The 2019 WNBA season opens Friday when league the Atlanta Dream host the rebuilding Dallas Wings. It's a 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff from State Farm Arena. The Dream went 23-11 last season, posting the Eastern Conference's best record, and hopes are high for 2019 even with Angel McCoughtry still recovering from a knee injury. Dallas went 15-19 last season and just dealt its star, Liz Cambage, to Las Vegas after she asked for a trade. Sportsbooks list Atlanta as a 10-point favorite in the latest Dream vs. Wings odds, with the over-under for total points set at 160. Before you make any Wings vs. Dream picks or WNBA predictions for Opening Day, see what Jacob Gibbs' proprietary model has to say.

A young DFS guru who relies on deep analytics and an encyclopaedic knowledge of personnel, Gibbs scored big in WNBA daily Fantasy tournaments last season, returning an 81.4 percent profit on his investments. He also cashed 61 percent of the time in cash games.

Now, Gibbs' model has crunched the numbers for Dream vs. Wings. We can tell you it's leaning over, but its much stronger play is against the spread. That pick is available only at SportsLine.

The model is aware the Dream return eight players from last season, including All-WNBA First Teamer Tiffany Hayes. The 5-10 guard ranked 14th in the league with 17.2 points per game. Three other players who averaged at least 9.1 points also are back. Atlanta ranked first in defensive rating last season and fourth in points allowed (79.5).

The Dream covered 10 of their last 13 home games last season, while Dallas is 0-8 against the spread in its last eight road games.

But just because Atlanta is the superior team playing at home doesn't mean it will cover the Dream vs. Wings spread in this 2019 WNBA opener. 

Dallas could be a lot more competitive than people think, as No. 5 overall pick Arike Ogunbowale joins a roster that includes a trio of solid scorers in Kayla Thornton, Allisha Gray and Azura Stevens. Ogunbowale, a Notre Dame product, famously nailed back-to-back buzzer-beaters to beat UConn and Mississippi State in the 2018 Final Four. She averaged 21.8 points as a senior and shot more than 39 percent from 3-point range in her illustrious career.

Look for Ogunbowale to make a big splash in her professional debut, especially with the Dream missing their longest-tenured player, McCoughtry. Atlanta will miss her 16.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game early in the season.

So who wins Wings vs. Dream? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Jacob Gibbs' strong pointspread pick for Dream vs. Wings, all from his proprietary model that crushed the WNBA last season.