After two weeks since the opening tip of the 2026 WNBA season, we’ve learned a few things.
For starters, no lead is safe with the Atlanta Dream. And the Minnesota Lynx? Persistent as they come. Expansion teams are here to compete, and no team has separated itself in the early going of the season.
While there are a lot of games left to be played, the power rankings have shifted again after Week 2.
WNBA Power Rankings
These rankings reflect where each WNBA team stands after Week Two of the 2026 season.
2026 Past Rankings: Opening Weekend, Week 1
Tier 1: Contenders
Atlanta Dream (4-1) | Prior Rank: 3 - The Dream are the No. 1 team in the standings, as Angel Reese pointed out at Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash in Atlanta over Memorial Day weekend.
Angel Reese, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and Naz Hillmon at Birthday Bash in Atlanta 🤩🖤
— haus hoops | wbb (@haushoops) May 25, 2026
“We the number one team right now in the W!”
(via tiona_deniece | Instagram) pic.twitter.com/7Q7u33eOEkReese and her teammates attended the celebration after a comeback win over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday where they erased a 15-point deficit and beat Phoenix 82-80 to improve their record to 4-1.
This was yet another game where the Dream had to overcome a double-digit deficit to pull off a win. While they have won most of their games, constantly having to dig out of holes isn’t a recipe for success. With the best record in the league, they move up two spots to No.1 but their pattern of come-from-behind wins is a concern.
Las Vegas Aces (4-2) | Prior Rank: 1 - The Aces lost their sole game in Week Two so they drop a spot this week in a competitive matchup against a hungry-Los Angeles Sparks squad that was blown out by the Aces in their first game of the season.
It’s really not a bad loss for the defending champs, who are currently tied with three other teams for the second best record in the WNBA, but more concerning is Jackie Young going scoreless in the team’s last two outings.
Becky said that Jackie is playing with a heavy heart and has her team’s support. She played less tonight because of foul trouble. She impacts the game in multiple ways outside of her scoring.
— zavanté.˙⋆ ♱ (@zavanchy) May 24, 2026
Put down the narratives. https://t.co/uImjRTwrVV pic.twitter.com/yfQqJ9o0vTYoung is one of the best players in the league so it’s not time to hit the panic button, and Aces head coach Becky Hammon said Young is “playing with a heavy heart.” Her play may be something to monitor, but the Aces still have enough talent to win games and provide support to Young.
Tier 2: Potential Contender
Minnesota Lynx (4-2) | Prior Rank: 7 - A lot was made of the Lynx’s perceived lack of offseason moves but after two weeks of play, they are in a four-way tie for the second best record in the league without the services of Napheesa Collier.
The Lynx jump four spots and a tier this week as they move to two games over .500. Minnesota is a machine and once Collier returns, they will likely become a bona fide contender.
Dallas Wings (4-3) | Prior Rank: 8 - The Wings move up four spots and a tier this week after concluding a 2-1 road trip during Week Two with a dominant 15-point win over the New York Liberty.
Azzi Fudd has the best game of her rookie season to date, scoring 17 of her 14 points in the third quarter of the win. Fudd’s currently the only player in the league averaging 50-40-90 shooting splits.
Career night for Azzi Fudd 👏
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 24, 2026
Fudd finished with 24 PTS, 6 3PM, 3 STL and 2 BLK in the @DallasWings win over the Liberty!
Her 17 points in the third quarter tie for the 2nd most points by a rookie in ANY quarter in WNBA history, while her six triples tied for the 2nd most in a… pic.twitter.com/ZOD3k9XcrxAfter losing two games in a row after their first game of the season, the Wings have since gone 3-1 and have notable wins over the Fever and Liberty this year.
Indiana Fever (4-2) | Prior Rank: 10 - The Fever went 2-0 in Week Two and are finally above .500 this season. Even more impressive is that they won one of those games without Caitlin Clark, who was out on Wednesday against the Portland Fire due to a back injury.
There was a lot of conversation about Clark’s absence and whether it was really due to load management. The league issued the Fever a warning for failing to timely update Clark’s game status before Indiana’s matchup with Portland.
Clark addressed the concern and explained that while she wants to play every game, she wanted to make sure her mind and body were right before returning to the floor.
Asked Caitlin Clark:
— Tony East (@TonyREast) May 22, 2026
-A timeline of her Tuesday and Wednesday
-Who made the final call on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/nS9lqPJVpHThe Fever look like they are finally settling in this season and are playing more like the team that made it to the semifinals last year. Their next two games are rematches of their last two, but this time they will be playing the Golden State Valkyries and Fire on the road.
Tier 3: In the Mix
- Golden State Valkyries (4-2) | Prior Rank: 5 - The Valkyries had an impressive win over the Liberty in New York and blew out the Connecticut Sun by 27 points on Monday after losing 90-82 to the Fever on Friday. Since the Fever won the head-to-head matchup with the Valkyries, they fall one spot behind them this week.
