Veronica

Burton

Leite will miss a second straight game with a back injury. Her absence led to starters Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes playing more minutes, with Kaitlyn Chen cracking the rotation off the bench. Burton and Hayes should already be rostered in most leagues, while fantasy managers can afford to leave Chen on the waiver wire.

Despite Golden State’s two-game winning streak coming to an end on Wednesday, Burton recorded another solid performance as the team’s lead ball-handler. Her biggest impact came as a facilitator, where she registered double-digit assists for the second time this season. Poor shooting limited her to a single-digit scoring performance and prevented a second double-double of the season. And although shooting inefficiency has held her back as a scorer all season long, Burton is quietly performing as a top-10 passer in the league in what’s been her breakout season as a professional.

With Veronica Burton and Julie Vanloo struggling to score the basketball for the Valkyries, head coach Natalie Nakase put the ball in Carla Leite’s hands. She scored 10 of her 15 points in the second half including an incredibly clutch drive and layup right at the basket to tie the game in the fourth quarter with 25 seconds left. There’s something about the Sparks for Leite. In her last two games against Los Angeles, Leite has 34 of her 53 career points to date.

While Burton struggled from the field on Thursday, a productive night at the foul line boosted her final point tally. The Valkyries’ guard has been a pleasant surprise thus far, one reason why the expansion team has been more competitive than some expected. Fantasy managers have also reaped the rewards, with Burton averaging 26.6 fantasy points per game in ESPN leagues. She’s rostered in just under 65 percent of ESPN leagues, and that number may continue to increase due to her role with the Valkyries.

Limited to two points on 1-of-7 shooting in Thursday’s loss to the Liberty, Burton bounced back nicely on Sunday. The 21 points were one shy of her season-high, and the point guard also provided value in the rebound, assist and steals categories. Burton may not have been on many fantasy managers’ radars at draft time, but she has emerged as a player who should be rostered in standard leagues. A top-50 player over the last seven days, she’s rostered in just over 55 percent of ESPN leagues.

While the Valkyries are among the early leaders in pace and three-point attempts, they’re among the WNBA’s worst teams in the field goal percentage category. Playing against the reigning champs, Burton and company shot 33.9 percent from the field and committed 20 turnovers. Outside of her 3-of-11 night from the field, Burton recorded a solid stat line, providing value in rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers. Even after Tiffany Hayes is cleared to return from her nose injury, Burton will have value in deeper fantasy leagues.

The Valkyries remain without Tiffany Hayes, who is recovering from a nasal injury suffered last week. However, instead of Julie Vanloo starting, it will be Talbot who does the honors on Tuesday. The promotion raises her fantasy ceiling, while Veronica Burton is the player fantasy managers should seek first. She was outstanding in Golden State’s win over the Sparks, recording five steals in 33 minutes of action.

Plum began the game shooting efficiently off of looks she got cutting to the basket or picking the pockets of opponents and scoring at the other end. But in the final three quarters, the Valkyries perimeter defense, primarily Veronica Burton did an exceptional job of keeping in front of Plum and contesting her shots. When Plum drove through the lane, her penetration was met with rim protection from Kayla Thornton, Temi Fágbénlé and Janelle Salaün.

Could Burton be a legitimate candidate for most improved? She certainly proved it on Wednesday night. In the first few seasons of her WNBA career, she had difficulty putting pressure on the rim and shooting from deep at a consistent clip. While it has only been two games, those are two skills she’s flashed early for the Valkyries. Like Kayla Thornton, the fourth-year player hit clutch threes, including a 38-footer at the halftime buzzer to give Golden State a one-point lead going into halftime and another trey with 29 seconds left to give her team a seven-point lead. Burton was also on triple-double watch as she not only dished out the most assists on her team but also got on the offensive glass and pulled down the most total rebounds out of all her teammates.