WNBA: Aziaha James is among the many hottest fantasy basketball pickups

Staying on high of accidents is a serious key to profitable any fantasy basketball league. Not solely is it essential to maintain monitor of who isn’t taking part in (and for a way lengthy), but when you recognize which gamers are in line for extra minutes or bigger roles because of these accidents, you can also make extra knowledgeable waiver wire pickups or trades.

The Dallas Wings are a superb instance of how accidents to a number of rotation gamers have opened up main alternatives for others. Issues haven’t gone in response to plan for the Wings up to now, however they’ve been getting large contributions from some youthful gamers who could not have seen a lot taking part in time in any other case. These gamers—Aziaha James and Luisa Geiselsöder—spotlight this week’s installment of our WNBA Fantasy Seize Bag.

Aziaha James and Luisa Geiselsöder have develop into must-add gamers

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As a rule of thumb, any time a staff is down a number of starters, it’s value which gamers stand to learn from these absences. The Wings have been with out DiJonai Carrington since June 22 resulting from a rib damage, and Arike Ogunbowale is now additionally on the shelf with an injured thumb. Consider Tyasha Harris, who underwent season-ending knee surgical procedure earlier in June, and also you get a Wings backcourt that has nearly no remaining choices to play subsequent to Paige Bueckers, save for fellow rookie Aziaha James.

Fortunately for the Wings, James has risen to the problem. She’s began in Carrington’s place and, in these 5 video games, has been extremely productive, averaging 15.8 factors, 4.4 rebounds and a pair of.2 assists per recreation in 31.5 minutes performed (27.8 fantasy factors). In her most up-to-date recreation, with Ogunbowale becoming a member of Carrington on the bench, James dropped a career-high 28 factors to go together with six rebounds and 6 assists in a whopping 38 minutes of taking part in time.

James isn’t the one Wings rookie who has been thriving these days. Luisa Geiselsöder, who just lately returned from a stint taking part in for Germany in FIBA Ladies’s EuroBasket, began at energy ahead within the staff’s most up-to-date recreation and recorded 4 factors, 4 rebounds and 4 defensive stats in 33 minutes. Geiselsöder shot poorly from the sector (1-for-9), however for a Dallas frontcourt that doesn’t have a lot in the best way of defensive playmaking, she’s more likely to have a constant position for the rest of the season.

As for James, issues aren’t as instantly clear. When Carrington and/or Ogunbowale are cleared to return, she received’t be capturing the ball as typically as she is correct now. It’s attainable, although, that the Wings, who drafted James at No. 12 total within the 2025 WNBA Draft, will need to hold her within the beginning lineup as they consider their younger expertise in what’s shaping as much as be a misplaced season for the franchise. James is undoubtedly a must-add fantasy participant proper now, and it’s not inconceivable that she’ll retain some worth even when the Wings get wholesome.

Aari McDonald is stepping up in Caitlin Clark’s absence—once more

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McDonald gained cult hero standing amongst Fever followers earlier within the season when she signed with the staff on a hardship contract and crammed in admirably for an injured Caitlin Clark over a three-game stretch. As a result of nature of such contracts, McDonald needed to be launched when the Fever received wholesome, however with Clark as soon as once more on the sidelines (this time with an injured groin), McDonald is again in Indiana, and he or she’s as soon as once more giving the staff a much-needed enhance.

Since returning to the Fever, McDonald is averaging 9.8 factors, three rebounds and 5.5 assists in 4 video games. Most significantly, she’s taking part in 28.5 minutes per contest, and it’s largely been alongside Indiana’s different starters. Sydney Colson could have been the Fever’s backup level guard of selection heading into the season, nevertheless it’s clear that the staff now prefers McDonald to play the lion’s share of the minutes subsequent to Kelsey Mitchell; she’ll lose most of her fantasy worth when Clark returns, however identical to in her first stint with the Fever, McDonald needs to be rostered till that occurs.

Is NaLyssa Smith value an add now that she’s in Las Vegas?

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Smith was dealt to the Aces final week in trade for a 2027 first-round draft choose, having performed simply 18 video games for the Wings previous to being traded. On the time of the deal, she was averaging career-lows in minutes (19.3), rebounds (5.1) and factors per recreation (6.6), and he or she didn’t appear to have the sort of constant offensive position in Dallas as she did her first few seasons with the Fever.

Evidently, Smith was not dwelling as much as her ADP of 39.7, however there’s motive to consider that she might now be a worthwhile waiver-wire pickup. The Aces have been scrambling to seek out assist in their frontcourt for A’ja Wilson; Kiah Stokes is kind of ignored by opposing defenses, and neither Megan Gustafson nor Cheyenne Parker-Tyus have performed this season. The truth that they gave up a first-round draft choose for a participant whose commerce worth had already cratered means that they had been enthusiastic (or, as our Mykah Horrell places it, determined) so as to add one other large with some offensive talent.

In fact, with Wilson and different big-name gamers like Jackie Younger and Chelsea Grey on the roster, Smith received’t be a focus of the Aces’ offense, both. Till Gustafson (decrease leg) and Parker-Tyus (being pregnant) are able to swimsuit up, although, the Aces merely don’t have many different choices on the place. Even when Smith is just marginally productive for the Aces (she recorded 4 factors and 7 rebounds in her first recreation with the staff), she’s value rostering in deeper leagues till they get their act collectively.