WNBA Player News

Injured during the third quarter of Wednesday’s loss to the Sparks, Wilson has entered the league’s concussion protocol. Not only will she not be available for Friday’s game against the Wings, but there’s also a chance Wilson also misses Sunday’s game against the Mercury. Her absence leaves a massive hole in the Aces’ lineup, and Las Vegas will need guard Jewell Loyd to get untracked after a slow start to her first season with the team. As for who moves into the starting lineup, Aaliyah Nye is a possibility if Las Vegas goes with a smaller lineup, and she can provide perimeter shooting.

Atkins was involved in almost every aspect of Friday’s game, as indicated by the stat sheet. She led her team in scoring, was one of the Sky’s leaders in assists, grabbed a handful of rebounds, and was the only player on either team to finish the game with multiple blocks and steals. Yet, the veteran guard’s contributions weren’t enough to land the Sky back-to-back wins. Nevertheless, fantasy managers should be quite satisfied with Atkins’ production on Friday night against the Valkyries.

In her first start as a member of the Fever in the absence of Caitlin Clark, McDonald split facilitation duties with Kelsey Mitchell while trying to play the best point of attack defense she could against Paige Bueckers. Half of McDonald’s assists came at a pivotal time for the Fever when they struggled to put points on the board. Two thirds of McDonald’s assists were to Kelsey Mitchell who was the Fever’s stabilizing offensive force on the floor without Caitlin Clark. McDonald’s scores were either via her running down the other way in transition or when she found open driving lanes. McDonald like Mitchell is properly unlocked when she has opportunities to go downhill.

On the heels of a monster 18-point, 17-rebound game against the Sparks, Reese recorded a nearly identical line in Friday’s loss to the Valkyries. The sophomore forward dominated both the offensive and defensive glass to collect just shy of 20 rebounds, while having a productive scoring output and draining a three-pointer in the process. Reese is averaging 15.0 points, 18.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.7 steals over her last three games. Her recent jump as a scorer has been an important development after a rather slow start to the season in that area. She’ll look to log another productive performance on Sunday against the Sparks.

Howard too was incredibly efficient for the Fever. She was given looks in situations she could exploit. She scored in transition and in pick-and-roll actions where she would get the ball in the paint or close to the rim. Howard too took advantage of Dallas’ less defensively savvy post players. In addition to her scoring, Howard’s rebounding was incredibly valuable to the Fever. Friday night’s win was her third double-digit rebounding game of the season.

Martin came up big for the Valkyries down the stretch of Friday’s contest to help put away the Sky. She logged just 10 minutes through the first three quarters but played the entire fourth quarter, where she scored six significant points and splashed a couple of triples to ignite the crowd. Martin has scored in double figures in each of her last two games, shooting 7-of-17 from beyond the arc during that time. She is enjoying a nice sophomore season and seems to be gaining confidence with each passing game.

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.

Boston like her teammate Kelsey Mitchell was so efficient on Friday night. She took advantage of being guarded by Li Yueru, a less athletic center. She also took advantage of when smaller defender Myisha Hines-Allen was switched onto her. When the Fever were struggling to put points on the board in the third quarter, Boston along with Mitchell took matters into their own hands. Boston accounted for 55.6% of the team’s points in that third quarter. Mitchell found Boston on the move twice and Boston used her speed to blow by multiple defenders. Also, all of Boston’s three assists were to Mitchell. Boston knew exactly how much space Mitchell needed to get off her shot, which exemplifies that the two have mastered how to play to each other’s strengths.

Thornton produced her highest scoring total of the season on Friday night, utilizing an abundance of three-pointers and high free-throw volume to achieve such. She opened the game with nine first-quarter points but closed the show equally as impressively, tallying eight points and some key baskets down the stretch to expand Golden State’s lead and bring the home crowd to its feet. Thornton is enjoying her most productive season as a scorer. If she can stay consistent from three-point range, her impact could become even greater.

Despite the double-digit loss, Hartley logged arguably her best offensive performance of the season. She finished with season-highs in points and three-pointers while tying a season-best in assists. It should be noted that eight of the veteran guard’s points came in the fourth quarter, in which the Sun entered trailing by 27 points. Still, Hartley had a productive night overall and doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy of losing any minutes or seeing a lesser role anytime soon. She remains nothing more than an emergency streaming option in fantasy leagues.

Morrow had a career-best performance in Friday’s matchup with the Storm. She came off the bench and reached the 20-point mark and grabbed double-digit rebounds for the first time in her young career, earning her first double-double in the process. The rookie forward had briefly found her way to the Sun’s starting lineup before being relegated to the bench after one start. With a performance like Friday’s, one has to wonder how much longer Morrow will remain in a reserve role. If she can secure consistent minutes, she may be worth rostering in fantasy leagues.