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Indiana and New York will have FIVE All-Stars on the court when these two teams clash on Wednesday. Logo snipers Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu will be teammates on Saturday, July 19th, but they’ll first face-off in front of a sold-out crowd at Barclays. Their last meeting [in the Commissioner’s Cup] saw an EXPLOSION of offense... July 11, 2025 ‘Twas the Week Before All-Star Break… EJ Arocho Angel Reese is SCORCHING HOT The past two weeks have seen Reese elevate her game to new heights: seven consecutive double-doubles to be exact, including 16 points & 17 rebounds vs Minnesota in the first meeting just days ago. Her efficiency has improved dramatically and her FG & FT% are both better than ever, as is her court vision. She looks like a totally different player than we saw during the first month of the season. The Bayou Barbie will go to war against her All-Star Captain and MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier in a Saturday afternoon game and again on Monday night. Double the drama, double the spice! Paige Bueckers vs Caitlin Clark… FINALLY Sunday will see Indiana take on Dallas in front of a massive crowd at American Airlines Center for the showdown fans have been waiting for all season! Two of the WNBA's most exciting, talented and popular players will clash for the first time since their college days at UConn and Iowa, respectively. Both come into this one averaging nearly the same numbers across the board. Both are known for their 3-point shooting and court vision. Although a home game for the Wings, the crowd could be 50/50 split. Indiana took the first meeting of the season series sans Caitlin, can they make it two-in-a-row? Last year’s Rookie of the Year meets this year’s frontrunner. Grab your popcorn! Three MVP contenders CLASH With the season split at 1-1, New York and Atlanta will go head-to-head on Sunday for the tiebreaker. Dynamic duo & 1-2 punch Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu will take on Allisha Gray who is currently having the best season of her professional career, averaging career-highs in points, rebounds and assists. The first meeting saw Sab & Stewie combine for 57 and snatch the dub, though Gold Medal Lish got revenge in the last one, dropping 20 points in Atlanta’s 9-point win. I have this game circled in bright red as the game of the week! Fiancées Reunited Last week saw Phoenix sign 2x Champ DeWanna Bonner, bringing her back to where it all started with the Mercury, where she was drafted 5th overall back in 2009. This homecoming also sees her reunite with former Connecticut Sun teammate and current fiancée Alyssa Thomas. A team that has been the hottest in the league the past few weeks just got even hotter! Fresh off an upset of the league’s best team [the Lynx], two games this week could result in two more wins, including a rematch with mighty Minnesota on Wednesday. A Team Filled with All-Stars The Seattle Storm boast THREE All-Star selections in Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike & Gabby Williams. This trio has been incredible all season long, with Nneka and Skylar likely All-WNBA First & Second Team selections and Gabby a DPOY frontrunner. Three games in six days have them matched up against Connecticut first, followed by Washington and Golden State. They have yet to face the Mystics this season, but look to avenge losses to CT and GS. In fact, those are the only two L's Seattle has suffered the past two weeks! They’ll especially have Wednesday’s game vs GS underlined, highlighted AND circled, as the Valks handed them their worst loss of the season back on June 29th (84-57). First Meeting of the Season Before KiKi Iriafen, Sonia Citron and Kelsey Plum head off to clash in Indianapolis, they’ll do battle on Tuesday for the first time this year. This one is a toss-up in my opinion, since both teams have multiple scoring options and lockdown defenders. Both teams boast four of five starters averaging double-figures, including the three aforementioned All-Stars. Monster Clash Before the Break Indiana and New York will have FIVE All-Stars on the court when these two teams clash on Wednesday. Logo snipers Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu will be teammates on Saturday, July 19th, but they’ll first face-off in front of a sold-out crowd at Barclays. Their last meeting [in the Commissioner’s Cup] saw an EXPLOSION of offense, with CC dropping a season-high 32 (seven 3’s) and Sab going off for a season-high 34 (four 3’s). You can bet your bottom dollar that NY is craving revenge after the Fever handed them that loss, their first of the season. It’ll be all business in this one! Vegas Woes The Aces don’t look very good, plain and simple. To add insult to injury, their one constant, A’ja Wilson, took a hard fall last week and was ruled out Thursday vs Washington. If she’s forced to sit out more games, it could spell disaster in an already up-and-down (mostly down) season thus far. Games against Golden State and Dallas are absolute MUST-WINS to prevent a further slide down the standings. Newly-signed NaLyssa Smith will look to have breakout performances this week and help keep Vegas afloat. I’ve always said if this team can get clicking on all cylinders, they can beat anybody in the league. Multiple Olympians, All-Stars and WNBA Champs. They have all the pieces to be successful this season, but the time to LOCK IN is NOW. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author EJ Arocho is Mr. Women’s Basketball and lives in New Jersey. Lives by the shore but looking to make waves everywhere!

