Welcome to my big board of the top-50 WNBA fantasy players! This list was curated based off of a combination of things including: last year’s stats, a back-of-the-napkin projection of this season’s stats, common sense, risk-averseness, and, most importantly, vibes.Without further adieu.
The 2020 MVP might be in for the best season of her career with a new head coach in Becky Hammon and newfound space open in the middle with Liz Cambage departing for Los Angeles. Take her No. 1 and don’t look back.
Wilson’s MVP Odds: +300, bet $100 to win $300
Anyone with a top-4 pick is in luck, and getting maybe the Best Basketball Player on Earth at No. 2 is no consolation. Stewart re-injured her Achilles at the end of last season and didn’t play in the playoffs, but after taking the EuroLeague season off, she should be ready to roll in 2022.Stewart’s MVP Odds: +600, bet $100 to win $600
The Jonquel Jones takeover is in full bloom, and she holds last year’s MVP trophy to prove it. She ranks lower than Wilson and Stewart to me because two new team additions, Alyssa Thomas and Courtney Williams, could poke away from her box score stats.Jones’s MVP Odds: +500, bet $100 to win $500
Debatably the greatest big in league history is retiring after this year, but she could go out as an even more legendarily awesome player. Like, she could be stepping away from hoops still at the top of her game. With Napheesa Collier (expecting her first child) out for at least the beginning of the season, the offense will once again run through Syl.Fowles’s MVP Odds: +2500, bet $100 to win $2,500
Charles was in the MVP hunt last season, and there’s a good chance, even with the relocation to Phoenix, she’s in the running again. The 6’4 forward will get to battle a size up at times with Brittney Griner unlikely to play anytime soon.Charles’s MVP Odds: +800, bet $100 to win $800
Diggins-Smith is the best fantasy guard in the league, and with Bria Hartley traded to Indiana and Kia Nurse starting the season sidelined recovering from a torn ACL, it’s going to be the SDS and Diana Taurasi show from the guard spots.Diggins-Smith’s MVP Odds: +3000, bet $100 to win $3,000
Bonner is a secondary scoring option to Jones in Connecticut, but her ability to fill up the box score as a scorer and pick-pocketer give her elite upside.Bonner’s MVP Odds: +3000, bet $100 to win $3,000
Parker battled injuries all championship season long in 2021, missing 11 games. But even still, she put up All-Star numbers as a scorer and facilitator and has obvious megastar upside in literally every stat category.Parker’s MVP Odds: +1200, bet $100 to win $1,200
At this point in the Big Board, I’m comfortable moving away from the bigs and onto the elite guards. Vandersloot is by far the best passer in the W, and with Chicago adding yet another offensive weapon in Emma Meesseman, she has a new score-first target to pass to.Vandersloot’s MVP Odds: +2000, bet $100 to win $2,000
Watching Loyd put on big-bucket performance after big-bucket performance without Stewart last season was magic. She may be the most talented guard scorer in the world coming off a career-high in points and 3-point makes (2.1).Loyd’s MVP Odds: +4000, bet $100 to win $4,000
Now here are the remaining 40 players on my list, each justified by one phrase from the mind of a fantasy player.Â
11. Arike Ogunbowale – BUCKETS
12. Sabrina Ionescu – Please be healthy
13. Natasha Howard – Sleeper fantasy star
14. Liz Cambage – Post legend
15. Elena Delle Donne – PLEASE BE HEALTHY
16. Teaira McCowan – New team, new All-Star?17. Chennedy Carter – BUCKETS
18. Brianna Turner – Fringe All-Star
19. Kahleah Copper – Finals MVP
20. Myisha Hines-Allen – 1st-round pick potential if Delle Donne is out
21. Betnijah Laney – Best bucket-getter for a team on the rise
22. Nneka Ogwumike – Board-crasher, but what does adding Cambage mean for her stats?
23. Emma Meesseman – Hahaha the Sky got another star, how does she work with CP3?
24. Diana Taurasi – GOAT shooter, but please stay healthy
25. Ariel Atkins – Shooter (please do it more)
26. Kelsey Mitchell – Go off, this is your team!
27. Tiffany Hayes – Opportunity to put up numbers is there
28. Satou Sabally – This year could be her meteoric rise
29. Brionna Jones – What does a full season of Alyssa Thomas do to her numbers?
30. Kelsey Plum – Who has the keys at point, her or Chelsea Gray?
31. Alyssa Thomas – Triple-double threat, but not an integral part of the offense
32. Jackie Young – New offensive system, what’s that mean for her?
33. NaLyssa Smith – #2 draft pick, opportunity to start on Day 1
34. Aerial Powers – No Collier, it’s AP buckets time
35. Chelsea Gray – How does Hammon stagger her and Plum?
36. Rhyne Howard – #1 draft pick, could be secondary scorer from the jump
37. Dearica Hamby – Perennial Sixth Woman of the Year who could start
38. Kayla McBride – Shooter
39. Erica Wheeler – Shooter
40. Angel McCoughtry – Hall of Famer on a new team post-injury. Sleeper potential
41. Courtney Williams – Back with her old team, unclear how her role changes
42. Cheyenne Parker – Probable best big on struggling team
43. Allisha Gray – 3-and-D
44. Allie Quigley – Shooter
45. Monique Billings – Could take a big leap this year
46. Bria Hartley – New team post-injury, shooter with sleeper potential
47. Natasha Cloud – Reliable PG whose impact is felt more on-court than box score
48. Ezi Magbegor – 22-year-old big on the rise
49. Marina Mabrey – Shooter, one of last year’s most improved overall players
50. Sue Bird – Please stay healthy