Kaitlyn

Chen

With Tiffany Hayes and Carla Leite both ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Wings, Kaila Charles gets her first start as a member of the Valkyries. Charles provided meaningful minutes off the bench against the Mercury on Friday night adding nine points and five rebounds in 26 minutes. With Charles moving to the starting lineup, head coach Natalie Nakase will have to call upon guards Kate Martin and Kaitlyn Chen.

Leite left the Valkyries’ Friday game against the Mercury at the beginning of the fourth quarter. While Leite was previously ruled questionable, she has been downgraded to out. Without Leite and Tiffany Hayes available for Sunday afternoon’s game against the Wings, the Valkyries will have to rely upon Kaila Charles, who gets the start, in addition to Kate Martin and Kaitlyn Chen.

After previously being questionable for the Valkyries game on Sunday against the Wings, Hayes has been since downgraded to out. She left her team’s game on Friday night with 7:17 left in the third quarter when she collided into Mercury wing Kahleah Copper. Kaila Charles will take Hayes’ place in the starting lineup on Sunday, getting her first start since joining the Valkyries. Head coach Natalie Nakase will be calling on more minutes from other guards Kate Martin and Kaitlyn Chen while Golden State will also be without Carla Leite in addition to Hayes.

Leite exited Friday night’s game against the Mercury with 8:20 minutes left in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. It wasn’t blatantly obvious as to which play Leite sustained her injury, but guards Kate Martin and Kaitlyn Chen stayed in the game for extended minutes shortly after Leite was subbed out.

With 7:17 left in the third quarter, Hayes collided into Phoenix Mercury wing Kahleah Copper while Hayes was defending her and trying to intercept a pass intended for Copper. Hayes was down on the floor for a while before going back to the locker room. On the play she injured her left knee and she will not return to the game. Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase will have to defer more to her bench guards in Kaila Charles, Kate Martin and rookie Kaitlyn Chen to play during the rest of Friday night’s game.

Leite, who played 32 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Valkyries, is questionable for Friday’s rematch with a foot injury. Golden State has been hit hard by injuries recently, and the rookie’s absence would put the team in a difficult spot depth-wise. Kaila Charles and Kaitlyn Chen would likely see their minutes hold steady if Leite sits, as Tiffany Hayes (rest) is off the injury report after not playing on Tuesday.

Rupert was moved out of the starting lineup during the Valkyries’ second game on a back-to-back. Head coach Natalie Nakase noticed that the French center struggled defending against physicality against the Mystics, and the Sky’s front court is even more physical than the Mystics’. Rupert stepped up especially in the fourth quarter and her three clutch three-pointers in the final quarter helped the Valkyries seal the road win. Kaitlyn Chen and Veronica Burton both found Rupert for two each of her total four three-pointers.

Sunday’s game will be Leite’s third missed game with a back injury. In addition to usual starters Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes playing more minutes, rookie Kaitlyn Chen has entered the rotation. Chen will not be worth the risk in fantasy leagues, while Hayes is still available on some waiver wires for those needing a guard to end the week.

Chen had a career-best night on Friday, seeing season-highs in minutes, points, and assists in the victory. She played all 10 fourth-quarter minutes for Golden State and recorded two assists to zero turnovers in that segment. She seems to have earned the trust of head coach Natalie Nakase in just the third game of her career, and appears on the cusp of becoming a regular in the Valkyries’ nightly rotation. Chen finished as one of four Golden State players to score in double figures.

Leite will miss a second straight game with a back injury. Her absence led to starters Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes playing more minutes, with Kaitlyn Chen cracking the rotation off the bench. Burton and Hayes should already be rostered in most leagues, while fantasy managers can afford to leave Chen on the waiver wire.