More people are watching and consuming the WNBA. This is simply a fact. The Liberty became the first team in WNBA history to gross more than $2 million in revenue during a matchup with Caitlin Clark and the fever on Saturday. After a disappointing season for the Nets, nearly 18,000 fans at Barclays Center were treated to a 91-80 victory over Indiana in the team’s home opener. All five starters scored in double figures and hit at least two 3-pointers as the team moved to 3-0 on the season.
Last year’s WNBA Finals had the Liberty losing to the Aces 3-1, and both teams are off to a hot start to the season. Both teams are loaded with talent, but each team’s stars are among the best players in fantasy to date. A’ja Wilson has only played two games, but is averaging 26.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.5 blocks per game. ESPN is the only platform that currently offers women’s fantasy basketball, and they only have points leagues. While league commissioners are free to customize their scoring, by ESPN’s standard scoring, Wilson is averaging an impressive 50.0 fantasy points per game. For Freedom, Breanna Stewart is averaging 21.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.7 steals, 1.7 blocks and 1.0 triples per game. They’ve played three games, so Stewart leads the league in total fantasy points with 123.0.
Although the season is still young, it is important to take advantage of all the opportunities that are available. That said, let’s take a look at next week’s schedule and some headlines and streaming options that can help you get your league off to a good start.
Games played in week 2:
4 games- IND
3 games – CONN, PHX, SEA, DAL, WAS, NY, LA, MIN
2 games – CHI, LV, ATL
The W is putting Clark on full display early this season, which gives her and her team an advantage in fantasy games. Clark, Aliá Boston It is NaLyssa Smith have been the team’s top three fantasy options and will be extremely valuable in Week 2.
Almost every other team plays three games, although Aces, Sky and Dream are limited to two. After playing on Tuesday, the Dream will have four days off before playing again on Sunday. The Aces also play on Tuesday, although the second game is a day earlier on Saturday. Chicago week doesn’t start until Thursday, before ending on Saturday.
Light game days:
Monday: 2 games
Connecticut @ Indiana
Seattle @ New York
Wednesday: 1 game
Indiana @ Seattle
Friday: 1 game
Indiana @Los Angeles
Sunday: 2 games
Minnesota @ Atlanta
Dallas @Los Angeles
Not only do the Fever have more games than everyone else, but they are also the only team that plays multiple days, which gives them even more of an advantage. If maximizing games played is important to your league, keep an eye on Fever.
Back to back:
Sunday to Monday: SEA
Friday to Saturday: IND
Saturday to Sunday: DAL, MIN
These are the first back-to-back games of the season for either team, and it’s worth keeping an eye on the fatigue factor. Nneka Ogwumike missed Sunday’s win over Washington with an ankle injury, which allowed Mercedes Russell (4.6%) to record 30 minutes on the home unit. She finished with eight points, five rebounds and two steals. If Ogwumike remains out on Monday, Russell is expected to start again.
The Fever will play four games in six days, with the last three away from home. The fourth game will also be in Las Vegas against the defending champions. Clark will certainly continue to be hit with “welcome to the league” moments.
Dallas will have a few days off before the back-to-back, but Minnesota will play three games in four days. After playing at Connecticut on Thursday, they will travel home for a matchup with Liberty on Saturday before heading to Atlanta to close out the week on Sunday. It’s a tough time, but they will have a few days off before playing again the following Wednesday.
Headlines:
Chelsea Gray (foot) plans to play this season
Gray suffered a left foot injury during last season’s Finals, and the injury kept her sidelined earlier this year. There is no word on when she will return to the court, but she plans to play this season. Alysha Clark (28% cast) He opened the year as a starter and averaged 22.5 Fantasy points in 31 minutes per game. Becky Hammon also used Kate Martin (6.9%), who is a rookie from Iowa, in her second game of the season after not seeing the floor in the opener. She played 26 minutes and contributed three points, five rebounds, three assists, one block and one 3-pointer.