People should know that the Northern Super League is the first ever professional women’s soccer league in Canada. My favorite part so far has been... May 22, 2025 In The Know W/ NSL's Croix Soto Croix Soto What should people know about the NSL that they may not already know? What have your favorite parts been so far? People should know that the Northern Super League is the first ever professional women’s soccer league in Canada. My favorite part so far has been getting our first win against Calgary on our home field in front of our fans and I have already made new friendships that will last a lifetime. Are there any upcoming NSL matchups that women’s sports fans should get extra excited about? I would say our upcoming Ottawa game on June 7th. It will be a home game this time around and we will get the opportunity for a rematch after we lost to them away. It will be a good opportunity for redemption at home in front of our fans. When you aren’t watching women’s soccer, what is other women’s sport and or women’s athlete that you love watching? I watch my friends who play in the NWSL because I love cheering them on and watching them do great things from a distance. I also love watching track and field especially during the Olympics. It’s amazing to watch the records be broken and watch the sport continue to grow in such a positive way. I love how track athletes are able to have their own style and personalities come out on the track. It's also super fun to see the new looks they will have when they step onto the track. Select Northern Super League (NSL) matches are available on ESPN+. Other matches can be viewed on the league's official website at https://www.nsl.ca/ . ESPN+ has signed up to show over 40 NSL matches in the inaugural 2025 season, including playoffs and the final. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Croix Soto is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Canadian club AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League . Soto started all four years she attended University of Oregon . She played every minute of the Ducks' 2021 season, during which Oregon held nine clean sheets in 18 games. Soto was a two-time All-Pac 12 selection. Soto signed a one-year deal in 2023 with the Kansas City Current and made eight starts in 12 appearances for the NWSL side. In November 2024, she signed with Canadian club AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League for the 2025 season. Via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croix_Soto

July 24, 2025 Jaden's Picks - Remaining WNBA season Jaden Fode SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

July 10, 2025 Jaden's Picks All-Star Reserves Edition Jaden Fode SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

When Let’s Fantasy Game invites you to Be in the Know, I take that as a challenge. It's not enough to simply discuss the latest news entertainingly; I want to provide insights you cannot find anywhere else. My favorite way to do that is to unearth players who may be under the radar but are about to make a big impact. July 6, 2025 Nine Players Who Could Benefit From Expansion Steve Pimental When Let’s Fantasy Game invites you to Be in the Know , I take that as a challenge. It's not enough to simply discuss the latest news entertainingly; I want to provide insights you cannot find anywhere else. My favorite way to do that is to unearth players who may be under the radar but are about to make a big impact. Anyone can tell you why A’ja Wilson is great, and I will gladly do that too , but I really love finding lesser-known players who are really good. That was why I was so proud to highlight Julia Lopez Ramirez before she played in the final round at the U.S. Women’s Open and to tout rookie Te’Hina Paopao before the season started. The WNBA’s announcement last week that they were adding three more expansion teams to bring the league to 18 teams by 2030 gives us another chance to find hidden gems. WNBA fans and media have been saying for years that the league needed to expand. Every season, very good players were relegated to bench roles or left off rosters altogether because the league’s 12 teams could only roster 12 players each, and often only 11. We have already seen the impact of the Valkyries joining and adding 12 new roster spots to the league this season. Journeyman forward Kayla Thornton, selected in the expansion draft from the New York Liberty, is averaging the most points, rebounds and steals of her 10-year WNBA career. Two weeks ago she scored a career-high 29 points, which almost certainly wouldn’t have happened if she had remained in a bench role for the Liberty or another team. I also don’t think it is a coincidence that so many rookies are making an impact this season. Typically, only a handful of rookies play meaningful roles, and anyone selected outside of the first round is lucky to even secure a roster spot. This season, 23 rookies are averaging at least 10 minutes per game, and 20 of those have played at least eight games. With as many as 60 roster spots opening up in the next five years, there will be plenty more opportunities for players languishing on benches or out of the league entirely to make an impact. With that in mind, I have identified nine players who I believe can take on a bigger role if given the chance. In some cases, expansion might not even be necessary. Some of these players could break out this season if their team suffers some injuries or if the coach decides they want a new look. No matter the circumstances, these are nine breakout players to watch out for. Diamond Miller, F, Minnesota Lynx Miller earned All-Rookie honors in 2023, starting all 32 games while averaging 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 26.1 minutes per game. She started three games in 2024 before suffering a right knee injury that caused her to miss a month. When she returned she was relegated to a bench role for a team that was cruising to the second-best record in the league. I thought she would get a chance to play more this season, but the Lynx are as good as ever, and Miller is averaging a career-low 8.9 mpg. That being said, there are reasons to believe Miller can get back to the heights she achieved as a rookie, if not higher. She is up to 13.6 points per 36 minutes, up from 10.3 last season. She is shooting a career-high 43.8 percent from the field and 50 percent on 2.9 3-point attempts per 36. She probably needs to take even more threes, especially while she is playing off of Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams, but she looks as capable as ever of getting out in transition and attacking a closeout when she’s chased off the three-point line. I would love to see her get a chance to be a focal point for an expansion team, but I think it is more likely she sees her role expand with the Lynx as they lose more rotation players to expansion and/or free agency. Aari McDonald, Guard, Indiana Fever McDonald has been great filling in for the injured Caitlin Clark. The five-year vet is averaging a career-high 4.4 assists in 27.2 minutes per game, to go along with 10.3 points, 1.3 steals and just 1.4 turnovers. That being said, her strong play didn’t prevent McDonald from being cut when Clark rejoined the lineup the first time. I think McDonald has played well enough to earn herself a job for the rest of the season, either with Indiana or another team, but her 2025 season highlights one of the problems with having just 13 teams in the league. McDonald is an undersized point guard who is much better on the ball than off the ball. With only 13 starting point guard positions available, it is understandable she lost the league’s offseason game of musical chairs. For as well as the Valkyries have played this season, they still rank 10th in offensive rating. One of the expansion teams or a rebuilding team would do well to give McDonald the keys to their second unit, if nothing else. Chennedy Carter, Guard, Adelitas de Chihuahua Much of what I wrote about McDonald applies to Carter. Carter nearly single-handedly carried the Chicago Sky’s offense last season, averaging a career-high 17.5 points on 48.7 percent shooting from the field. The Sky chose not to extend a qualifying offer after the season, and no WNBA team signed her in unrestricted free agency. Carter is putting up decent numbers in Mexico, averaging 