It’s Week 8 of the WNBA season and the distance between Napheesa Collier and Caitlin Clark for Most Valuable Player has grown wider, while A’ja Wilson is back to plus-money to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Paige Bueckers’ odds for Rookie of the Year have been removed on some sportsbooks implying the race is over by the halfway mark as long as she stays healthy.
MVP and DPOY dds are courtesy of DraftKings and subject to change.
WNBA MVP Ladder:
1. Napheesa Collier (-500)
2. Breanna Stewart (+1200)
3. Caitlin Clark (+1000)
Napheesa Collier (-500) continues to inch closer to her first-ever MVP as the -500 odds is the most favored she’s been all year. Collier’s averaged 23.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.2 combined blocks and steals per game over the previous three contests.
Caitlin Clark is now +1000, which is the largest number she’s had all season. With 9 games missed out of 18 on the season, Clark is beginning to fall out of the race, which makes room for Breanna Stewart (+1200) to enter.
Stewart has averaged 20.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in the last eight games as her odds have dropped from +6000 to +1200 over the last two weeks. Another big mover in the market is Alyssa Thomas (+2500) of the Mercury. Her odds have moved from +10000 to +2500 over the last two weeks to jump A’ja Wilson (+4000) and Sabrina Ionescu (+15000).
Despite the big jumps from Stewart and Thomas, I don’t recommend a bet on anyone besides Collier in this market.
WNBA DPOY Ladder:
1. A’ja Wilson (+125)
2. Gabby Williams (+400)
3. Alanna Smith (+450)
There hasn’t been much movement in the Defensive Player of the Year over the past week with A’ja Wilson (+125) moving from +100 to +125, while Gabby Williams (+400) and Alanna Smith (+450) have both come down from +500.
Wilson leads the WNBA with 2.6 blocks per game, while Smith is second with 2.4. Williams leads the WNBA with 2.6 steals per game, so all of the league’s best averages are represented in the DPOY market.
Napheesa Collier (+500) remains in the race, ranking fourth in the league with 1.5 blocks per game and 13th with 1.6 steals per game, but her best chance to bring home hardware is for MVP. The DPOY race is still up in the air and anyone’s race.
WNBA ROY Ladder:
1. Paige Bueckers (-1500)
2. Sonia Citron (+1400)
3. Kiki Iriafen (+1800)
DraftKings shut down this market as Paige Bueckers closed at -1600 there, while FanDuel and BetMGM still list odds for the race. There is no bet to make in this market unless Buckers gets hurt.
All three of these rookies will be represented in the WNBA All-Star game, so they’ve had terrific seasons, but Bueckers is head above heels the best of the class. Bueckers has scored at least 20 points in six of the past seven games.
Sonia Citron (+1400) has scored at least 21 points in three out of the last five games, while Kiki Iriafen (+1800) put up double-digits in that same span, but only 10 points total in the past two games.
This Week’s Added Bets:
Seattle Storm to win the Championship (+2500)
Seattle is 9-3 over the last 12 games and have finished the brunt of their schedule with a 12-7 record in the first 19 games.
The Storm feature significant primary scoring from Skylar Diggins (18.2 PPG) and Nneka Ogwumike (17.3 PPG), the league’s leading steals per game leader in Gabby Williams (2.6 SPG), plus improved play from bigs, Dominque Malonga and Ezi Magbegor.
Seattle has the easiest remaining schedule in the WNBA and over the next 10 games. It doesn’t get any better with the Sun, Mystics, Valkyries, Wings, Sky, Sparks, and Fever on deck.
Odds are dropping from +2500 to +1800 at some places, so I think it’s best to get involved based on the fact that odds will drop due to competition.
Pick: Storm to win the Championship +2500 (0.5u)
Vaughn Dalzell’s WNBA Futures Bets:
2 units: Stephanie White to win Coach of the Year (+115)
2 units: Minnesota Lynx to win Championship (+340)
2 units: A’ja Wilson to win MVP (+225)
2 units: Napheesa Collier to win MVP (+150)
0.5 unit: Napheesa Collier to win MVP (+300)
0.5 unit: Jonquel Jones to win DPOY (+3000)
0.5 unit: Angel Reese to win DPOY (+2000)
0.5 unit: Aliyah Boston to win DPOY (+3500)
0.5 unit: Kamila Cardoso to win DPOY (+5500)
0.5 unit: Aliyah Boston to win Most Improved Player (+1500)
0.5 unit: Kamila Cardoso to win Most Improved Player (+3000)
0.5 unit: Seattle Storm to win the Championship (+2500)
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
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