Injuries piling up in Dallas
The Wings’ rotation continues to get thinner. On Friday, the team announced that Natasha Howard will be out 3-6 weeks due to a broken foot he suffered in the team’s season opener on Wednesday. They were able to add Monique Billings (3.5%) with a difficult contract, and debuted for the team on Saturday, finishing with five points, four rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Maddy Siegrist (19.8%) entered the starting unit in place of Howard, although he only contributed six points, two rebounds and a steal in 19 minutes. Siegrist, who was the No. 3 pick in 2023, was much better in the opener, recording 13 points, five rebounds, one assist, three blocks and a triple in 18 minutes off the bench. It’s also worth noting that Billings started the second half of Saturday’s game in place of Siegrist, which could be a trend that continues. If Siegrist and Billings continue to share minutes in the future, both players’ production will be limited.
After going undrafted in 2020, Jaelyn Brown spent a few years playing in several professional leagues before finally making it to the WNBA this season. She suffered a broken nose last week and the team announced Thursday that she will be out for a week. That will keep her out of Tuesday’s game at Atlanta, but she will have a chance to return for Saturday’s game at Phoenix. Stéphanie Soares (0.7%) moved into the starting unit along with Siegrist in a higher lineup for Dallas. Soares, who was the fourth pick in 2023, missed his only shot attempt, but in 32 minutes he contributed nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and four blocks.
Satou Sabally has been sidelined with a shoulder injury and is not expected to make her season debut before the Olympic break. She is expected to prepare for Germany at the Olympics, so she should be ready to hit the ground running when Dallas returns to the court on August 16.
Britney Griner (toe) out indefinitely
Griner fractured a toe on her left foot before the start of the regular season, keeping her out of the first two games. She will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks, which may provide a clearer timeline for her return. Natasha Mack (4.9%) started in his place and averaged 4.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.5 blocks in 20.5 minutes per game.
Nika Mühl remains sidelined due to work visa issues
Mühl was able to dress in the preseason while playing on her student visa, but that visa was rescinded when she officially graduated from UConn. Mühl is a Croatian citizen and will need to wait for a P-1 visa, which she can supposedly takes three to six months. Hers should be expedited, but she has already missed the team’s first three games. In the preseason game for which she was available, Mühl played 20 minutes off the bench and contributed six points, three rebounds, two assists and a 3-pointer.
Newbie Watch:
With how high the expectations are for Caitlin Clark and the rest of this rookie class, we’ll be keeping an eye on how they’re doing as the season progresses.
Clark is the main attraction. She was the first pick in the draft for a reason. It has brought record attendance and TV ratings to college basketball and is starting to do the same for the WNBA. She even has alliteration in her name like a comic book character. She will continue to help the league grow, and her numbers early in her career have been good for fantasy. She is averaging 17.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.0 steal and 3.0 triples in her first three games. Fortunately, ESPN’s standard scoring doesn’t take losses into account, as it averages 7.0 per game. She is averaging 32.7 fantasy points per game, which is among the W’s elite guards.
After Clark, the Sparks selected Cameron Brink with the second pick in the draft, and she quickly showed why she was college basketball’s Defensive Player of the Year last season. She is averaging 7.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 3.5 blocks and 1.0 triples per game. This has her averaging 23.0 fantasy points, and she is currently second in the league in blocks per game behind Minnesota’s Alanna Smith (5.0).
LA also drafted Rickea Jackson came out of Tennessee with the fourth overall pick, and while she didn’t make as much of a defensive impact as Brink, Jackson did more on the offensive end. She played 20 minutes per game off the bench and averaged 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.0 triple. Those numbers result in an average of 15.0 fantasy points per game, and Jackson is one of three rookies to average at least 10 points per game.
The other rookie who reached this limit is Angel Reese, who was Chicago’s second top-10 draft pick. They selected Camila Cardoso with the third pick, but she has yet to play because of a shoulder injury and is not expected to make her debut until June. Reese, selected with the sixth pick, is averaging 11.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. That leaves her averaging 23.5 fantasy points per game, second behind Clark among rookies.