15.6 points and 3.7 assists per game. Unlike McDonald, Carter has more to prove to WNBA teams off the court than on it. If she can keep her name out of the headlines, one of these new front offices might be inclined to give her a chance. With several teams in need of lead ball-handlers, Carter could fill that role. Raquel Carrera, Forward, Valencia Carrera is a free agent after the Liberty renounced her draft rights, which they had acquired from Atlanta in the AD Durr trade. Carrera is fresh off trading Spain to the Silver medal at EuroBasket, where she was named to the All-Star First Team. The 23-year-old more than held her own against several WNBA players, including Emma Meesseeman in the championship game. Carrera was a second-round pick of Atlanta despite the fact that she was not guaranteed to join the league anytime soon. Carrera doesn’t space the floor, which could make her a tricky fit with some teams, but she has nice touch around the rim, and she is a menace rolling to the basket. I would love to see her on a team that gets out and runs like Phoenix or Los Angeles. I think she is fast enough to beat a lot of guards down the floor. Awak Kuier, Center, Dallas Wings Kuier hasn’t quite lived up to her billing as a second overall pick in the WNBA draft, but there is still time. She was a big-time rim protector across three WNBA seasons, averaging 2.45 blocks per 36 minutes. After playing year-round between the WNBA and Europe, she took off the last two WNBA seasons first to rest and then to represent Finland at Eurobasket. Kuier was named Italian League Finals MVP in 2024, and she averaged 20.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks at Eurobasket. Nearly Dallas’s entire frontcourt will enter free agency after the season, so Kuier should be in line for a significant role in 2026. Isabelle Harrison, Forward, New York Liberty Harrison ostensibly replaced Kayla Thornton with the Liberty this year, averaging 9.2 minutes off the bench. Like Thornton, Harrison has been a capable starter in the past, starting 102 games across eight WNBA seasons. Harrison has averaged at least 11.6 points per 36 minutes in every season, and she is averaging a career-high 11.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.0 steals per 36 minutes this season. As I have alluded to above, I believe the hardest thing for expansion teams to find is reliable offense, and Harrison is still capable of providing that. Chloe Bibby, Forward, Free Agent Bibby leads the league with 10.4 three-point attempts per 36 minutes, just ahead of Rhyne Howard. Unlike Howard, Bibby shot exceptionally well, hitting 42.1 percent of her threes. Bibby played just five games for the Valkyries while half their team played in Eurobasket, but I think she showed enough to get a chance somewhere next season. Bibby shot 35.5 percent on threes in college, and while she needs to expand the rest of her game, she has one ready-made WNBA skill right now. She has a quick release and is comfortable coming off screens off the ball, pulling up in transition, or picking and popping. Bibby has shown the ability to attack closeouts and shoot over shorter players on switches in the NBL. If she can do that in the WNBA, she will be a handful. Dorka Juhasz, Center, Minnesota Lynx Much like Awak Kuier, Juhasz sat out this season after playing year-round the last two years. She made the All-Rookie team in 2023 alongside Diamond Miller, but saw her minutes drop last season. Even so, Juhasz was just as efficient in her sophomore season, shooting 47.9 percent from the field, averaging 10.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per 36 minutes. Even with Juhasz out, the Lynx have the deepest frontcourt in the league with rookie Anastasiia Olairi Kosu joining Napheesa Collier, Bridget Carleton, Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard, Alissa Pili and Maria Kliundikova. Juhasz was out of the rotation at times last season but she has played well enough to be a backup center at the very least, either for the Lynx or someone else. Haley Jones, Wing, Free Agent Like Chloe Bibby, Jones excelled in a short stint while on a hardship contract during Eurobasket. Jones is sixth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio, just behind Aari McDonald, among others. Jones averaged over three turnovers per 36 minutes in each of her first two seasons in Atlanta, but if she has learned to take care of the ball, she could very well stick with a team next season. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

One of the things I like about these contests on Sparket is that it asks me to look at a slate of games differently than I would otherwise... June 18, 2025 LFG Sparket Picks for 6/18-22 Steve Pimental One of the things I like about these contests on Sparket is that it asks me to look at a slate of games differently than I would otherwise. I’m used to picking teams to win or against the spread, but trying to predict which team will score the most points between two games stretches a different muscle. With the round robin portion of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup ending Tuesday, we are entering the heart of both the WNBA and NWSL schedules. With the Cup on hold and the All-Star game a month away, this is the perfect time to enhance your summer sports viewing with LFG’s fantasy contests powered by Sparket. While there are plenty of great reasons to play fantasy contests, two of my favorite reasons are to be part of a community and to win, which is why I am sharing my picks for the week with you. Feel free to fade my picks or come along for the ride. Either way, I hope to hear from you in the LFG Discord. 06/18/25 Phoenix Mercury Winner (1.7x) vs. Connecticut Sun Phoenix is 8-4 on the season with Alyssa Thomas missing five games and Kahleah Copper missing 11 games. They both played in Sunday’s win over the shorthanded Aces, and they should only improve with more time together. Phoenix comes into this game with two days' rest while Connecticut plays at Indiana the night before. Sparket lists Phoenix's win percentage at 58.6 percent, but I think that is too low. Top Points Scorer Satou Sabally (3.1x) Lexi Held was great with Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper out, but she managed just three points Sunday with both Mercury stars back. With her eliminated, we just have to choose between Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally, and Tina Charles. Sabally’s usage will inevitably decrease with her costars back in the fold, but she is averaging 20.6 ppg this season, compared to 17.6 for Mabrey and 16.8 for Charles. Sabally scored a team-high 22 points Sunday in Copper's first game back, so it is not like we can expect her to turn into a pumpkin. Connecticut has allowed the second-most ppg this season, while Phoenix has allowed the fourth-fewest. When you add in the rest advantage, I’m rolling with Sabally even though we’re getting the worst odds of the four options. 06/19/25 Highest Scoring Team Phoenix Mercury (4.5X) Now its time to exercise those muscles I mentioned above. The Liberty have allowed the fewest points per game this season, but I just think the odds are way too good for a top-four team with all its stars back. Phoenix makes me nervous on the second night of a back-to-back but I also think New York’s defense is overrated. I’ve seen them allow 88 and 102 points to the Fever and now that they’re facing another good team, I think we could see another high-scoring game. 6/20/25 Orlando Pride Winner (2.1X) The top two teams in the league, Kansas City and Orlando, both play on the road Friday. I think their opponents, Louisville and Angel City, are pretty even, and Orlando has been nearly as good as Kansas City on the road. At the end of the day, this mostly comes down to Orlando getting better odds. Though I may just wind up playing both favorites. 6/21/25Washington Spirit Winner (4.1X) I think these two teams are much more even than these odds indicate. I know the Wave have a better goal differential, but the Spirit have the better expected goal differential. Washington is also at home. I understand why San Diego would outperform its expected goal differential with Kailen Sheridan in goal, but in my mind, that’s not enough to explain why these odds are so high. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepard mix, Hootie.