- Portland Fire (4-3) | Prior Rank: 14 - The Fire take a massive leap this week after going 2-1 on a three-game road trip with wins against the Toronto Tempo and Liberty. By any measure, the Fire are off to a solid start this season, but it’s even more impressive considering they are an expansion team.
Los Angeles Sparks (3-3) | Prior Rank: 13 - The Sparks finally get to .500 after winning their last two games, which included a statement win over the Aces in Las Vegas on Saturday. Kelsey Plum erupted for 38 points, tallied nine assists, made six three-pointers, shot 70.6 percent from the field, and played 37 minutes against her former team.
We’ve got these Kelsey Plum buckets on repeat 😏
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 24, 2026
She went off for 38 PTS, 9 AST, 6 3PM, and 4 REB as the @LASparks won a THRILLER in Vegas!#WNBASeason30 pic.twitter.com/z1hEHYJWzhThe Sparks are in the middle of a four-game road trip with games left to play against the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun. Both teams currently have losing records which provides the Sparks a prime opportunity to get over .500 and rise up the standings.
Chicago Sky (3-3) | Prior Rank: 4 - The Sky went 0-2 during Week Two, which are also the first two games they played without Rickea Jackson after losing her to a season-ending ACL injury.
What does Jackson's ACL injury mean for the Sky?Natalie Esquire and Terrika Foster-Brasby unpack the news that Rickea Jackson will be out for the rest of the season due to an ACL injury. They also discuss Natasha Cloud's comments after the game.The Sky did receive a boost on Saturday with the return of Azurá Stevens, although Stevens had a quiet night in her return.
The Sky will have to adjust to playing without Jackson while getting acclimated to Stevens. After losing two in a row, they slide five spots to No. 9.
New York Liberty (3-4) | Prior Rank: 2 - The Liberty are in a downward spiral after losing three games in a row at home, falling below .500 for the first time this season.
While the Liberty have had to deal with Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally being in and out of the lineup, they still have more than enough talent to win games.
Their defense has been their Achilles heel so far this season, sporting a defensive rating of 106.5 (No. 8 in the league) and that won’t cut it for a team with championship aspirations.
Toronto Tempo (3-4) | Prior Rank: 6 - The Tempo are on a two-game skid where they got blown out by the Lynx and Fire by 28 and 19 points, respectively. The losses, while not ideal, are mostly concerning because of how they lost in blowout fashion.
Toronto will look to bounce back against the Sky and Seattle Storm, but for now, they fall five spots this week.
Seattle Storm (3-4) | Prior Rank: 14 - The Storm move up two spots and a tier this week after getting wins against the Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics during Week Two.
Natisha Hiedeman and Flau’jae Johnson led the way with 24 and 17 points, respectively, in their win over the Mystics on Sunday. Awa Fam also chipped in with 10 points in her rookie debut. Once Dominique Malonga returns to the team from concussion protocols, the Storm will become a more formidable team.
When you and your teammate both tie your career-highs in the same game >> 🤑
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 25, 2026
Natisha and Flau'jae were HOOPIN' in their home matchup. Their efforts led them to their third dub of the szn!
✅ Natisha Hiedeman: 24 PTS | 5 AST | 4 3PM
✅ Flau'jae Johnson: 17 PTS | 6 REB | 2 3PM… pic.twitter.com/jnThuOxMrB- Washington Mystics (2-3) | Prior Rank: 9 - The Mystics are on the tail end of a four-game road trip where they’ve gone 1-2 and have fallen below .500. Losers of two games in a row, they will look to get back in the win column with a rematch against the Storm on Wednesday.
Phoenix Mercury (2-5) | Prior Rank: 11 - The Phoenix Mercury are on a three-game losing streak and currently hold the second-worst record in the WNBA.
The Mercury, a team who made the Finals last year, currently sit three games below .500. During their run last season, they didn’t fall below .500 once.
Alyssa Thomas acknowledged in her postgame comments on Sunday that this is unchartered territory for her, and the Mercury don’t want to dig a hole too deep to come back from
You can tell Alyssa Thomas really care about winning by the way she talks after games. Always focused on improving #PhoenixMercury #AlyssaThomas #WNBA #Basketball pic.twitter.com/eBalOcslUP
— EchoGoddess (@NoireDollReign) May 25, 2026
Tier 4: Rebuilding
Connecticut Sun (1-7) | Prior Rank: 15 - The Sun finally got their first win of the season against the Seattle Storm after a heartbreaking one-point loss to the Portland Fire, but they’ve followed two competitive games up with an 18-point loss to the Storm and a 27-point loss to the Valkyries.
The Sun have one more game to play against the Fire during a brutal five-game road trip, but then they return home to play the Sparks on Saturday and look forward to the return of Leïla Lacan.
Breaking: Leila Lacan will likely be making her return to Connecticut this weekend.
— Deyscha "Sway" Smith (@deyschasmith) May 26, 2026
Rachid Meziane told me postgame that he thinks “she will be ready to play” at the Sun’s next home game this Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Lacan led Basket Landes to the 2026 La… pic.twitter.com/hw0w7CY93r
