WNBA Bets and Fantasy Picks: Sky-Mystics, Sparks-Lynx

Every night of the WNBA season, our team of fantasy and betting experts analyze every game on the schedule, noting everything from injuries to roster changes to recent trends and much more.

Friday presents us with a list of two matches presenting very different clashes. The Chicago Sky visit the Washington Mystics as slight road favorites, while the Los Angeles Sparks travel to face the Minnesota Lynx as massive underdogs.

While huge spreads can be intimidating when picking a team, there are several prop and player fantasy angles to consider in this matchup between the Sparks and Lynx. One of these player props focuses on a rising rookie cleaning the glass, as we discuss below.

Let’s take a closer look at the players and matchups for tonight’s games and find some angles of interest.

Friday Fantasy Stream Team

Bridget Carleton, F, Minnesota Lynx (available in 77.4% of ESPN leagues)

With at least 13 points scored in three of its last four outings, Carleton has established itself as a viable streaming option heading into the game against a Sparks team that ranks eighth in defensive rating.

Aari McDonald, G, Los Angeles Sparks (92.0%)

Having become the team’s microwave scorer off the bench, McDonald has 31 points over the last two games and will be tasked with offensive duties against a powerful opponent.

Picks, projections and injury reports

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. All odds are provided by ESPN BET.

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Chicago Sky at Washington Mystics
7:30 p.m. ET, Capital One Arena, Washington, DC

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Double: Sky -2.5
Money line: Sky (-135), Mystics (+110)
Total: 158.5 points

BPI prediction:
Mystics: 57.9% chance of winning.
Projected margin of victory: 2.2 points

Injury report
Sky: Diamond DeShields (Daily), Elizabeth Williams (Out)
Mystics: Shakira Austin (out), Brittney Sykes (out)

Best bet: Angel Reese on 12.5 points (-130)

Reese set a precedent with a big double-double against the Mystics last week. With rare rebounding volume on his side, putback buckets and second-chance looks should allow Reese to have a real chance to take over in terms of scoring.

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Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx
7:30 p.m. ET, Target Center, Minneapolis

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Double: Lynx -13.5
Money line: Sparks (+650), Lynx (-1000)
Total: 159.5 points

BPI prediction:
Lynx: 79.1% chance of winning.
Projected margin of victory: 9.2 points

Injury report
Sparks : Azura Stevens (out)
Lynx: Dorka Juhasz (Everyday), Diamond Miller (Out)

Best bets:

Alanna Smith on 4.5 rebounds (+110)

Having finished around that number for much of the last two weeks, it’s fitting to find Smith again with this bouncy prop ahead of the game against the Sparks. Given the young opponent in the frontcourt, Smith has the potential to erase this number before a blowout result.

Cameron Brink on 5.5 rebounds (-140)

Another big-name rookie qualifies as she has topped that rebound total three times in the last five games and should be busy on the glass against a Lynx team that is just ninth in the league in rebounding percentage.

Dearica Hamby over 10.5 rebounds (-125)

Second to A’ja Wilson in rebounding this season, Hamby has reached that mark in three quarters of games and has only missed double-digits twice this year. With a prime matchup to exploit, Hamby is ready to dominate the glass