Players to pick up and drop this week
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Liz Loza, ESPN
The only constant in sports (and life) is change. While consistency is key to a winning strategy, the ebb and flow of production often can’t be avoided. Tracking the endless ups and downs over 40 games and nearly four months can become a heady operation. Segmenting the journey, however, into weekly updates allows managers to live (and play) in the now. The finish line is close now!
The WNBA returned from the Olympic break last week and managers rolled into the first week of the fantasy playoffs. We have one more week before the championship rounds. Here’s to helping your team advance with this season’s final edition of Risers and Fallers.
Risers
Jordin Canada, G, Atlanta Dream (78% rostered, +10.6)
It’s been a season of injuries for Canada, whose Dream debut was delayed because of a hand injury and then missed six subsequent games with a broken finger. The latter malady kept the 29-year-old off the court for six efforts leading up to the Olympic break, suppressing her fantasy stock and keeping her off the fantasy radar.
However, since resuming action Canada has been reinstalled as a starter, averaging over 30 minutes per contest. While she hasn’t been particularly efficient from the paint (37.1 FG%), she has posted double-digit points in three of her past four outings. She has also registered at least six dimes since returning while additionally logging at least four boards in three of her past four starts. Managing a solid 27 fantasy points per game, Canada has emerged as a top 30 producer with plenty of floor and fresh energy to push managers through the playoffs.
Leonie Fiebich, F, New York Liberty (12.8% rostered, +4.6)
Fiebich followed up her career-high 16-point effort on Aug. 22 with an impressive 26 fantasy points over 33 minutes on Aug. 24. Fiebich has continued to produce (while retaining starter status), despite Sabrina Ionescu (neck) returning to the lineup. Her versatility — which was recently praised by head coach Sandy Brondello — has proven useful, allowing her to collect minutes on one of the most potent two-way teams in the league. Despite a down outing on Monday, Fiebich remains a fantastic utility play or stash for managers seeking depth throughout the fantasy playoffs.
Lindsay Allen, G, Chicago Sky (5.9% rostered, +0.9)
Neither Allen’s play nor her production have been as flashy as some of her teammates but she has continued to put up points since joining the starting lineup in mid-June. Shining as a facilitator, Allen has averaged five assists per contest while also logging 2.2 rebounds per effort.
The Notre Dame product appears to have found her stride since resuming action in August, managing three double-digit point efforts in three of her past four outings. With her minutes on the rise (she registered a season-high 34 on Aug. 25) and coming off of a career-best 2023, Allen continues to improve, making her a formidable under-the-radar pick for the playoffs and beyond.
Fallers
NaLyssa Smith, F, Indiana Fever (94.8%, -3.3)
It’s been a tough go for Smith in her third season with the Fever. She has struggled mightily over her past three contests with career-lows in nearly every statistical category and averaged just four points per game since Aug. 18. While she has made an impact as a rebounder at times, her defensive output has been less than consistent. This slump comes at an inopportune time for fantasy investors. With concerns about her fit on Indy’s young and emerging squad, Smith is best kept on virtual benches, especially given the stakes.
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