The 2025 WNBA season has surprised in a number of ways. The expansion Golden State Valkyries have a winning record, but the Las Vegas Aces do not. The Indiana Fever are one game under .500 with Caitlin Clark out of the lineup and just one game over .500 when she plays. Three rookies made the All-Star Game for the first time since 2011. July 9, 2025 Liberty Still Title Contenders Despite Recent Struggles Steve Pimental The 2025 WNBA season has surprised in a number of ways. The expansion Golden State Valkyries have a winning record, but the Las Vegas Aces do not. The Indiana Fever are one game under .500 with Caitlin Clark out of the lineup and just one game over .500 when she plays. Three rookies made the All-Star Game for the first time since 2011. Few people could have seen those things coming before the season, but the most surprising development of the season thus far might be the New York Liberty going 3-6 following a 9-0 start. The defending champion Liberty were widely expected to contend for another title, but their recent struggles have put that in doubt. Let’s take a look at how the Liberty got here, and if they have time to turn their season around. On some level, understanding the Liberty’s season isn’t that complicated. Only two of their first nine games were against teams that currently have a winning record, so we probably shouldn’t be shocked they got off to a good start. Since then, they’ve played just two games against teams that don’t have a winning record. The tough schedule has been exacerbated by Lonquel Jones’s ankle injury. The Liberty are 8-1 when Jones plays and 4-5 when she is out. As you might expect of a team missing a four-time All-Defense selection, the Liberty have mostly struggled defensively. Since June 14, only the Sparks and Sun have a worse defensive rating than the Liberty. It probably isn’t a coincidence that the Sparks are one of the three teams New York has beaten in that time. New York also has the third-lowest rebounding rate and the lowest offensive-rebounding rate since June 14. Unfortunately for the Liberty, I’m not sure there is a whole lot they can do defensively with Jones out. With Netnijah Laney-Hamilton out for the season following knee surgery, the Liberty doesn’t have anyone to chase the other team’s best perimeter players. And now with Jones out, they don’t have anyone to clean up messes in the paint, either. One change I would like to see the Liberty try is inserting Rebekah Gardner in the starting lineup for Kennedy Burke. Burke provides nice size in the starting lineup, but the Liberty have a 99.8 defensive rating when she is on the court, compared to 96.1 with Gardner on the court. Burke has made 50 percent of her threes on 5.8 attempts per 36 minutes, which is probably why she has stayed in the lineup, but Gardner can space the floor as well while defending the other team’s best guards. Offensively, I think the Liberty need to get to the basket more often. They are a great three-point shooting team, and they use that gravity to make effective cuts to the basket, but it is rare to see them get an open layup outside of transition. Everything looks difficult, especially for Breanna Stewart. Stewart is actually shooting 77.9 percent on twos, by far the highest percentage of her career. She is also shooting a career-low 19.6 percent on threes, on career-low volume. Stewart has been too good of a shooter in her career to struggle like this for too long, but the Liberty need to focus on getting her easier looks. I would like to see some more inverted pick-and-rolls. With New York’s many guards. Natasha Cloud is a very good screener for her size, and Ionescu’s three-point shooting would make her a good candidate to screen for Stewart as well. Even with Jonquel Jones missing half the season, the Liberty are still firmly in the hunt for the second seed and another WNBA Finals appearance. They are second in the league in offensive rating and third in defensive rating. Their 8.9 net rating is second-best in the league. That, if nothing else, cements their contender status. They are also one of the best clutch teams in the league, going 6-2 in games with clutch time and a 23.3 net rating. In addition to getting Jonquel Jones back and getting Breanna Stewart’s groove back, the Liberty would do well to trade for a defensive-minded big. Leonie Fiebich has played well, but I believe the Liberty have missed the presence of newly minted All-Star Kayla Thornton. If they could give up a second or third-round pick to add someone like Elizabeth Williams, it could shore up the interior bench defense while providing insurance in case Jones suffers another injury. The Liberty should be aggressive at the deadline, because even though the last few weeks have exposed their flaws, they are still in an excellent position to make a third-straight WNBA Finals. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepard mix, Hootie.

