WNBA Player News

Coulibaly was a two-time All-SEC selection during her five-year career, which consisted of three seasons at Auburn and two at Texas A&M. During her final season with the Aggies, the 6-foot-tall guard averaged 12.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. Coulibaly is an athletic perimeter player who does not provide much outside shooting. She can offer additional defensive ability in Chicago, but Coulibaly must improve as a shooter.

After missing her lone shot attempt during the first quarter, Gray was 3-of-3 from the field in the second. Unfortunately, that did not result in an explosive second half, as she shot 1-of-7 after halftime. The good news for fantasy managers is that Gray frequently visited the foul line, leading all players with 10 attempts. Add in the rebounds and assists, and the Dream guard still provided 30 fantasy points in ESPN leagues. Gray and Atlanta will look to end their week on a high note when the Liberty visits on Sunday.

Since scoring three points on 1-of-8 shooting in a June 10 win over the Fever, Howard has scored at least 13 points in seven straight games. She did not have her best night against the Lynx, shooting 4-of-14 from the field, and she’s shot just 29.8 percent over the last six appearances. However, the Dream guard did finish Friday’s overtime defeat with a complete stat line. Howard’s eight assists were two shy of her season-high, and she recorded three steals for the fifth time in 2025. Howard can provide solid fantasy value even if the shots aren’t falling, as evidenced by the line recorded against the Lynx.

Coming off a two-game stretch in which she totaled six points on 2-of-8 shooting, Canada was far more productive against the Lynx. The percentages weren’t the best, but the 14 points were a season-high for the veteran point guard. Add in the assists and steals, and this was arguably Canada’s best all-around performance of the season. Her improved play resulted in decreased playing time for rookie Te-Hina Paopao, who finished with two points (1-of-3 FGs) in 10 minutes of action to Canada’s 35.

While Griner has willingly taken a back seat offensively to the likes of Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard in her first season with the Dream, she may have been a bit too deferential in recent games. Entering Friday having attempted seven shots or fewer in seven straight games, the 6-foot-9 center hit double digits in shots for the first time since June 6 against the Sun. That was also the last game in which Griner scored more points than she did against the Lynx in Friday’s overtime defeat. Atlanta has no shortage of offensive weapons, but Griner’s consistent involvement will be key as they look to challenge the WNBA’s best teams.

Bueckers struggled to hit her shot early shooting 1-for-6 to begin the game. But once the first quarter ended, Bueckers’ efficiency skyrocketed and shot 8-for-12 in the game’s final three quarters. Bueckers’ momentum picked up right after she hit a 31-foot off-balanced trey with a second left before the half. With 6:20 left in the fourth quarter, Bueckers hit a consequential right wing step-back three over Lexie Hull to get the Wings within 2 points after being down by as many as 22. Bueckers added six assists to her almost 30 piece including a pass to Aziaha James in the left corner pocket while the Wings were going on a 13-5 run in the fourth quarter.

Jones entered Friday’s game having shot a combined 8-of-23 from the field in Atlanta’s previous two games. And with Minnesota boasting one of the top defensive frontcourt tandems in the WNBA in Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith, getting untracked would be challenging. However, Jones was up to the task, with the 18 points being the most she’s recorded in a game since a June 10 win over the Fever (21). Friday’s game was also the fifth this season in which she’s tallied two steals. Jones and the Dream will face another test on Sunday when they host the Liberty.

While teammate Napheesa Collier is the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Smith may be making a run to add her name to the list of winners. She blocked another two shots on Friday, extending her streak of games with at least two rejections to six. Friday’s game was also Smith’s fifth this season with at least two steals. Add in the rebounding production, and this was another excellent performance for Minnesota’s starting forward/center. Smith will look to finish the week on a high note when the Lynx host Connecticut on Sunday.

While a few of her Lynx teammates struggled with turnovers on Friday, Williams did not commit any in the 96-92 overtime victory. And that was a welcome development after Williams had her worst game of the season on Tuesday. In Minnesota’s loss to the Mystics, she shot 2-of-11 from the field and finished with twice as many turnovers (10) as points (five). Nights like Tuesday have not been the norm for Williams, so there should not have been any concern regarding her ability to bounce back. Her improved production was one of the reasons why Minnesota hung on for the win in Atlanta.

The lone negative for McBride on Friday was her turnover count, as she finished the overtime victory with a season-high five. The good news for managers competing in standard ESPN fantasy leagues is that turnovers aren’t a scoring category. After shooting 1-of-9 from the field in Tuesday’s loss to the Lynx, which included a 0-of-7 night from three, McBride got untracked in Atlanta. She’ll look to build on that shooting while cutting down on the turnovers when Minnesota hosts Connecticut on Sunday.

Generally speaking, the Lynx don’t call on Carleton to be one of their top offensive options. However, as was the case in Friday’s overtime victory, she can step up. After totaling 20 points in her four prior appearances, Carleton made all five of her shot attempts against the Dream. Included in that line were a season-high four three-pointers after shooting 2-of-7 from deep in her last three. While the inconsistent scoring makes her challenging to rely on in standard fantasy leagues, Carleton has value in deeper formats due to the three-point potential.