Draftkings WNBA DFS Picks: Mercury vs. Liberty 9/17/25

The WNBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a first-round playoff matchup featuring the New York Liberty and the Phoenix Mercury. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.

Before we dive into the New York Liberty vs. Phoenix Mercury game let’s review the rules for the Draftkings single game showdown contest.

Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules

You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.

The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.

If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.

*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.

Here are my Draftkings picks for tonight’s Mercury vs. Liberty matchup.

Draftkings WNBA DFS Picks

Captain-Alyssa Thomas, Forward, Phoenix Mercury $12,200

Talented forward Alyssa Thomas has been the driving force behind the Phoenix Mercury’s success on the basketball court this season. With that said, how has Thomas forward performed from a statistical perspective? Let’s review the veteran forward’s relevant player data from the 2025 WNBA regular season to answer that question.

In the 39 games that forward Alyssa Thomas played for the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 WNBA regular season, Thomas averaged a rather impressive 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks a game.

Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the 39 games that Alyssa Thomas played for the Mercury in 2025, Thomas compiled a 53.2% field goal percentage and a 69.2% free throw percentage.

These two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Alyssa Thomas perform in the most recent matchup? Who won? In the New York Liberty’s 76-69 victory over the Phoenix Mercury three days ago, Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas certainly played at a high level. Let me be more specific. In the Liberty’s win over the Mercury, Thomas tallied 14 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and one steal.

Examining the data just presented more closely, in the New York Liberty’s defeat of the Mercury, Thomas accumulated 37.75 Draftkings points.

As I noted in the rules section above, selecting the correct player at the captain position for a Draftkings WNBA showdown lineup is absolutely vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) DFS contest. Keep that in mind as you construct your lineups.

In my view, Alyssa Thomas is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this WNBA first round playoff game. For that specific reason, I am backing Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas at the captain position for this one game Draftkings WNBA single game contest.

Flex Plays

Sabrina Ionescu, Guard, New York Liberty $10,200

Guard Sabrina Ionescu has been a key contributor for the New York Liberty in 2025. In the 38 games that Sabrina Ionescu played for the New York Liberty in the 2025 WNBA regular season, Ionescu averaged a robust 18.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.4 blocks a game.

Additional flex plays I like to play well in this WNBA playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Breanna Stewart, Forward (New York Liberty) $10,600: DeWanna Bonner, Forward (Phoenix Mercury) $6,000.