The WNBA season is heating up, and while the Liberty and Lynx appear poised for a WNBA Finals (and Commissioner’s Cup finals) rematch, another team has emerged as a possible foil. June 2, 2025 The Atlanta Dream Look Like Contenders Steve Pimental The WNBA season is heating up, and while the Liberty and Lynx appear poised for a WNBA Finals (and Commissioner’s Cup finals) rematch, another team has emerged as a possible foil. The Aces and Fever have struggled to varying degrees at the start of the season, allowing the 5-2 Atlanta Dream to move into third place in the standings on the strength of a four-game winning streak. Atlanta has gotten started about as well as they could have hoped under first-year head coach Karl Smesko, and all indications are they have an excellent chance to ride that start to a playoff berth and potentially a long playoff run. Atlanta is fifth in the WNBA in net rating at 5.3, behind Indiana and Phoenix but ahead of the Aces. Atlanta’s 106.9 offensive rating is second in the WNBA, which is encouraging because Atlanta hasn’t even shot the ball well yet. Atlanta is ninth in the WNBA in three-point percentage but third in three-point attempts. I was skeptical coming into the season if Karl Smesko’s three-point-heavy scheme was a fit for Atlanta’s personnel, but that might not even matter. If Atlanta’s offense is elite even while they are missing 20 threes per game, there is a chance they can be even better with a little bit of luck. Beyond three-point shooting, Atlanta’s biggest struggle has been defense, but there is reason for optimism there as well. Atlanta has played every game this season without Jordin Canada, who suffered a knee injury less than a minute into Atlanta’s first preseason game. The team announced she would be sidelined for two weeks, and that was three weeks ago. Canada is a two-time WNBA All-Defensive player who is excellent at the point of attack. Her return would move Maya Caldwell back to the bench and allow Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard to defend more off the ball, where they are strongest. Canada’s injuries contributed to Atlanta’s struggles last season, as the Dream were 9-11 when Jordin Canada played and 6-14 when she didn’t. Atlanta doesn’t play again until Friday, which will give Canada more time to recover and should also allow Brittney Griner to put more distance between herself and her own knee injury that caused her to miss two games last week. In addition to getting Canada back from injury, Atlanta has a couple of other avenues to get even better this season. The first would be playing rookie Te-Hina Paopao more minutes. Paopao and Allisha Gray are the only proven three-point shooters on this roster, and Paopao is making 38.5 percent on 5.0 threes per 36 minutes. Atlanta is +6.9 per 36 minutes with Paopao on the floor this season. Atlanta could also be positioned to add more shooting in a midseason trade. Atlanta has all of their 2026 draft picks and could use one of them to rescue Marina Mabrey from Connecticut or Rebecca Allen or Rachel Banham from Chicago. One more knockdown shooter could really open up this offense, which relies on shooting a lot of threes. While Atlanta has some opportunities to improve this season, the fact is they might not need to improve much to host a first-round playoff series. If their offense remains elite and their defense is average or slightly above, that should be enough to compete with anyone outside of the Liberty and Lynx. Not coincidentally, the Liberty and Lynx are the last two winners of the Commissioner’s Cup, and I think Atlanta at +2000 is a sneaky pick to win this season. No team has repeated in the Cup’s four-year history, and with Catlin Clark out, the Liberty look like the only real threat to stop Atlanta from advancing to the Commissioner’s Cup final. When Atlanta returns from their week off, they will play five consecutive Commissioner’s Cup games. The first four of those are against teams with losing records. If they can take care of business in those games, it could set up a showdown with the New York Liberty on June 17 to determine who advances to the final game. At the start of the season, we asked if the Lynx, Liberty and Aces could continue their dominance for another season . So far, the answer for two of those teams has been a resounding yes, but following their hot start to the season, the Atlanta Dream may be poised to challenge that dominance. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepard mix, Hootie.

Each time I make my Sparket picks for LFG, the contests are slightly different. It's one of the things I love about these contests. When I wrote my previous articles, those contests did not contain First Goal Scorer picks. Those picks have some of the biggest odds we have seen, and they have a chance to swing the results of these contests wildly... August 14, 2025 Sparket Picks for August 14 - 18 Steve Pimental Each time I make my Sparket picks for LFG, the contests are slightly different. Its one of the things I love about these contests. When I wrote my previous articles, those contests did not contain First Goal Scorer picks. Those picks have some of the biggest odds we have seen, and they have a chance to swing the results of these contests wildly. This is a somewhat turbulent time in the NWSL, with teams still getting players integrated into their teams following injuries, trades or international duty. With that in mind, I think in general I am more likely to choose an underdog both for winners and goal-scorers than I might be otherwise. 08/15/25 Highest Scoring Team Los Angeles Sparks (4.2X) I have no idea why Los Angeles has the second-highest odds in this group. Maybe because they are on the road? They have the third-most points per game on the road this season, behind Minnesota and New York. Dallas has allowed the second-most points at home. The Sparks have been even better offensively since Cameron Brink returned, averaging a league-high 93.3 ppg in August. They have also allowed the most points in August, while Dallas is third. I think the highest-scoring team is coming from this game, and considering the Wings are 5-12 at home and the Sparks are 9-7 on the road, I feel good about picking Los Angeles. Los Angeles Sparks Winner vs Dallas Wings (2.4X) If you don’t want to go out on a limb like I did for my first pick, or if you want to hedge in case Indiana and Washington go to overtime, I think the Sparks should be favored in this game, even on the road. The Sparks have won seven of their last 10 games, and while that came against a soft schedule, Dallas has the third-worst record in the league. The Sparks have been beating the teams they should beat, and I think they can do it one more time. Dallas has never found its footing this season, and trading reigning Most Improved Player DiJonai Carrington for the oft-injured Diamond Miller and a draft pick only made the team worse for this season. The Sparks are one game out of the final playoff spot, and this game means a lot more for them than for the Wings. Washington Spirit vs Racing Louisville - First Goal Scorer? The field (13.0X) It is worth noting that the first time these teams played this season, Leicy Santos scored the first goal (her only of the season thus far), and she is included in The Field. Mostly, however, I’m picking the field due to the return of Trinity Rodman. Rodman scored in her first game back despite entering in the 75th minute, so I’m not too worried about her form. In her second game back, last week, she came on for Gift Monday in the 58th minute, though she failed to score. If Rodman starts, our odds are much, much too good. Even off the bench, I like this price because any time Rodman gets will likely come at the expense of one of Washington’s other goal-scorers. Gift Monday has five goals in 12 matches this season, but if she goes to the bench again to make room for Rodman, her listed win percentage is too high. 08/16/25 Top Points Scorer? Sabrina Ionescu (3.9x) Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart have both been out with injuries. Stewart has been out since July 26 with a right knee bone bruise, while Collier suffered an ankle sprain on August 2 that was supposed to keep her out at least two weeks. Even if they both somehow returned for this game, I don’t expect them to be at 100 percent, which they probably need to be to score the most points in this game. Kayla McBride is averaging 14.8 ppg, and her scoring has actually been down slightly in the three games Collier has missed with her ankle injury. Sabrina Ionescu is averaging 19.4 ppg. In two games against the Lynx this season, Ionescu has averaged 20.5 points. McBride averaged 21.0 points in those same two games, so I understand if you want to chase the higher odds, but I am perfectly content to roll with Ionescu. Kansas City Current Winner (1.9X) vs. Orlando Pride It looks like Ally Sentnor is set to make her Kansas City Current debut after the trade from the Utah Royals, and that could have some interesting implications on the First Goal Scorer pick pool from that game. I’m going with the safer, if somewhat boring play of the best team in the league winning at home. Orlando has looked unimpressive at best in two home draws since the break, while Kansas City has eight straight wins, including a 1-0 victory in Orlando in May. Marta didn’t play in either of those games since the break, and that could definitely make the difference, but I’m not expecting Orlando to be able to flip the switch against Kansas City. If they show signs of life this week, maybe I’ll pick them next week at Angel City. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepard mix, Hootie.

