday’s game with a knee injury. Making matters worse, Nyara Sabally is in the midst of an extended absence, having injured her calf and currently sporting a walking boot. She’s expected to be re-evaluated in roughly two more weeks.
Seeing as how the Tempo have been eliminated from playoff contention, there’s no reason for them to rush either Morrow or Sabally back, but they’ll still have to dole out their minutes and usage to their remaining healthy frontcourt players. Juškaitė is a good candidate to see an increased role while the team is short-handed. The undrafted rookie has been a surprisingly consistent source of fantasy stats this season, averaging 10 points, 0.9 3-pointers, four rebounds and 1.5 defensive stats per game.
Juškaitė may not be the most exciting fantasy name out there, but at this point in the season, you’re probably not looking to hit a home run on the waiver wire. Juškaitė is currently rostered in just over 21 percent of ESPN leagues; that number is rising quickly, however, so make sure she isn’t a free agent in your league.
Jade Melbourne is stepping up in Seattle
The Seattle Storm are another team that are probably thinking more about draft lottery odds than winning basketball games. They’ve also been eliminated from playoff contention, and have no more reason to push their veterans (or injured players) than the Tempo do.
One such veteran is guard Natisha Hiedeman, who was having a career year before she injured her shoulder last week. Through 36 games, Hiedeman is averaging 15.4 points, 1.9 3-pointers, 4.8 assists and 1.2 defensive stats, good for 27.2 fantasy points per game in standard leagues.
With their most ball-dominant guard now on the bench until further notice, the Storm have given Melbourne a bigger role. She’s been modestly productive this season, averaging 9.3 points, 3.9 assists and 1.1 defensive stats, and she’s started 28 of the 36 games she’s played in.
These aren’t, of course, eye-popping numbers, but Melbourne was significantly more productive in the Storm’s first game without Hiedeman, racking up 11 points, five rebounds and six assists in 35 minutes. It’s the playing time that’s most encouraging here; Seattle’s future may hinge on the development of frontcourt players Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam, but Melbourne is still young enough to be considered a potential part of that core if the Storm believe in her. Expect them to give her more reps alongside rookie Flau’jae Johnson until Hiedeman returns.
Nia Coffey is hanging onto fantasy relevance—for now
Last month, we discussed how Napheesa Collier’s return from ankle surgery would affect the rest of Minnesota’s rotation, and predicted that Coffey would take the biggest hit. That ended up being true: In 10 games with Collier in the lineup, Coffey averaged just 3.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.8 defensive stats in just 13.9 minutes per game, all as a reserve. Though Coffey was one of the season’s most pleasant surprises through late June, it’s now obvious the Lynx saw her as more of a placeholder while their star forward got healthy.
There’s one wrinkle here, though, and it’s an important one: The Lynx are now resting Collier.
This isn’t much of a surprise, given how far ahead the Lynx are of the rest of the pack (and how things ended prematurely for them last season, partly due to Collier’s initial foot injury), and Coffey was there to pick up the slack. Last Friday, she got the start and played 30 minutes, racking up eight points, two 3-pointers and four defensive stats.
This is something to keep a keen eye on for the rest of the regular season. We’ve seen how valuable of a fantasy player Coffey can be when she’s playing starters’ minutes. She was averaging 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 3-pointers and 2.4 defensive stats before Collier returned to the lineup. The key will be knowing exactly when she’ll draw that assignment again. Collier was announced out due to rest over 24 hours before last Friday’s game, which gave fantasy managers plenty of time to put her on an IL spot and pick up someone else.
Even if she’s not on your team, watch for similar news as the season winds down, and be ready to add Coffey, even if it’s just for a game.
