There are less than four weeks left in the WNBA season and the race at the top, excluding the Minnesota Lynx, is tight. And while the Atlanta Dream, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury battle it out for 2nd-4th, the Las Vegas Aces are marching their way up the standings trying to break into that top 4.
It’s a fun time in the season where multiple scenarios can play out. So, with another week in the books, let’s see how things shake out in the power rankings.
WNBA Power Rankings
These rankings reflect where each WNBA team stands after week 11 of the 2025 season. Teams are ranked 1-13 and are grouped by tiers.
Past Rankings: Preseason, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10
Tier 1: Contenders
Minnesota Lynx (28-5) | Prior Rank: 1 - The Minnesota Lynx are a ridiculous 28-5 and 6.5 games ahead of the team with the second best record, the Atlanta Dream (22-12). The Lynx have already clinched a playoff berth. They are the only team currently in the league who has done that. They could lose the rest of their games and would still be in the playoffs.
PLAYOFFS CLINCHED. pic.twitter.com/sQe1bzzBaG
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) August 13, 2025Since making history by blowing out the Aces to the tune of 53 points with the largest margin of victory ever in a WNBA road win, the Lynx have gone on to beat the Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics and New York Liberty (twice). So far, they’ve gone a perfect 4-0 in the games Napheesa Collier has missed since spraining her right ankle against the Aces. Their most impressive wins during that stretch have come over the reigning champs, who have also been without Breanna Stewart.
Lynx roll past Liberty as Carrington settles inNatalie Esquire and Callie Fin discuss the Lynx's easy win over the Liberty, including how DiJonai Carrington fits into Minnesota's system "like a glove."The dominance and consistency that has been on display all season from the Lynx is why they will remain at No. 1 in these power rankings.
Atlanta Dream (22-12) | Prior Rank: 2 - The Atlanta Dream are 7-1 over their last eight games, which included a six-game win streak. These rankings were a little early on the Dream, who have now jumped the Liberty for second in the standings. The Dream have been trending up for a few weeks now, which is why they were last ranked at No. 2 in these power rankings, even though they were previously third in the standings.
The Dream now have a one-game lead over the Liberty. The Dream’s 7.6 Net Rating is second best in the WNBA. They also are second in Offensive Rating (107.1), only behind the Minnesota Lynx (110.0), and they have moved up to third in Defensive Rating (99.5). The only two teams with a better Defensive Rating are the Lynx (95.7) and Phoenix Mercury (99.1).
The Dream were delivered some unfortunate injury news. Their point guard, Jordin Canada, will miss at least two weeks due to a right hamstring injury, but fortunately Rhyne Howard recently returned from a left knee injury and was brilliant alongside her backcourt partner, Allisha Gray, in the Dream’s win against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday.
Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray led the @AtlantaDream to an 85–75 win over the Storm 💪
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 14, 2025
Howard poured in 25 PTS with 7 AST and 5 3PM, while Gray added 22 PTS, 11 REB, and 3 3PM!#WNBARivalsWeek presented by @Ally pic.twitter.com/idPq19XcycWhile New York has been dealing with a lot of injury adversity, Atlanta has gone through similar adversity. It’s clear the Dream have been playing better basketball than the Liberty lately, which is why they will keep the No. 2 spot in this week’s rankings.
New York Liberty (21-13) | Prior Rank: 3 - After a 4-game losing streak that coincided with an injury to Breanna Stewart (right knee bone bruise), the Liberty rebounded by going 4-3. The issue for New York is that their losing skid allowed other teams to gain ground on them in the standings and now, at least one team (Atlanta Dream), has overtaken them.
Also of note, the teams that the Liberty have beaten over their last seven games are all teams with losing records (Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings twice, Los Angeles Sparks). Their losses were to the Lynx (twice) and Aces who both have winning records. The Liberty are still without Breanna Stewart and either are or were managing injuries to a number of rotation players, which includes Kennedy Burke (right calf), Isabelle Harrison (concussion protocol) and Nyara Sabally (right knee).
Liberty shouldn't hit 'panic button' yetNatalie Esquire and Khristina Williams explore concerns with the New York Liberty, including how injuries have "disrupted" chemistry and if Emma Meesseman can be a stabilizing presence until Breanna Stewart returns.Emma Meesseman has been huge for New York while doing her best Breanna Stewart impersonation. She scored 24 points in both games of New York’s most recent back-to-back. She also collected 19 rebounds (10 and 9, respectively) over the two outings and shot a hyper-efficient 8-15 and 9-15 from the field. It’s no coincidence since she joined the team that their losing streak ended and they’ve gone 4-3 in the games she played in.