I am taking this opportunity to break down the races for the major WNBA awards and decide who would get my vote with roughly 10 games left in the season. These opinions could change, but I think it is useful to see where these awards stand on August 21, so that we can evaluate these players down the stretch. August 22, 2025 Who Have Been the Best Players in the WNBA This Season? Steve Pimental Last week when I was trying to determine if anybody could prevent the Lynx from winning a record fifth WNBA championship , I paused to look at the odds for various WNBA awards. My sense from months of following the WNBA was that the Lynx had the frontrunners for several awards, including MVP, Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player. What I found is that my assumptions were not as obvious as I thought. So with that in mind, I am taking this opportunity to break down the races for the major WNBA awards and decide who would get my vote with roughly 10 games left in the season. These opinions could change, but I think it is useful to see where these awards stand on August 21, so that we can evaluate these players down the stretch. MVP - 1. A’ja Wilson, F, LVA 2. Napheesa Collier, F, MIN 3. Alyssa Thomas, F, PHX 4. Nneka Ogwumike, F, SEA 5. Sabrina Ionescu, G, NYL I really want my fictitious vote to go to Napheesa Collier, but with her injury and the Aces’ eight-game winning streak, I’m afraid that is a losing argument. Their numbers are awfully close, but Wilson is averaging 2.5 more rebounds per game. She leads the league in blocks per game and is second in rebounds and points. The Aces’ net rating is 27.5 points better when Wilson is on the court, and while I don’t want to give her extra credit for playing on a team with a terrible bench, it isn’t much of a stretch to say Wilson has singlehandedly carried her team into the playoffs. Collier is the best player on the best team, but she has played 135 fewer minutes. She leads the league in ppg, is fourth in steals and fifth in blocks. Her 56.8 effective field goal percentage is the highest among the players wer’re considering. Alyssa Thomas isn’t the scorer that Collier and Wilson are, but she is currently leading the league in assists and is legitimately Phoenix’s point guard on offense. Despite playing with three former All-Stars, Phoenix’s offense craters when Thomas is off the floor. They have a 106.6 offensive rating when she’s on the court and a 95.5 offensive rating with her off the court. She is fourth in the league in rebounds and eighth in steals, though she is fourth in the league in turnovers. It is hard to believe we are nine years removed from Ogwumike winning WNBA MVP. She is currently fourth in the WNBA in Player Impact Estimate, behind Wilson, Collier and Thomas. Ogwumike is eighth in ppg and 13th in rpg. I kind of feel like this last pick has to come from Atlanta or New York, but most of the candidates haven’t played enough, outside of Ionescu and Allisha Gray. Ionescu’s 28.3 percent usage is behind just Wilson and Satou Sabally, and that ultimately gives her the edge. Sabrina is fifth in points per game and seventh in assists while adding 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals. She narrowly gets my last spot ahead of Gray and Paige Bueckers. Rookie of the Year - Paige Bueckers Sonia Cintron and Kiki Iriafen have played well enough to win, but Bueckers has averaged 3.5 more points and 2.9 more assists per game than Cintron this season. I think Bueckers was actually underrated coming into the WNBA due to injuries and Caitlin Clark’s hype, but Bueckers was the National Player of the Year as a freshman and as a rookie she reminded everyone why. I don’t know that a guard is ever going to win MVP again but if one does, my guess is its Paige Bueckers. 6th Player of the Year - Jessica Shepard Naz Hillmon, Natisha Hiedeman and DeWanna Bonner also deserve strong consideration, but Shepard’s all-around game and contributions to winning stand out. She is shooting a career-high 60.8 percent from the field while averaging 7.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 20.2 minutes per game. Shepard is seventh in the entire league in Player Impact Estimate and is fifth in effective field goal percentage. Shepard also leads the league in offensive rebound percentage. She has stepped into the starting lineup seamlessly when Napheesa Collier went down, and she is a big reason the Lynx are 4-1 since Collier’s injury. Most Improved Player - Brittney Sykes On the surface, Sykes’s numbers are down slightly from 2023, when she averaged 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals. This season she is averaging 15.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals. I just think the ask has been so much greater this season. Sykes has always been a good defender and solid complimentary player, but before she was traded, she was the number one offensive option on a playoff team. There aren’t very many players in the league who are capable of that, and for making that leap, I think Sykes deserves the nod here. She didn’t have Elena Delle Donne or Natasha Cloud or Ariel Atkins to shoulder the offensive load. In addition to the higher degree of difficulty, Sykes also made tangible gains in her ability to get to the free throw line. She is averaging 5.7 free throw attempts per game, well above her career high of 3.8. Only A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart are averaging more free throw attempts per game than Brittney Sykes this season. I understand why Veronica Burton, Allisha Gray and Gabby Williams all deserve strong consideration, but I think the way Sykes has thrived in the face of so much more defensive attention should be recognized. Coach of the Year - Natalie Nakase This award is tricky because it so often comes down to which team exceeds expectations. The problem with voting that way is we never consider that maybe our expectations were wrong. I’m not saying Natalie Nakase doesn’t deserve credit for her team currently occupying a playoff spot despite consisting mostly of cast-offs from other teams, but maybe its the players who were better than we thought, and not that coach. At the same time, how much credit does Cheryl Reeve get for the Lynx being 6.5 games ahead of the Liberty and Dream? Minnesota probably should have the best record in the league, though nobody expected them to be this much better than everyone else. You could argue she did a better job this season than last, but she won this award last year and probably won’t this year. I spent a good part of my last article raving about the job Natalie Nakase has done this season, and I don’t think I need to rehash it too much here. I do think the Valkyries play very smart basketball, from mixing up their defenses to slowing down the pace to shooting the most threes in the league. Maybe it will turn out Kayla Thornton is a multi-time All-Star and Veronica Burton is a long-time starter, but it seems far more likely that Nakase has gotten the most out of them and their teammates, and that’s all you can want from a Coach of the Year. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepard mix, Hootie.

