WNBA Best Bets and Player Props for Tuesday 8/20/24, Including a FanDuel Promo
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The WNBA season is rolling along, and fans and bettors alike can get into the action on FanDuel Sportsbook.
The W's 40-game season offers a wide variety of betting options, including point spreads, moneylines, and totals. While there's a lot to sift through, advanced stats from the WNBA can help us find an edge in the betting market.
On top of that, FanDuel Sportsbook is offering a promo for all customers betting a Same Game Parlay (SGP) on WNBA games from August 20th to August 22nd!
How to Claim This Promo
You can claim this promo by signing into your FanDuel Sportsbook account and clicking the “Claim Now” button. You’ll then be rewarded a 30% Profit Boost Token to use on any 3+ leg SGP placed on a WNBA game happening August 20th to August 22nd. See full terms at FanDuel Sportsbook.
WNBA Best Bets
Let's dive into the WNBA odds on FanDuel Sportsbook and find Friday's best bets.
Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.
Dallas Wings at New York Liberty
Liberty Over 92.5 Total Points (-120)
Breanna Stewart Over 22.5 Points (-115)
What happens when the league's best offense hosts the league's worst defense?
We'll find out tonight when the Dallas Wings travel east to take on the New York Liberty. The Wings have surrendered a league-worst 110.2 points per 100 possessions while the Liberty are averaging a league-best 107.8 points per 100. With Dallas checking in at third in pace, you can understand why this over/under is set all the way up at 174.5 points.
New York's second-ranked defense makes me weary to back that game total, especially after they just held the Aces to 67 points over the weekend. Instead, we can look to target the over on the Liberty team total, which is currently set at 92.5 points.
This will be New York's first time facing Dallas this season, but we have seen how well their offense performs against other soft defenses. In 11 games against teams that let up at least 104 points per 100 possessions, the Liberty are averaging 91.6 points per game. They went over 92.5 points in six of those 11 games despite none of those foes playing at as fast of a pace as the Wings.
In a pace-up spot for New York, I like the Liberty to go over 92.5 tonight.
Because I'm expecting a big offensive night for the Liberty, we can also consider the over on Breanna Stewart's points prop. She's gone over 22.5 points only seven times in 25 games but has averaged 20.7 points per game against teams in the bottom half in defensive rating.
Stewie has come out of the break hot with 27- and 18-point games and flexed her scoring prowess against the Wings last season. In three head-to-head matchups with Dallas, she netted 25, 32, and 40 points. With Dallas surrendering the most points in the paint this season, I'm expecting Stewart to feast inside and continue her blistering start to the second half.
Seattle Storm at Washington Mystics
Storm -6.5 (-112)
Neither the Seattle Storm nor the Washington Mystics have come out of the All-Star break playing their best basketball. Seattle dropped a two-point game to the Atlanta Dream before losing by 17 against Indiana Fever. Washington, meanwhile, suffered a pair of double-digit losses to the Minnesota Lynx.
But the Storm have a much stronger track record of success this season, boasting a 15-9 record and +6.6 net rating with all four of Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd, and Ezi Magbegor in the lineup. They've already beaten the Mystics twice this season -- by nine on the road (with Ogwumike inactive) and by 32 at home.
So, with their core four active tonight, Seattle's in a nice spot to cover as 6.5-point road favorites.
The Mystics didn't have Shakira Austin or Brittney Sykes in their first two matchups with the Storm, but both have been active in their two games since the All-Star break. However, Washington is still 0-4 with those two and leading scorer Ariel Atkins in the lineup, getting outscored by 14.2 points per 100 possessions in high-leverage situations.
In those four games, opponents averaged 111.5 points per 100 with a 53.8% effective field goal percentage -- both of which would be the second-worst marks in the league. Considering Seattle dropped 101 points on Washington in their most recent matchup, the Storm shouldn't have much difficulty scoring despite a pair of ugly offensive performances in the last week.
Even if the Storm continue to struggle on offense, they can still cover this number thanks to their fourth-ranked defense. Washington has the third-worst offensive rating in the WNBA, and they haven't seen much improvement on that end even with Austin and Sykes active. They've predictably struggled against the top defensive teams in the league. In 14 games against teams in the top half of the league in defensive rating, the Mystics are 1-13 with a -10.4 average point differential.
The Mystics just don't have enough juice on either end of the floor to hang with the Storm. Look for Seattle to handle Washington with ease as they look to salvage their road trip with a win.
Place Your Bet Today!
Looking for more WNBA betting opportunities? Check out the WNBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.
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