Considering everything the Liberty are dealing with, they are still in a good position. They’re currently third in the standings, but as Sabrina Ionescu stated after their loss to the Aces on Wednesday, “all these games really matter.” Ionescu described “every game...like a lose or go home type feeling, because you could go from a two seed to a five seed in a matter of a day.”
The tone from this Liberty postgame was disappointed but accountable. Emma Meesseman noted that the TOs and points scored off of them were on her late.
— Jackie Powell (she/her) (@ClassicJpow) August 14, 2025
Sabrina Ionescu uttered how the team's mindset about the remaining 11 games has to change when it comes to playoff seeding. pic.twitter.com/GIwhFus30STo the extent that there is concern for the champs, it is seeding and more generally, will they have enough time once Breanna Stewart returns to build the cohesion needed for a deep postseason run, but more importantly to repeat as champions? According to Stewart, she will return before her birthday on August 27.
Breanna Stewart addressed media today, as she works back from the knee injury that has her sidelined since July 26. She says her timeline for return is before her birthday on August 27. @Winsidr pic.twitter.com/3fUxdQ3aGm
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) August 10, 2025The Liberty will remain at No. 3 for this week, but questions do surround them heading into the last few weeks of the season with only 10 regular season games left for them to play.
Tier 2: Potential Contenders
Las Vegas Aces (21-14) | Prior Rank: 7 - It took awhile, but the Aces have finally shown up to the WNBA season. Better late than never. Winners of their last seven games after getting embarrassed by the Minnesota Lynx in a 53-point blowout on August 2, the Aces have been one of the hottest teams in the league.
The Aces 7-game winning streak is the longest active win streak in the league. Since returning from the All-Star break, the Aces are 10-3, and during that time they’ve beaten the Dream, Wings twice, Sparks, Valkyries twice, Storm, Sun, Liberty and Mercury. So, they’re not just beating up on lesser teams. Part of this turnaround is due to the better play of Jewell Loyd. After a loss to the Lynx on July 25, Becky Hammon finally pulled the trigger on moving Loyd to the bench. The Aces are 9-1 since Loyd started coming off the bench. In their win over the Liberty on Wednesday, Loyd was their leading scorer.
Jewell Loyd went to work in the @LVAces' win against the New York Liberty, 83-77 🙌
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 14, 2025
She produced 21 PTS while shooting 58% from the field and 56% from three point land with 5 3PM!#WNBARivalsWeek presented by @Ally pic.twitter.com/3vHjckya4tThe Aces rebounding has also improved. Part of that is an intentional effort from A’ja Wilson to focus on rebounding even more than she already was, but it’s also due in part to the acquisition of NaLyssa Smith on June 30. Since acquiring Smith, the Aces rebounding numbers and rank among the league’s teams has shot up.
The Aces before and after trading for NaLyssa Smith #WNBA
— christan (no i), ß (@ChristanWNBA) August 14, 2025
RPG
Before: 33.1 (11th) - Since: 35.4 (35.4/T-3rd)
ORPG
Before: 8 (11th) - Since: 10.6 (2nd)
REB%
Before: 47.5% (12th) - Since: 53.5% (2nd)
OREB%
Before: 27.2% (11th) - Since: 36.6! (1st)But of course when it comes to the Aces, everything starts and ends with A’ja Wilson. On August 10 against the Sun, she recorded the first 30-20 (32 points, 20 rebounds) game in WNBA history. Her 16 rebounds against the Liberty on Wednesday were instrumental to the Aces defeating the champs. She then followed that performance up with another 16-rebound and 30-point game against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday and with a 34-point game against the Dallas Wings on Sunday to lead the Aces to wins in both matchups. Wilson has been on a tear of late, which is why she received her 25th Western Conference Player of the Week honors.
Just the M'V3 doing M'V3 things 💅
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) August 12, 2025
29.3 PPG
13.0 RPG
3.7 APG
1.3 SPG
53.3% FG
50.0% 3PT
For the 25th time, @_ajawilson22 is the @WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week! pic.twitter.com/yIVs1jzxeqWhile the Aces are fifth in the standings (right behind the Mercury), they are currently leading the season series over the Mercury 2-1. Over their last 13 games since returning from the All-Star break, the Aces 3.2 Net Rating is third best in the league behind the Lynx and Dream, respectively. The Aces have actually won one more game than the Mercury, but Phoenix has one less loss, which is why the Mercury are fourth and Aces fifth in the standings. The Aces defense still needs to improve before they can be considered a true contender, but the turnaround in their season has been clear, which is why they will jump the Mercury this week and move up three spots to No. 4 in these rankings.
Phoenix Mercury (20-13) | Prior Rank: 4 - After hitting a bit of a rough patch the Mercury have rebounded. Since returning from the All-Star break they are 5-6, but they are 4-2 in their last six games, which included a 3-game winning streak and coincided with Alyssa Thomas becoming the first player in WNBA history to record a triple-double in three consecutive games.