The primary reason that we could see more player movement leading up to the trade deadline is that nearly everyone who isn’t on a rookie-scale contract will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. That means the teams that aren’t going to make the playoffs have no incentive to hold onto their veterans. July 20, 2025 Could This Be the Busiest Trade Deadline in WNBA History? Steve Pimental The WNBA historically hasn’t had many significant mid-season trades, due in part to the league’s hard salary cap. In the past 10 years, there are probably only two trades that significantly impacted the title race: Sylvia Fowles in 2016 and Marina Mabrey last season. You could argue how impactful the Mabrey trade was, but the Sun finished with the three seed and took the Minnesota Lynx to five games in the semi-finals, so that seems significant to me. Despite the historically fallow nature of the WNBA trade deadline, there are a few reasons to believe this season will buck that trend. The primary reason that we could see more player movement leading up to the trade deadline is that nearly everyone who isn’t on a rookie-scale contract will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. That means the teams that aren’t going to make the playoffs have no incentive to hold onto their veterans. They may as well try to get whatever they can now, rather than losing those players in free agency. The upcoming free agency free-for-all could also give added incentive to contending teams to try to add the final piece(s) of the puzzle. This could be the last playoff run for long-time contenders like the Aces, Liberty, and even Lynx. I think those teams will probably be free-agent destinations due to having good coaches and facilities, but nothing is certain beyond this season. If they have a chance to add a difference-maker this season and don’t, they might not get another shot anytime soon. Another reason we could see increased trade activity this season is that the standings are relatively wide open. For the last few seasons, we have had 2-3 serious title contenders who probably weren’t going to be caught no matter what the rest of the league did. This season, the playoff picture is wide open outside of the top seed. Minnesota is 3.5 games ahead of the second-place Liberty, and barring poor injury luck, they will almost certainly be the number one seed and make the WNBA Finals for a second consecutive season. Second place and eighth place in the standings are separated by just 4.5 games. The Liberty and Mercury look like the most serious threats to the Lynx, but the Fever and Aces are lurking if they can ever get right. Seattle and Atlanta have been surprisingly good as well, though it remains to be seen if that is sustainable. Those six teams can all reasonably feel like they are one trade away from being the second-best team in the league, and that could be the perfect storm for trade season to bubble over. If one contender makes a trade, it could spur an arms race up to the deadline. Both of the two previously impactful inseason trades came about as a result of good players asking out of a bad team, and we have already seen that once this season with Li Yueru requesting a trade out of Seattle and making her way to Dallas. That trade won’t have much of an impact on the playoff race unless Seattle suffers some frontcourt injuries, but it does demonstrate that player empowerment is alive and well. If a relatively obscure center can force her way off a playoff team, more established vets can probably find their way to contenders if they wish. The more significant trade this season involved a player who didn’t want to be traded, as the same Wings moved forward NaLyssa Smith to the Las Vegas Aces for the Aces’ 2027 first-round draft pick. The Aces’ entire starting lineup, including Smith, will be free agents after this season, so that draft pick could be quite valuable. Even so, Smith might A’ja Wilson’s best frontcourt mate since Liz Cambage. The Aces have made the semi-finals in six consecutive seasons, and they still have a decent shot of making it seven straight, so long as they can climb out of the eighth seed. The Connecticut Sun have also made six consecutive semi-finals, though their streak will certainly end this season. Connecticut has the worst record in the league, and while the Chicago Sky owns swap rights on that pick, any hope of not conveying a high pick this season has likely gone out the window. Marina Mabrey already requested a trade in the off-season after forcing her way to Connecticut last year, but the Sun have thus far been unwilling to move her. Mabrey has been out for four weeks with a knee injury, but if she can return shortly after the All-Star break and stay healthy, Connecticut should be able to move her to a contender. Mabrey’s a career 35.8 percent three-point shooter who can also provide secondary ball-handling and playmaking. That makes her a fit with every playoff team, which is why the Sun and Sky traded for her previously. She probably makes the most sense in Atlanta, since she could help replace Rhyne Howard and then play next to Howard when Howard returns from her own knee injury, but somebody should rescue her from Connecticut. To the surprise of no one outside of the Chicago Sky front office, trading the number three overall pick and a 2027 first-round pick swap to Washington for one year of Ariel Atkins has backfired. The Sky are four games out of the last playoff spot, while rookie Sonia Citron, who was drafted with that pick, made the All-Star team over Atkins and several other strong candidates. Like Connecticut, Chicago won’t be able to recoup everything they gave up for Atkins, but they should get something for the two-time All-Star who has made five All-Defensive Teams. Like Mabrey, Atkins is miscast as her team’s primary perimeter scorer, but Atkins has shot 36.1 percent on threes in her career. Atkins might fit in Atlanta even more than Mabrey, but I think Atkins’s defense would be perfect in New York, where the Liberty have struggled to stop anybody on the perimeter with Betnijah Laney-Hamilton out. The Los Angeles Sparks are arguably the most interesting of the possible sellers. They have too much talent to be 8-14, and they are positioned reasonablly well for the future with Cameron Brink and Rikea Jackson not set to hit restricted free agency until 2028. My best guess is that the Sparks will try to re-sign Kelsey Plum to build around her and their young forwards, but Dearica Hamby and Azura Stevens are both former WNBA champions who could help just about any team in the league. Stevens is a better floor spacer but Hamby is probably better defensively. The Dallas Wings are interesting because they have already been involved in two trades this season. Their new front office under General Manager Curt Miller is pretty clearly focused on the future, but it is unclear how much he has to trade. Arike Ogunbowale has proven this season that she does not contribute to winning basketball. DiJonai Carrington has value as a two-way guard, though her lack of floor