We’re about a month away from All-Star weekend in Phoenix, and voting for the game opened up on Thursday. There aren’t any voting results published yet, but plenty of players are making their case to be in this year’s game.
Three-time All-Star Napheesa Collier has had a spectacular season and is currently averaging 21.5 points, along with career-highs of 10.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 steals, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 triples per game. She had an unreal performance during Friday’s win over the Sparks as she finished with 30 points, six rebounds, two assists, EIGHT steals and two blocks. Collier is second in the league in total fantasy points and ranks in the top five in points, rebounds and steals per game. Minnesota has won six of their last seven games and currently sits in first place in the West.
Napheesa Collier put on a masterclass in versatility 😮💨
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 15, 2024
In tonight's WIN vs. the Sparks, Phee took over on both ends of the floor dropping 30 PTS and 6 REB, including a career-high of 8 STL#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/8qmAhBdV7K
The only player that has scored more fantasy points than Collier this season is A’ja Wilson, who has made it to the All-Star Game in five of her six years in the league and shouldn’t have any issues making it six in seven seasons. The Aces (6-6) may be struggling early this year after winning the last two championships, but it isn’t because of Wilson. The two-time MVP is averaging career-highs of 28.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 2.5 blocks. If she can keep this up, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her add a third MVP and a third straight Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Despite being on one of the three teams that has only played 12 games (while others have played as many as 15), Wilson has still scored more fantasy points than any other player in the league. She leads the league in both points and rebounds and is second in blocks per game.
Not sure what you do with A'Ja Wilson right now. pic.twitter.com/QYTazlR7Vi
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) June 15, 2024
Aaliyah Boston’s numbers are slightly down in her second season, but she started to figure things out last week. During their 2-1 week, Boston averaged 20.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 blocks per game while recording a double-double in all three games. She tied her career-high with 27 points during Thursday’s win over Atlanta, and she swatted a career-best five shots during their win over the Sky on Sunday. Despite a slow start to the season, Indiana is now in the playoff picture.
The Mystics dropped their first 12 games of the season, but they have now won two straight. They still have the worst record in the league, but they are in the win column and are only 2.5 games out of the playoff race. It seemed like they were starting to get healthier, but they suffered another setback, which will be discussed below.
The Liberty are still a half game out of first place, but they have won eight games in a row and handed Connecticut their only loss of the season. Their most recent win came in a Finals rematch in Las Vegas, with Jonquel Jones dropping 34 points and both Breanna Stewart (14/12/2/2/1) and Sabrina Ionescu (15/3/12) recording double-doubles.
Another 20-piece for Jonquel Jones!
— New York Liberty Videos (@SNYLiberty) June 15, 2024
(via @nyliberty) pic.twitter.com/ib6kG68n9m
Week 6 games played:
4 games- DAL, NY
3 games- MIN, WAS, CONN, LA, IND, ATL
2 games- LV, CHI, SEA, PHX
Last week felt a little lighter, with no teams playing four games and New York only playing once. This week, the Liberty and Wings will both play four times, while four teams will only play twice.
Light game days:
Monday: 1 game
Dallas @ Minnesota
Tuesday: 2 games
Los Angeles @ Connecticut
New York @ Phoenix
Thursday: 2 games
Dallas @ Chicago
Los Angeles @ New York
Friday: 2 games
Indiana @ Atlanta
Connecticut @ Las Vegas
Dallas, New York, Los Angeles and Connecticut will each have two games on lighter days, giving them an extra advantage. As previously stated, the Wings and Liberty play four times, while the Sparks and Sun play three games.
Back-to-backs:
Saturday-Sunday: DAL, WAS
There is only one back-to-back, with the Wings and Mystics playing in Washington on both Saturday and Sunday. Two games in two days is always tiring, and this will be three games in four days for Dallas. However, the lack of travel between games should make things a little better.
Headlines:
Starting lineup changes in Chicago
After dropping three straight games and five of their previous six, the Sky made adjustments to the starting unit. Chennedy Carter (35.4% rostered) and Lindsay Allen (2.1%) replaced Diamond DeShields (32.2%) and Dana Evans (53.4%) in the opening lineup for Sunday’s game against the Fever. It didn’t end their slide, but Carter finished with 18 points and four assists in 28 minutes, while Evans had 12 points in 21 minutes off the bench. If they stick with this adjustment, Carter and Evans should both continue to post solid numbers, and Allen will have the opportunity to provide value in fantasy, though her first start wasn’t productive in the box score. However, she did play 27 minutes, which was only the third time this season that she surpassed 20 minutes.