When you break your own records enough, you create new ones. pic.twitter.com/4XHfNeuaFw
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 8, 2025There are other indicators that the Mercury have been playing better basketball. They’ve gotten back to being a top defense. As noted earlier, they are second in the league in Defensive Rating at 99.1. They have an overall Net Rating of 4.1 which is 4th in the WNBA. They’re also 4th in the standings and are only a half game behind the Liberty (No. 3), but both teams have the same number of losses on the season.
Despite the improvement, the Mercury will drop one spot to No. 5 this week. On August 10 they played the Atlanta Dream and had a chance to overtake them in the standings because at the time the two teams had the same record. But the Mercury lost that game and even worse, since they will not play the Dream again this season, they will end the season without beating Atlanta this year. They also lost to the Aces on Friday, and now the Aces are right on their heels in the standings.
The Mercury have 11 games left to play in the regular season. They will need some more signature wins to show that they belong in the contender tier. The Aces have played better basketball than them since returning from the All-Star break and currently lead the season series 2-1. As a result, the Mercury fall to No. 5 in this week’s power rankings.
Indiana Fever (19-16) | Prior Rank: 5 - This season has not gone as envisioned for the Fever. Expected to contend this season, instead the Fever have been managing multiple injuries. The Fever have played 35 games this year. Caitlin Clark has only played in 13 of them. Their franchise star has missed time due to a left quad strain and is currently sidelined due to a groin injury.
It took some time to adjust to life without Clark, but after signing Aari McDonald, first to a hardship contract and then permanently after DeWanna Bonner’s departure, the Fever adjusted to playing without Clark and started to win games. Unfortunately, both Aari McDonald (broken right foot bone) and Sydney Colson (torn left ACL) sustained season-ending injuries.
The Fever have since signed Odyssey Sims to two seven-day hardship contracts, but on Sunday the Fever were delivered another injury blow. Sophie Cunningham had to leave their game against the Connecticut Sun early after injuring her right knee and is scheduled for an MRI on Monday. Injuries have decimated the Fever this season, and there is still no timetable for Caitlin Clark’s return.
To the extent that there is a silver lining for the Fever, it has been the play of Kelsey Mitchell. Since returning from the All-Star break she is averaging 22.8 points and 4.3 assists per game. On Sunday, with the Fever in danger of losing three straight games, she took over in the second half of their matchup with the Sun. She led the Fever to a comeback victory after erasing a 21-point deficit, the largest comeback in Fever franchise history. She scored 34 of her 38 points points in the second half and overtime (10 in overtime). Her 38 points on Sunday tied her career-high and is also the highest scoring game in the WNBA so far this season.
KELSEY MITCHELL WAS ON ONE TODAY 😳
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 17, 2025
She scored 10 of the Fever's 15 PTS in OT and dropped a career-high tying 38 PTS, 6 AST, and 2 STL to lead their comeback WIN! #WNBARivalsWeek presented by @ally pic.twitter.com/3R2GAf1hcWFor the Fever to still be in playoff position (sixth in the standings) in light of all of the injury adversity and roster turmoil they’ve faced this season is nothing short of remarkable. They will, however, drop one spot to No. 6 this week after going 2-3 in their last five games.
Tier 3: In the Mix
Golden State Valkyries (18-16) | Prior Rank: 9 - The Valkyries move up two spots this week after going 4-1 in their last five games. They were on a four-game winning streak before the second-seeded Atlanta Dream went into Ballhalla on Sunday and snapped their win streak.
Valkyries continue growth with new mascot, VioletFollowing the Valkyries' unveiling of their new mascot, Natalie Esquire and Khristina Williams look at how the organization has produced "top-notch" rollouts and how Ellie the Elephant "paved the way" for WNBA mascots.The Valkyries sit at two games above .500 and their 18 wins so far this season has already broken the record for the most wins by an expansion team in the first season.
🚨 With their 18th win of the season, the @valkyries have set a new WNBA record for most wins by an expansion team in a single season 🚨
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 16, 2025
They also recorded their 4th consecutive win!#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/EaEUw0mZ4rAfter losing Kayla Thornton to a season-ending right knee injury, it would be understandable if the team fell in the standings after losing its lone All-Star, but instead they rallied. Since returning from the All-Star break, they’ve gone 8-4, which includes a three-game and most recently four-game winning streak. This team does not care about expansion team expectations. They have bigger goals in mind. Despite their loss on Sunday to the Atlanta Dream, the Valkyries will move up two spots to No. 7 in this week’s power rankings.
