WNBA DFS Picks Today: Top DraftKings Targets for Friday (6/26/26)
WNBA DFS just delivered an all-time Thursday, headlined by Marina Mabrey’s record-tying 53-point eruption, so Friday’s board has a tough act to follow. We still get a three-game main slate on DraftKings to work with, and the best WNBA DFS picks start with Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese ($11K), the top overall projection and the safest anchor on a slate that is light on true superstars.
The star power is not as enticing as it was on Thursday, but a smaller board still gives you plenty to work with. The smart play here is to lock in one stud to build around, keep the rest of your lineup balanced, and make a tweak or two to avoid spinning up duplicate builds. Here is how I am sorting the top plays, the value, and the one game I most want to stack for Friday night.
Slate Breakdown
This is a balanced three-game slate without a clear superstar at the top, which changes how you build. There is no $12K must-play forcing thin rosters, so you can anchor on the safest stud and spread your salary more evenly than usual. Angel Reese carries the top overall fantasy projection on the board (around 35 points), and as a walking double-double she profiles as the steadiest play of the night.
The Portland Fire at Chicago Sky game is the spot I most want to stack, with the slate’s highest total at 168. The other two games, Atlanta at Golden State and Washington at Connecticut, carry lower totals, so they are better mined for individual studs and value than for a full game stack. Closer, higher-scoring games also keep your players on the floor into the fourth quarter, and our point spread guide explains why those numbers matter for DFS. One timing note: the main slate locks at 7:30 PM ET, so set your build and check the injury report before the first tip.
Top WNBA DFS Plays for 6/26
Angel Reese is the top spend, Rhyne Howard is the priced-up pivot, Kamilla Cardoso is the contrarian tournament play, and Diamond Miller is the top value. That group lets you anchor on Reese and then decide how much salary to push toward the top of your lineup.
Reese is the closest thing this slate has to a safe building block. She enters Friday with the top overall fantasy projection on the board (around 35 points), and she has a long track record as a walking double-double. She has not flashed a huge ceiling lately, but she should see around 30 minutes, and that mix of floor and volume makes her the steadiest play of the night. The projection is an estimate, but the role is not in question.
If you would rather chase a higher ceiling, Rhyne Howard is the pivot at $10.6K. She is a notch cheaper than Reese and a more reliable scorer, even if her floor is a little less stable on a night-to-night basis. Pairing the two of them together is also perfectly viable if the rest of your build cooperates, since neither price tag forces you into a thin roster.
Kamilla Cardoso grades out nicely for this slate, but she is not projecting quite as well as Reese or Howard right now, which could push her ownership down and turn her into a sneaky contrarian play. If she goes overlooked and her double-double upside shows up, she would be an absolute smash in tournaments. That is the classic GPP profile: a little risk on the projection in exchange for leverage on the field.
There is not a ton of appealing value on this board, but Diamond Miller stands out the most. The Connecticut Sun forward grades out as the best overall value on the slate at roughly 3.4 fantasy points per $1,000 of salary, and she is projected for about 24 minutes and an 18-point fantasy output. That is not going to blow anyone away, but the role is stable and she gives you real salary relief without taking on much risk. Keep an eye on the injury report, too, because more value could open up: Karlie Samuelson and Courtney Vandersloot are the names carrying questionable tags into Friday.
Best Game Stacks to Target
The Portland Fire at Chicago Sky game is the one I would go out of my way to stack, mostly for the pure upside that comes with the slate’s highest total. I would not get stack-crazy on a balanced board like this, though, so think of it as one tool rather than the whole plan, with the Atlanta-Golden State game as the natural pivot if Chicago gets too popular.
Portland at Chicago is the premier stacking spot, and it is not especially close. It carries the slate’s highest total at 168, and it is home to two of the best plays on the board in Reese and Cardoso, so a Sky-leaning mini-stack gives you exposure to both the safety and the tournament upside in one game. If it ends up over-owned, that is your cue to pivot. These game totals come straight from the betting markets, and our over/under betting guide breaks down how those numbers are set.
If the Chicago game gets too chalky, the Atlanta Dream at Golden State Valkyries game is the natural pivot. It is where Rhyne Howard lives, so you can grab one of the top studs and build a smaller stack around her side instead. The total is lower than the Fire-Sky game, so treat this as a way to get different rather than a raw-upside play.
The third game, Washington at Connecticut, is the quietest of the bunch, but it is where your best value play lives in Diamond Miller, so you do not need to stack it to use it. On a balanced slate like this, spreading your exposure across games and leaning on a single Chicago mini-stack is cleaner than trying to force a rigid two-game stacking plan.
Building Your Friday DFS Lineups
The best WNBA DFS approach for Friday is to build around Angel Reese and then stay as balanced as possible. She is the safest play on the slate, so most of my builds start by fitting her in, but you do not have to go stack-crazy to get there. If you would rather not stack the Chicago game at all, you can simply grab the top projected play and move along to the other matchups.
In that same breath, I do not think we need to force a heavy stack here. Every game on this board projects to be competitive enough to provide a usable DFS environment, so a more spread-out, balanced approach feels like the best route. Pick your one stud, build around the Fire-Sky game if you want upside, and let the rest of the roster stay flexible.
I would also avoid unnecessary risks tonight. Reese is the only player priced at $11K, and with an overall lack of ceiling on the board, you can make a case to fade just about anyone, so there is no locked-in stud that demands a thin, top-heavy roster. Keep an eye on the WNBA injury report for any value that opens up late, anchor on Reese, and stay balanced.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A few quick questions about Friday’s WNBA DFS slate, the lock time, and how to read these plays.
Who is the best WNBA DFS play on Friday’s DraftKings slate?
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese ($11K) is the top play. She carries the slate’s best overall fantasy projection (around 35 points), profiles as a walking double-double, and should see about 30 minutes, which makes her the safest anchor on a board without a clear superstar. Projections are estimates, so confirm she is active before lock.
What does GPP mean in DFS?
GPP stands for Guaranteed Prize Pool, the large-field tournaments where a small share of lineups win most of the prize money. GPP plays lean on higher-variance, lower-owned picks (like a contrarian Kamilla Cardoso) that help you separate from the field, as opposed to safer cash-game plays.
What time does the DraftKings WNBA slate lock on Friday?
The main slate locks at 7:30 PM ET, when the early games tip off. Set your lineups and check for late injury news before then, since on a three-game board a single scratch can reshape the value tier in a hurry.
Who is the best value on Friday’s WNBA DFS slate?
Connecticut Sun forward Diamond Miller ($5.6K) is the top value. She grades out as the slate’s best points-per-dollar play, projecting for around 24 minutes and an 18-point fantasy output in a stable role. At that price she gives you real salary relief to afford the studs above her, though her value is an estimate, so check that her minutes hold before lock.
