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.
Here's what to look for during Thursday's slate:
Atlanta Dream at New York Liberty7:00 p.m. ET, Barclays Center, Brooklyn
Line: Liberty (-5.5)
Money line: Dream (+185), Liberty (-225)
Total: 160 points
BPI Win%: Liberty (57.5%)
Ruled out: Nia Coffey (knee), Rebecca Allen (concussion)
Fantasy need to know: Erica Wheeler (foot), Kristy Wallace (concussion) and Kia Vaughn (COVID-19) all returned from injury/illness absences on Tuesday, but played limited minutes with limited production. They'll have had a couple extra days to get re-acclimated, but may still not be back to usual levels by tonight. Their returns sent Aari McDonald (available in 48.8% of leagues) back to the bench, and her minutes, scoring and assist volume cut roughly in half (9 points, 2 assists in 19 minutes) on Tuesday, though she did notch four steals and three 3-pointers. AD Durr (available in 92.8% of leagues) kept roughly the same responsibility off the bench as before the returns, playing 28 minutes and notching 13 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 3-pointer on Tuesday.
Rebecca Allen has missed the last four games with a concussion, joining fellow starters Betnijah Laney and Jocelyn Willoughby on the sidelines for extended periods. Marine Johannes (available in 83.9% of leagues) moved into the starting lineup in place of Allen, and has averaged 17.0 PPG, 4.0 APG, 4.3 3PG, 2.3 RPG and 0.7 SPG in 33.3 MPG in her last three starts.
Best bet: Liberty -5.5. These two teams have been moving in the opposite direction. The Liberty have won two straight and seven of their last 10 games overall, with a +6.0 PPG margin during that span. The Dream have lost three straight and seven of their last eight overall, with a -8.6 PPG margin during that span. The injuries clearly played a part in the Dream's downturn, and as their players become healthier and return to normal production they may be able to come out of it, but the Liberty are in the groove right now and should have the advantage at home tonight. -- André Snellings