Los Angeles Sparks (16-18) | Prior Rank: 8 - The Sparks have cooled off some. After going 5-1 immediately out of the All-Star break, they’ve since gone 3-3 over their last 6 games. They are still a half game out of eighth in the standings, but they’ve been playing better basketball than the team immediately ahead of them, the Seattle Storm, and currently lead the season series against Seattle 2-1 with one more meting scheduled between the two teams this season.
WNBA Playoff picture: Sparks, Dream on the riseWith a month until the WNBA regular season closes, Natalie Esquire and Callie Fin discuss where the Los Angeles Sparks, Atlanta Dream, and Seattle Storm stand in the WNBA Playoffs picture.With only 10 games left to play in the regular season, the Sparks need to stack more wins if they want to overtake Seattle for the final playoff spot. They’re primed to do it and have been the better team in the second half of the season, which is why they’re ranked ahead of the Storm and will hold on to the No. 8 spot in these rankings for another week in a row.
Washington Mystics (16-18) | Prior Rank: 10 - The Mystics move up one spot in these rankings to 9th, although they are No. 10 in the standings. The Mystics are 3-2 in their last five games and seem to have stabilized since trading their leading scorer, Brittney Sykes.
Since Sykes’ departure, Rookie of the Year candidate, Sonia Citron, is averaging 19.5 points per game, which is 5.2 more points per game than she was averaging prior to the trade. Her field goal and three-point efficiency have also skyrocketed in the post-Sykes era. Over that time, Citron is shooting 52.6% from the field and 62.5% from three, which was on full display when she scored 24 points and made five threes in their win over the Sparks on Sunday. Kiki Iriafen also continues to be stellar. On Sunday, Iriafen recorded her fourth straight double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Kiki Iriafen's fourth straight double-double and Sonia Citron's 5 three-pointers lead the Mystics to the win vs. the Los Angeles Sparks ⭐ pic.twitter.com/Kv145ioquO
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 17, 2025The All-Star rookie duo have stepped it up, and it’s been a big reason why the Mystics have started to win games again and why they land at No. 9 in these rankings.
Seattle Storm (17-18) | Prior Rank: 6 - The Seattle Storm are currently one game below .500 and have fallen to No. 8 in the standings, but they will drop four spots to No. 10 in these rankings. The Storm are 3-9 since returning from the All-Star break. They have not won consecutive games since July 6 and went on a six-game losing streak in August. While they did finally snap the losing streak on Friday against the Dream, they followed up the win with a loss to the Mercury at home on Sunday.
The Storm are spiraling and are in danger of missing the playoffs. The rate in which they are losing games justifies the drop to No. 10 in these power rankings.
Tier 4: Rebuilding
- Dallas Wings (9-26) | Prior Rank: 11 - The Dallas Wings are a rebuilding team. They’re 1-4 in their last five games. That one-point win came against the Indiana Fever. They also lost a one-point heartbreaker to the Sparks. These are the ebbs and flows of a rebuilding team. They show flashes, but it comes with a lot of losses. Since the Wings have a better win percentage than the the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun, they land at No. 11 in these rankings for another week in a row.
Connecticut Sun (6-27) | Prior Rank: 13 - Also a rebuilding team, but the Sun have been showing signs of life this summer. After only getting one win each in May and June, the Sun got two wins in July and two so far in August. Even though almost doesn’t count, they almost won on Sunday against the Fever in overtime, which was another noteworthy performance.
One of the Sun’s two wins in August came against the Chicago Sky on Wednesday. Also, the Sun seem to be making strides, while the Sky are in a bit of free-fall. As a result, despite having the worst record in the league, the Sun will move up one spot to No. 12.
Chicago Sky (8-25) | Prior Rank: 12 - The Chicago Sky have only won one game in the last month. They are 1-11 since returning from the All-Star break and the reason why isn’t overly complicated. Overlapping injuries to Ariel Atkins and Angel Reese interrupted any progress that the Sky were making this season after losing Courtney Vandersloot to a season-ending ACL injury. Even though Atkins has returned to the lineup, the Sky haven’t been able to turn things around and they are still without Angel Reese.
Reese's signature sneakers 'maximizing the moment'Greydy Diaz joins Natalie Esquire to discuss the Angel Reese 1s, Reese's Reebok signature sneaker, launching on Sept. 18, analyzing the timing of the rollout and the newest black and white "Receipts Ready" colorway.According to Coach Tyler Marsh, Reese, who practiced with the team on Monday, is day-to-day. It’s possible she could return for the Sky’s next game on Tuesday with the Storm. For now, with so much uncertainty surrounding them, the Sky will fall to No. 13 this week.
“She looked great, she fit right in.. like she didn’t take any time off.”
— C. C.,Esq. (@ItsCwaysWorld) August 18, 2025
Coach Tyler Marsh on Angel Reese returning to practice. @Winsidr pic.twitter.com/rd87ccdpCd
