For the second straight week, we have no games on Monday, which makes this another condensed week. However, that doesn’t mean that Monday hasn’t been an eventful day in the W. There was already plenty of drama this past weekend after Chennedy Carter’s hard hit on Caitlin Clark, which sparked plenty of conversation on social media. Carter was assessed a foul on the play, which was later upgraded to a flagrant. That won’t result in a suspension or fine yet, but the league has a point system in place that could lead to an eventual suspension. The discourse that has been a result of the play has been off the walls, and the talk shows Monday morning made things even worse.
Everyone has an opinion (and frankly, quite a few of them have been completely wrong and inappropriate), but we’re going to focus on the good stuff: hoops. Feel free to have those conversations about the physicality of the league on social media. We’re going to talk about the game here.
Shoutout to the Sun! They’re 8-0 and are allowing just 70.6 points per game this season, which is by far the best mark in the league. Alyssa Thomas (36.9 fantasy points per game) and DeWanna Bonner (31.5 fantasy points per game) have been the stars in fantasy hoops thus far, but it has taken a balanced effort from the team to get where they are. They only play two games this week, both of which are at home. They face off against the 0-8 Mystics on Tuesday before they take on the Liberty on Saturday.
Connecticut Sun go right back to inverted P&R for Alyssa Thomas. Tough to guard. Jefferson screens, no real show, defense goes under, Thomas *still* gets in the paint and finishes. pic.twitter.com/qjAwh0xQ06
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) June 2, 2024
Week 4 games played:
4 games- WAS, NY
3 games- LV, DAL, LA, MIN, CHI, PHX, SEA
2 games- CONN, ATL
1 game- IND
After two straight weeks playing four games, the Fever will only suit up on Friday in Washington. They have played 11 games so far, which is at least two more than every other team in the league and five more than the reigning champs in Las Vegas. They’ll get a few days to recover, while the Mystics and Liberty will take on the busy schedule. For New York, Kayla Thornton (6.7% rostered) has taken on extra minutes lately, which has allowed her to average 27.5 fantasy points over her last two games. In Washington, rookie Julie Vanloo (18.2%) is averaging 19.1 fantasy points per game this season.
Light game days:
Wednesday: 2 games
Las Vegas @ Dallas
Minnesota @ Los Angeles
Thursday: 2 games
Chicago @ Washington
New York @ Atlanta
Saturday: 2 games
New York @ Connecticut
Atlanta @ Chicago
The clear advantage here is for Chicago and New York, as they each play on two separate lighter days. It’s a double advantage for the Liberty, since they play four games this week, while the Sky only play three. The aforementioned Thornton should be a solid streamer, while Chennedy Carter (11.4%) has played well for Chicago lately. She is averaging 19.4 fantasy points per game this season and had 31 fantasy points against the Fever last week.
Back-to-backs:
Thursday-Friday: WAS
Saturday-Sunday: NY
The two teams that play four games each play a back-to-back this week, which adds up. Both squads will be playing four games in six days and three games in four days, so fatigue is certainly a factor to keep an eye on. Neither team has played in a back-to-back yet, but keep an eye on the status of Shakira Austin and Brittney Sykes. Austin has played in their last two games, but she has missed two of their last six with a hip issue. Sykes has only played in two games this season and missed practice on Monday. If she returns before the back-to-back, the odds of her playing in both are low.
Headlines:
Temi Fagbenle out 2-3 weeks
Fagbenle has already missed three games with a foot injury that she suffered last Tuesday. Luckily for the Fever, the No. 2 pick from 2022 was able to step into the starting unit. NaLyssa Smith started their last three games and averaged 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block, which resulted in 36.0 fantasy points per game. Smith is rostered in most leagues, and she should continue to shine until Fagbenle returns.
NaLyssa Smith was so cold for that 😂💀
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) June 3, 2024
pic.twitter.com/JJFZuunVJW
Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston exit early Sunday
During Indiana’s 104-68 loss to the Liberty, both Clark (ear) and Boston (ankle) ended up exiting a bit early. Hopefully this was just precautionary, since both players were in the game until about halfway through the fourth quarter. The Fever only play one game this upcoming week, so we may not get much of an update until closer to Friday.
Lexie Brown injures ankle in Sunday’s loss
The injuries piled up across the league this weekend, and Brown made the list. Brown has been a consistent starter for the Sparks this season, but she has played less than 20 minutes in each of their last three games. Aari McDonald (6.7%) had 21 points against the Fever last week, but she hasn’t been as productive in their last two games despite still playing big minutes. McDonald will likely move into the starting unit if Brown is sidelined against the Lynx on Wednesday.
Looking back at Aari McDonald’s 21 PTS game against Indiana, especially her three point scoring…
— Alford Corriette (@alfcorriette) May 30, 2024
You see what Aari did with the @PerthLynx (using screens/spot ups), translating with the @LASparks. #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/5dkN176dsp
Rookie watch:
Rickea Jackson started all three games that LA played this week and averaged 10.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Layshia Clarendon has missed the team’s last three games with a concussion, which has opened the door for Jackson to start. However, if Jackson is bumped back to the bench when Clarendon returns, she will still play a large reserve role and provide plenty of buckets.
Rickea Jackson with the one-leg fadeaway???! pic.twitter.com/BpuzVHpkm4
— Blake (@blakesilverman) May 31, 2024
Cameron Brink continues to shine on the defensive end of the floor, and she contributed five blocks and three steals this week. Unfortunately, after scoring 21 points in her final game last week, she only added 16 points in three games since then. Brink dropped to third in blocks per game (2.6), but that is still impressive for a rookie. She is also averaging 24.6 fantasy points per game, which is second among rookies.
Rookie Connection 🤩
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 2, 2024
Cameron Brink lays in the lob from Rickea Jackson for the easy 2 🫡
LAS-PHO | WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by @coinbase pic.twitter.com/TWLjBs6u4k
Kamilla Cardoso finally made her debut for the Sky after missing their first ten games with a shoulder injury. The No. 3 overall pick came off the bench in her first game and finished with 11 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes. She’ll eventually shift into the starting unit, which would likely result in Elizabeth Williams being moved to the bench. Williams has started all 47 games that she has played in during her two years with the Sky, so they likely won’t be in any rush to bench her. However, the minutes were close to a split on Saturday (22/18), which will likely continue regardless of which center is starting.
Kamilla Cardoso has officially made her WNBA debut and is already making an impact on the court 🙌 pic.twitter.com/6dJx4ds7jT
— ESPN (@espn) June 1, 2024
There haven’t been many rookies playing consistent minutes this season, but Sevgi Uzun (8.1%) has been a consistent part of the rotation for the Wings. She is actually second in minutes per game among rookies (32.0) and is averaging 7.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 triple, which has resulted in 19.9 fantasy points per game. The 26-year-old Turkish point guard signed with Dallas in February and should continue to be an important part of their rotation.
Sevgi Uzun. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ganSdFaBbZ
— Socrates (@SocratesDergi) May 27, 2024
