We’re coming up on a short week in the W, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be plenty of excitement. The Commissioner’s Cup will come to a close on Tuesday, and the rest of the games will be packed into a four-day window to close out the week.
The Sun have slowed down after starting 9-0 and dropped their final two games of last week. They’re now tied for the second-best record in the league with the Lynx at 13-3. The Liberty’s winning streak came to an end, but at 15-3, they still boast the best record in the league. Minnesota now holds the longest winning streak with six straight victories, while things have fallen off the rails in Dallas. They now have the worst record in the league after dropping their 11th straight game on Sunday.
Chelsea Gray finally made her season debut on Wednesday and logged 16 minutes off the bench. She only scored one point, but she added four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks during that stretch. She came off the bench once again on Friday, but she only finished with four points, two rebounds, one assist and one block in 17 minutes. They may give her a few games to get her legs back under her, but Gray will eventually return to the starting unit.
LMBOOOO CHELSEA GRAY IS BACK pic.twitter.com/dmYWSulo3B
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) June 20, 2024
The Fever and Sky faced off for the third time this season to wrap up the week on Sunday. Unlike their first two matchups, Chicago came away with a victory due to a late run. Angel Reese extended the rookie record for consecutive games with a double-double by recording her eighth straight in the 88-87 win. She finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds to outduel Caitlin Clark (17/6/13/4). Kamilla Cardoso also had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Chennedy Carter dropped 23 points. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 24 points, and Aliyah Boston stuffed the stat sheet with 18/7/6/1/2.
Angel Reese & Kamilla Cardoso each recorded a double-double in the same game for the 2nd time this season.
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) June 23, 2024
They are the first rookie duo to each have a double-double in multiple games in a season since 1998. pic.twitter.com/cgIUcZIBT4
Week 7 games played:
2 games- WAS, MIN, IND, DAL, CONN, LV, CHI, SEA, PHX, ATL
1 game- LA, NY
Light game days:
Tuesday: 1 game
Minnesota @ New York*
Friday: 2 games
Atlanta @ Connecticut
Los Angeles @ Phoenix
Saturday: 2 games
Dallas @ Seattle
Los Vegas @ Washington
The Lynx and Liberty will face off on Tuesday in the championship game of the Commissioner’s Cup, but that game won’t count towards fantasy hoops. Along with that, there aren’t any games the day before or after. So, this week won’t technically start until Thursday, and there will only be four days worth of games. That limits how many games each team will play, which will make this a relatively light week overall. There are four games on Thursday and three games on Sunday, with the Liberty playing their only game that will count on Sunday.
Back-to-backs:
Thursday-Friday: CONN
Sunday-Monday: PHX
Since nearly every team plays two games, there aren’t any massive advantages here. However, streaming a Sun player like Tyasha Harris (38% rostered) for Thursday and Friday before dropping her for a player that plays on Saturday would maximize your games played.
Headlines:
Cameron Brink out indefinitely after left ACL tear
Brink tore her ACL early on during Tuesday’s game in Connecticut. This is devastating news for the No. 2 pick, and the Sparks have felt her absence. Brink is averaging 2.3 blocks per game, and in their two games without her, they have allowed 95.5 points per game and swatted a total of two shots. Li Yueru has started in place of Brink, but her minutes have been limited, and she hasn’t been effective. However, Stephanie Talbot (4%) has stepped into more minutes and been excellent as a reserve. She has averaged 10.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 triples during their two games without Brink.
Stephanie Talbot capitalizes on the Sun miscommunication to make it a 4-PT game before the buzzer 🚨
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 18, 2024
📺 League Pass pic.twitter.com/EZjAN2JCPM
Maddy Siegrist (finger) expected back after Olympic break
Siegrist has been one of the few bright spots for the Wings this season, but she’s expected to miss about eight weeks with a broken left index finger. Rookie Jacy Sheldon (11.3%) has shined as a starter since Siegrist went down, and she should continue to start even after Siegrist returns. That’s a long way away though, and Sheldon should be a safe option until then. For more on Sheldon, scroll down a bit to the rookie section.
Rhyne Howard (ankle) out indefinitely
This is a big loss for the Dream, and they’ve struggled mightily offensively since Howard went down. They only scored 55 points in the game that Howard went down, and they’ve scored 79 and 75 points in the two games since then. Aerial Powers (15.8%) has started in place of Howard, but she hasn’t produced much value at all. Until Atlanta figures out how to play without Howard, it may be best to look elsewhere for replacement value.
Rookie watch:
Angel Reese:
As mentioned above, Reese has recorded a double-double in eight straight games, which is a record for rookies. The WNBA record of 12 games was set by Candace Parker, and it would be incredibly impressive if Reese set that mark as a rookie. The race for Rookie of the Year is going to be tight between Reese and Clark, and if she continues this run that she’s on, Reese could certainly win the award. Their next game is against the Aces on Thursday, so we’ll see if she can keep the streak up while matched up with A’ja Wilson.
HOW DID ANGEL REESE GET THIS OFF!? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/2K1laTCJ7N
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2024
Jacy Sheldon:
After starting the year playing a minimal role, Sheldon has started to take on big minutes for the Wings. She has played at least 20 minutes in five straight games and started the last three. As a starter, she is averaging 12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.7 triples per game. Sheldon is only rostered in 11.3% of leagues, but her spot in the starting unit should be safe moving forward.
Jacy Sheldon today
— WNBA Rookie Watch (@WNBARookieWatch) June 22, 2024
16 Points
5 Rebounds
3 Assists
4-7 3P
Best game of her young career 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TTJoRuEzMo
Marquesha Davis:
Davis was the No. 11 pick out of Ole Miss, but she has hardly seen the floor in year one for the Liberty. However, she logged 13 minutes in a win over the Dream on Sunday and scored a career-high nine points. Davis likely won’t be able to carve out a large enough role to make an impact in fantasy this season, but it is encouraging to see her play well when she gets the opportunity.
Marquesha Davis had a good performance last night, scoring a career-high nine points with multiple field goals including her first three-pointer. She also contributed with rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals, showcasing her skills that got her drafted. pic.twitter.com/N0C7j8odJR
— Liberty Lead (@LibertyLeadSM) June 24, 2024
Caitlin Clark:
Clark continues to make things look easy. Before they lost to Chicago on Sunday, the Fever had rattled off four straight wins, largely thanks to Clark. Turnovers continue to be an issue (five straight games with at least five turnovers), but she has been dominant in other areas. She dished out a career-high 13 dimes against the Sky while also knocking down five triples. That was her first point-assist double-double and her third double-double overall. She hauled in a career-best 12 rebounds against the Mystics last week and tied her career-high of four steals twice last week.
This move by Caitlin Clark 🥶 pic.twitter.com/yg319yPSMy
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2024