June 1, 2006 - We are now into the third week of the Triple Threat Fantasy Challenge and the Los Angeles Sparks' Lisa Leslie is head and shoulders above the competition as the Top Triple Threat performer. The WNBA legend is leading the league in scoring (23.8 ppg) and rebounding (13.3 rpg), and dominates the Triple Threat standings with a total PRA average of 39.0. Leslie's nearest competitor in the rankings is Seattle's Lauren Jackson (31.0). Rounding out the top five are reigning league MVP Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets(28.6), Detroit's Cheryl Ford(27.6), and Tamika Catchings of Indiana (26.7).

Last week’s expert picks:
I'm currently ranked 216th overall, ranking in the 94th percentile. But I have yet to use Lauren Jackson and Lisa Leslie this week, so I'm expecting my ranking to go up as we head into the weekend. Jackson gave me my best daily point total so far, with her awesome 35 point, nine rebound, two assist performance against Phoenix on Thursday night. You followed my advice and picked her, right? My selection for Saturday, Nykesha Sales, struggled with her shooting against a tough Detroit defense but still managed 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.

WNBA.com Daily Expert Pick

Thursday, June 1st Nykesha Sales Connecticut at Charlotte

Friday, June 2nd Lauren Jackson Seattle at Phoenix

Saturday, June 3rd Lisa Leslie Los Angeles at New York

Sunday, June 4th Seimone Augustus Minnesota at Houston

Tuesday, June 6th Yolanda Griffith Sacramento at Phoenix

Wednesday, June 7th Nykesha Sales Connecticut at New York

Looking at the Matchups
With the WNBA season in full swing and the top Triple Threat performers so far established, let's take a look at how you can check out the daily matchups to your advantage. You know that you will be playing the likes of Lisa Leslie, Lauren Jackson, and Tamika Catchings, but which game should you choose for them? Knowing which teams are adept at limiting their opponents production and vice versa can be very useful when you need to make a decision on whom to play. You should definitely look to use a player whose opponent is giving up a lot of points, allows opponents to shoot for a high percentage, and struggles on the boards. You should also check out which teams are turning the ball over often, which can lead to easy baskets that can add to your player's points and assists total. So let's check out some teams that you should definitely try to have a player entered against, and some teams that are limiting their opponent's production that you should try to avoid.

Indiana Fever: The Indiana Fever are the WNBA's best defensive team, allowing a stingy 60.75 ppg by their opponents, eight points lower than the next ranked team (prior to Wednesday night's game). Foes of the Fever are also connecting on their shots at a mediocre .363 clip overall and .241 on three-pointers, both of which are ranked second-lowest in the league. I highly recommend that you avoid any player who is taking on the Fever, as their usual numbers are likely to suffer.

Houston Comets: With their opponents averaging 68.0 ppg, the Comets are second behind the Fever in points allowed on a per-game basis. An interesting stat to know in case you were thinking of using a point guard against them, Houston leads the league in limiting assists by opponents, allowing only 9.67 per game.

Detroit Shock: The Shock are currently the toughest team to shoot against in the WNBA, with opponents connecting on a measly .335 of their shots. Since Detroit is only an average shooting team (.402) on their offensive end, this means Shock games should feature lots of rebounding opportunities, if Cheryl Ford doesn't grab all of them. Which reminds me, Ford is currently ranked fourth in the Triple Threat rankings, as she is averaging a double-double with 15.0 ppg and 11.0 rpg. I'll be looking for some games in the weeks ahead to place her in my lineup, especially if she keeps up her prodigious scoring pace, which is a big leap from her career average of 10.4 ppg.

Phoenix Mercury: Unfortunately, right now the Mercury are struggling mightily in terms of stopping opponents in the three Triple-Threat categories. They are giving up a league-leading 99.5 ppg, allowing opponents to shoot a league-high .517 percentage, and are being outrebounded by a margin of nearly twenty, allowing opponents to pull down 45.0 rpg, another league high. In the third category of assists, the Mercury's opponents are dishing out 20.5 apg, which is the second-highest in the WNBA. Until Phoenix can start to put the clamps down, definitely look to use one of your top Triple Threat options if they are playing the Mercury. This week I am anticipating that Lauren Jackson can come close to matching her performance last week against Phoenix (a career-high 35 points) when the the Storm and Mercury meet for the second time this season on Friday night.

New York Liberty: The Liberty are not off to a banner start in their tenth WNBA season. One of the WNBA's original franchises is currently giving up 92.33 ppg on .491 shooting, both of which are second worst in the league. The Liberty defense is especially struggling on the perimeter, as opponents are connecting on a league-high .511 of their three-point attempts. The Liberty are also giving up the most assists per game in the WNBA with 22.33 per contest. Lisa Leslie comes to Madison Square Garden on Saturday and if you haven't played her yet this week it's a given that she should be your choice for Saturday's slate of games. The Liberty-Sparks game will be on ABC at 4 p.m. (ET) so tune in to see what kind of numbers Leslie puts up.

Last weeks picks:
5/25: Lauren Jackson, Seattle (35 pts., 9 reb., 2 ast.)
5/26: Tamika Catchings , Indiana (11 pts., 9 reb., 6 ast)
5/27: Nykesha Sales, Indiana (17 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast)
5/30: Tamika Catchings, Indiana (7 pts., 6 reb., 0 ast.)
5/31:Diana Taurasi, Phoenix (28 pts, 6 reb., 2 ast.)