spacing could hurt teams in the playoffs. Carrington is currently third in rebounds per game among guards, and she could be a perfect fit for the Storm, who don’t shoot a ton of threes but have the second-lowest rebounding rate in the league. Seattle probably isn’t going to shake up its frontcourt rotation but Carrington could slot perfectly into the starting lineup next to Gabby Williams and Skylar Diggins. She would also allow Erica Wheeler to move into a bench role. Maybe they could make a three-team trade that would send Erica Wheeler to Phoenix, since the Mercury are somehow third in the league despite not having a veteran point guard on the roster. In addition to the borderline All-Stars who could be moved before the deadline, there are some significant bigs who shouldn’t be overlooked. Tina Charles could provide a scoring punch off the bench, though she could probably start for at least a couple of playoff teams. Elizabeth Williams is the perfect third big for any playoff team thanks to her defense and rebounding. Emma Cannon could be a quality backup as well, and would fit into a lot of team’s salary structures. Myisha Hines-Allen can probably be the third big on a playoff team though her per-36-minute production is as low as its ever been in her eight-year WNBA career. Still, most of the teams in the playoff race could use at least one backup big, and there should be no shortage of options available for trade. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

RotoWire expert Joe Mayo breaks down his top WNBA risers and fallers for Week 12, including Elizabeth Williams, who has stepped up for the Chicago Sky in Angel Reese's absence. With injuries shaking up the league and a busy week ahead, there are plenty of opportunities to add viable fantasy contributors -- though some players may be trending in the wrong direction. August 11, 2025 Fantasy WNBA Week 12: Top Risers and Fallers Joe Mayo Top Fantasy WNBA Risers for Week 12 Emma Meesseman , New York Liberty: Meesseman made her New York debut Sunday, Aug. 3, and she has now logged 31 minutes in back-to-back games after initially joining the team on a minutes restriction. The 32-year-old center has provided much-needed relief for the injury-riddled Liberty, who are expected to be without Breanna Stewart and Nyara Sabally in Week 12 due to knee injuries. It also remains uncertain when Kennedy Burke will return from a calf injury. Meesseman has scored in double figures in all four of her appearances so far, finishing with at least 18 ESPN fantasy points in each outing. During that span, she has averaged 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks across 25.8 minutes per game. Elizabeth Williams , Chicago Sky: Williams has seen somewhat of an inconsistent role throughout the season but has stepped up while Angel Reese has been sidelined due to a back injury. While Reese is considered day-to-day, there's currently no timetable for her return. That opens the door for Williams to maintain her increased role. Over her last five appearances (four starts), the veteran center has averaged 12.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks, shooting 49.1 percent from the field in 29.0 minutes per game. Williams remains a valuable fantasy asset and should continue to play a meaningful role, especially if Reese remains on the shelf in Week 12. Julie Allemand , Los Angeles Sparks: Allemand has been a mainstay in Los Angeles' starting lineup since early July, and she has been consistently contributing across categories of late. Over her last five appearances, the 29-year-old guard has averaged 7.6 points, 6.8 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 44.4 percent from the field across 34.4 minutes per game. She has also scored at least 19 ESPN fantasy points in all five of those appearances and continues to provide fantasy value -- especially in deeper leagues. Key Fantasy WNBA Fallers to Avoid This Week Tiffany Mitchell , Seattle Storm: Mitchell had seen consistent playing time in the seven outings following the All-Star break, during which she averaged 19.1 minutes per game. However, the arrival of Brittney Sykes has shifted the Storm's backcourt, with Mitchell logging fewer than seven minutes in back-to-back games. With Sykes moving into the starting five, Erica Wheeler slid to the bench in Sunday's loss to the Sparks. However, Wheeler will likely continue to command a significant role for the club, meaning Mitchell's playing time could continue to remain limited unless injuries arise. Nia Coffey , Atlanta Dream: Coffey logged double-digit minutes in three consecutive appearances in early August, though that trend may be coming to an end. Following a 10-game absence due to a knee injury, Rhyne Howard returned to action in Sunday's win over the Mercury and should continue to see an increase in minutes as the club eases her back into action. Brittney Griner also returned Sunday after a three-game absence due to a neck injury. As a result, Coffey logged just five minutes and didn't attempt a single shot. With Howard and Griner gradually ramping up to their normal roles, Coffey's minutes may remain limited. JJ Quinerly , Dallas Wings: Quinerly started 13 consecutive games before being moved to the bench in Friday's loss to the Liberty. During the first of those six starts, she averaged 16.0 points, 4.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals across 30.3 minutes per game. However, the rookie has struggled since the All-Star break and now appears to be trending in the wrong direction. Over her last three appearances (one start), Quinerly has totaled 15 points in just 24 minutes. Meanwhile, Haley Jones has emerged as a viable starting option, and Quinerly faces increasing competition for backcourt minutes from Jones, Aziaha James and Grace Berger behind stars like Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale . Fantasy WNBA Player to Watch in Week 12 Lexie Hull , Indiana Fever: Hull struggled in her first eight games following the All-Star break, averaging 3.1 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting an abysmal 18.8 percent from the field across 20.6 minutes per game. However, she delivered her best fantasy performance of the season when Caitlin Clark (groin), Sydney Colson (knee) and Aari McDonald (foot) were sidelined in Friday's win over Chicago. During the win, Hull posted 17 points (5-9 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three rebounds, three assists and three steals across 32 minutes. The 25-year-old guard has the opportunity to step up for an injury-riddled Fever if Clark remains sidelined, as Colson and McDonald have both been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025 campaign. Those looking for up-to-the-minute fantasy WNBA news can check out RotoWire's WNBA Injury Report and WNBA Lineups . RotoWire also features Top WNBA Picks and Player Props on a daily basis to help find the best betting lines for each night's slate. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author @WiscoMayo Joe Mayo writes about fantasy sports for RotoWire