I’ll say it again, play Dana Evans & Chennedy Carter alongside each other. They can both create off of the bounce which puts pressure on the defense. They’ve shown the ability to play off of each others action, it’s good 🏀‼️ https://t.co/7YxgCwpDWS pic.twitter.com/4iZAYaTBLZ
— ZekeHoops (@HandsOffAssata) June 17, 2024
Britney Sykes to be re-evaluated in two weeks
After missing 10 games with an ankle injury, Sykes returned to the lineup in Tuesday’s win over the Dream. In 14 minutes, she had 18 points, three rebounds, four assists and four triples to lead Washington to their first win of the season. Unfortunately, she suffered a left foot sprain and will miss at least two weeks. Julie Vanloo (18.2%) returned to the starting unit in Friday’s win and should continue to play a large role until Sykes returns.
Brittney Sykes is doin' it all after getting the defensive stop and passing it up the floor to Myisha Hines-Allen
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 12, 2024
The @WashMystics have a 14-point lead heading into the 4Q 👀
WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by @coinbase | WAS-ATL on League Pass pic.twitter.com/FXPSA0CK3p
Natasha Howard expected back in July
Howard hasn’t played since the season opener due to a broken foot, and she is expected to miss about two more weeks. Maddy Siegrist (60.3%) has been starting in her place, which means that she should get at least six more starts before Howard is back in the lineup. Siegrist is averaging 14.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game this season, though her production will likely take a hit when Howard returns to the rotation.
Maddy Siegrist nails the pull-up jumper 🙌
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 15, 2024
📺 CON-DAL on CBS pic.twitter.com/16bSui32V3
Chelsea Gray (leg) active, still not playing
Gray has yet to suit up this season due to a left foot injury that she suffered in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals last year. However, she has technically been active for their last two games, though she didn’t see the floor. She has been a DNP- Coach’s Decision, but this should be a sign that she is inching closer to a return. Gray posted career-highs of 15.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game last year, and her return should help the Aces turn things around. Kiah Stokes should return to the bench when Gray is back in the lineup, and her return will allow Kelsey Plum to move back to an off-ball role, which should result in improved shooting percentages for her after a slow start to the season.
Rookie watch:
Caitlin Clark
It hasn’t been a flawless first season for the No. 1 overall pick, but she has had some big time performances. She had 23 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in a win over the Skoy on Sunday after having a 30/8/6 game the week before. Unfortunately, every headline tends to be about everything other than her playing basketball. As a rookie, she is sixth in total fantasy points in the entire league and is averaging 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 block and 2.7 triples per game. The turnovers (5.5) and field goal percentage (38.3%) are bad, but those aren’t factors in standard ESPN scoring.
CAITLIN CLARK DAGGER TO BEAT THE CHICAGO SKY 💸 (via @WNBA) pic.twitter.com/B1wcGnUDn6
— Overtime (@overtime) June 16, 2024
Angel Reese
Much like Clark, Reese is consistently in headlines for things other than her playing basketball, so we’ll take the time to praise her play. She’s averaging 12.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game, which has her in the top five in the league for both rebounds and steals. Reese has recorded six straight double-doubles, and her teammate Kamilla Cardoso joined her in recording a double-double against Indiana on Sunday. Chicago has a formidable duo in the frontcourt that will make them a long-term contender rather quickly.
Leonie Fiebich
After being drafted in the second round in 2020, Fiebich (2.7%) spent time playing internationally before signing her first WNBA contract in February. She didn’t see much time early on this season, but she has started to carve out a consistent role. She has played more than 20 minutes in three of their last four games and scored a career-high 12 points on four triples in a win over the Mystics last Sunday. She hasn’t contributed much in fantasy this year, but she is averaging 18.5 fantasy points per game over her last four appearances.
when Leonie Fiebich remembers she's 6'4" and most contests don't matter >> pic.twitter.com/bD3R1S05r1
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) June 7, 2024
