Gray, the Dream’s leading scorer, started the night rough only scoring 5 points and hitting one field goal on six shots. As a result the Dream’s role players in Naz Hillmon, Nia Coffey and Te-Hina PaoPao all stepped up. But after halftime Gray returned to form, shooting 5-for-9 in the second half while scoring 13 points. Gray stepped up on the defensive end as well, blocking Brittney Sykes from behind with 44.6 remaining in regulation. While Gray’s aggression fueled Atlanta down the stretch, her judgement lacked when she fouled Sykes from beyond the arc while in a shooting motion, which and gave the Mystics the opportunity to tie the game up at 92. Sykes ended up missing the second free throw and the Dream squeaked by with a win.

While Aces star A’ja Wilson garnered most of the attention in her return from a concussion, Ogwumike more than held her own on Friday. The veteran forward recorded a complete stat line and was once again highly efficient, shooting well over 50 percent from the field in her 34 minutes on the court. Over her last two games, Ogwumike has tallied 51 points, shooting 23-of-32 from the field. From a fantasy standpoint, Nneka’s 49 points in ESPN leagues matched her season-high, and she has four games with at least 40 fantasy points this season.

Austin was a matchup nightmare for all of the Dream’s front court players. She’s more athletic than both Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, but then she’s also so much taller and longer than both Nia Coffey and Naz Hillmon. Brittney Sykes and Austin’s chemistry came alive on Friday night as the pair connected on six total field goals. Austin showed off her face-up game and mid-range jumper as she was able to use her long arms to over extend over smaller defenders. Austin’s 28 points are a new career high and her 10 rebounds make this performance her first double-double of the season.

Charles had a bounce back game against the Wings after only scoring 2 points in 15 minutes a couple of days ago against the Mercury. She found her way to the line five times on Friday night against the Wings. The second quarter was her most productive, responsible for 36% of the Sun’s total points with 9 in addition to four of her six total rebounds. She took advantage of the smaller and less athletic post players that the Wings employ, getting to her kill zones at ease including a 9-foot fadeaway jumper off one leg.

After missing two games due to the league’s concussion protocols, Wilson is back in the Aces starting lineup. Tiffany Mitchell will return to the bench, with Wilson joining Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Jackie Young and Kiah Stokes in the starting five.

Collier injured her back during the third quarter of Tuesday’s win over the Aces and did not return. Friday afternoon, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said the star forward is dealing with a bulging disk that has also been an issue for Collier in the past. Natisha Hiedeman picked up additional minutes on Tuesday and would likely be bumped into the starting lineup if Collier cannot play on Saturday.

Plum is back after sitting out Tuesday’s loss to the Storm with a left leg injury. Her return means Shey Peddy will be pushed to the bench. However, Peddy should remain in the rotation, as the Sparks remain without Odyssey Sims (personal). And with Plum available to play, the Sparks have waived Grace Berger.

Guarded by Tiffany Hayes for most of Thursday’s defeat, Clark produced arguably her worst performance of the season to date. The Fever star missed all seven of her three-point attempts and was responsible for six turnovers. While there have been two games in which Clark exceeded that turnover count, her 11 points against the Valkyries were tied for a season-low. That said, there isn’t a need for fantasy managers to panic, as Clark is ranked third in fantasy points per game in ESPN leagues behind Napheesa Collier and A’ja Wilson. She’ll bounce back, potentially as soon as Sunday’s game against the Aces.

Stewart had one of the more impressive stretches of basketball this season, putting together an 18-point third quarter on 7-of-8 shooting to erase a halftime deficit and give New York a lead going into the final frame. Also worth noting is Stewart’s contributions from beyond the arc — three three-pointers is a season-high and she has now made four of her last seven attempts. If Stewart can consistently knock down her threes, she’ll see even greater success in what’s been a strong season for her in fantasy basketball leagues.

Thomas put forth an impressive effort for the Mercury on Thursday. On the second night of a back-to-back, the veteran forward was able to log 27 minutes against the Liberty, led all players in rebounds by a wide margin, and was one of five Mercury players to reach double figures in scoring. Thomas had fewer than 10 assists for the first time since May, though Thursday’s lower total likely had to do with how inefficiently Phoenix shot the ball from the field. Nevertheless, Thomas had herself a fantastic game. Fantasy managers should expect her to continue stuffing the stat sheet as the season rolls on.