Peter's Points: WNBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Liberty-Wings, Mystics-Lynx, Courtney Williams)

Sports Illustrated's Peter Dewey breaks down his favorite bets for the WNBA action on Friday, Aug. 8.

Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams is a great prop target on Friday night. / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Several battles for playoff positioning in the WNBA will take place on Friday night, as the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, Washington Mystics, Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm are all in action.

Washington and Dallas are the only two teams in action tonight that aren’t in the top eight in the standings, but Washington is just one game back of the No. 8-seeded Golden State Valkyries. 

Two superstar players won’t be in action on Friday, as Breanna Stewart (knee) and Napheesa Collier (ankle) have both been ruled out for their respective matchups. In addition to that, Rookie of the Year favorite Paige Bueckers is listed as questionable for Dallas’ matchup with New York. 

Despite those injuries, I still believe there are some spots to take advantage in the betting market.

So far this week, we’ve hit some player props and a team total, and I’m looking to keep that momentum rolling for this three-game slate on Aug. 8. 

WNBA Best Bets Record to Date

• 2025 season record: 45-52 (-4.04 units)
• OVERALL (since 2024 season): 129-127 (+0.42 units)

Find Peter Dewey's WNBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

WNBA Best Bets Today

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

• New York Liberty -3.5 + Minnesota Lynx -5 Teaser (-130)
• Courtney Williams OVER 14.5 Points (-115)

New York Liberty -3.5 + Minnesota Lynx -5 Teaser (-130)

I don’t do this often, but I’m taking a two-team teaser on Friday night, as betting both of these teams to win outright in a parlay comes to just -208 odds.

New York is coming off a win against Dallas at home while the Lynx were able to survive the Seattle Storm even with Collier out of the lineup.

Here’s why I went with a teaser for these matchups. 

New York Liberty

The Liberty are playing a second straight game against Dallas, although there’s a chance that Bueckers (back) doesn’t suit up in this matchup.

The Wings have torn their team down to the studs during the 2025 season, trading away DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith (two major offseason additions) while also releasing Teaira McCowan.

It’s clear that the youth movement is on in Dallas, but it’s led to some inconsistent play all season long. The Wings are 11th in the W in net rating (-5.3), and they’re just 14-16 against the spread despite spending most of their games as underdogs.

In addition to that, Dallas is just 5-10 straight up at home, so I’m far from sold on it beating New York in this matchup. Yes, Dallas did knock off the Liberty out of the All-Star break, but I’m buying New York as just a 3.5-point favorite with this five-point teaser.

The Liberty have stayed afloat with Breanna Stewart out of the lineup, and they beat Dallas by nine points in their meeting earlier this week despite Sabrina Ionescu finishing with just nine points on 2-of-9 shooting.

I expect her to bounce back against a Dallas team that is 10th in the WNBA in defensive rating. Despite losing Stewart and Jonquel Jones for stretches this season, New York is still second in the league in net rating at +7.4.

It should be able to win this game by more than one possession on Friday. 

Minnesota Lynx

Losing Collier makes it a lot tougher to lay double digit points with the Lynx, but they did beat the Storm (as underdogs) earlier this week.

This season, Minnesota has been downright dominant at home, going 15-1 straight up in regular-season play.

At Target Center, the Lynx have a net rating of +18.7 (by far the best in the WNBA), and they lead the league in offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating overall this season.

Lowering this line to just Lynx -5 makes it a lot more palatable, especially since the Mystics are going the other way as of late.

Washington has traded Brittney Sykes and Aaliyah Edwards over the last few days, and it has dropped three games in a row to fall out of the top eight in the standings. Losing Sykes is a massive blow for the Washington offense, and it has scored less than 70 points in two of its last three games.

I don’t think Washington has the firepower to keep up with this Lynx team – even with Collier out on Friday night. 

Courtney Williams OVER 14.5 Points (-115)

Minnesota guard Courtney Williams was named an All-Star this season, and the mid-range specialist could be in line for a big game against Washington on Friday night.

With Collier out of the lineup against Seattle, Williams attempted 20 shots, making eight of them, and put up 20 points in just over 32 minutes.

The star guard has scored 15 or more points in 14 of her 30 games this season, clearing this line in two of the four games that Collier has missed.

I expect Williams’ usage to go up on Friday, as she’s attempted 18, 13, 11 and 20 shots in the four games that Collier has been sidelined in 2025.

---

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Claim the latest DraftKings promo code offer today. Sign up and place a $5 bet to earn a guaranteed $150 in bonus bets. Regardless of the outcome of your wager, DraftKings will add six $25 bonus bet tokens to your new account instantly.