Each night 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.
Friday presents us with a two-game slate featuring very different matchups. The Chicago Sky visit the Washington Mystics as just slight road favorites, while the Los Angeles Sparks travel to face the Minnesota Lynx as massive underdogs.
Even as huge spreads can prove daunting for selecting a side, there are several player prop and fantasy angles to consider in this matchup between the Sparks and Lynx. One such player prop 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's fantasy stream team
Bridget Carleton, F, Minnesota Lynx (available in 77.4% of ESPN leagues)
With at least 13 points scored in three of her past four outings, Carleton has emerged as a viable streaming option ahead of the matchup with a Sparks team that sits eighth in defensive rating.
Aari McDonald, G, Los Angeles Sparks (92.0%)
Emerging as the team's scoring microwave off the bench, McDonald has 31 points across the past two games and will be tasked with offensive duties facing a strong opponent.
Picks, projections and injury reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. All odds are provided by ESPN BET.
Chicago Sky at Washington Mystics7:30 p.m. ET, Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Line: Sky -2.5
Money line: Sky (-135), Mystics (+110)
Total: 158.5 points
BPI prediction:
Mystics: 57.9% chance to win.
Projected margin of victory: 2.2 points
Injury report
Sky: Diamond DeShields (Day-To-Day), Elizabeth Williams (Out)
Mystics: Shakira Austin (Out), Brittney Sykes (Out)
Best bet: Angel Reese over 12.5 points (-130)
Reese set a precedent with a big double-double against the Mystics last week. With rare rebounding volume on her side, put-back buckets and second-chance looks should afford Reese a real shot at the over in scoring terms.
Los Angeles Sparks at Minnesota Lynx7:30 p.m. ET, Target Center, Minneapolis
Line: Lynx -13.5
Money line: Sparks (+650), Lynx (-1000)
Total: 159.5 points
BPI prediction:
Lynx: 79.1% chance to win.
Projected margin of victory: 9.2 points
Injury report
Sparks: Azura Stevens (Out)
Lynx: Dorka Juhasz (Day-To-Day), Diamond Miller (Out)
Best Bets:
Alanna Smith over 4.5 rebounds (+110)
Having finished right around this number for much of the past two weeks, it's fitting to find Smith with this rebounding prop ahead of the matchup with the Sparks. Given the young frontcourt opponent, there is potential for Smith to clear this number ahead of a blowout result.
Cameron Brink over 5.5 rebounds (-140)
Another marquee rookie makes the cut as she has surpassed this rebounding total three times in the past 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 only to A'ja Wilson in rebounding on the season, Hamby has hit this mark in three quarters of games and has missed double digit results just twice on the year. With a choice matchup to exploit, Hamby is poised to dominate the glass