The most important day of any fantasy basketball season is, of course, draft day.
But the first few days of the actual WNBA season can be just as crucial for fantasy managers looking to get off to a fast start. If you’re in a competitive league, you’re probably checking your waiver wire often, and there’s no better time to do so than early in the season, before the competition has caught up on injury replacements or breakout candidates.
To be clear, leagues aren’t typically won or lost in the first
weekend. It’s a solid window of opportunity to make changes to one’s roster, though, especially while rosters are still in flux due to overseas commitments and other absences. If you have an open spot or two on your fantasy team, consider using it on one of these players.
Odyssey Sims (Dallas Wings)
Now in her third separate stint with the Wings, Sims is certainly no stranger to Dallas, so it wasn’t a surprise when she made the team out of training camp. Sims got the starting nod in the Wings’ season opener against Indiana and made the most of her time on the court, recording 20 points, two 3-pointers and two steals in 26 minutes. Playing alongside Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale will obviously limit Sims’ playmaking opportunities, but she’s never been bashful when it comes to shooting the ball, and Wings head coach Jose Fernandez clearly feels that a three-guard lineup is the way to go, at least for the time being. Rostered in 13 percent of leagues, Sims is worth an add until Dallas’ prized rookie Azzi Fudd gets her sea legs.
Jovana Nogic (Phoenix Mercury)
With Sami Whitcomb (knee) and Monique Akoa Makani (overseas commitments) out of the Mercury’s lineup, Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbetts turned to Nogic as the team’s starting lead guard, and she didn’t disappoint. Nogic scored 19 points and knocked down four 3-pointers in her WNBA debut, chipping in four assists and two steals in her 21 minutes of playing time as the Mercury spoiled the Aces’ championship celebration. Given how much of the Mercury’s offense runs through Alyssa Thomas, don’t expect Nogic to put up big assist numbers, but do expect her to get plenty of open 3-point looks; Phoenix wants to surround Thomas with as much shooting as possible, and with the team’s backcourt a little thin at the moment, Nogic should get plenty of opportunities to build on an impressive first game.
Carla Leite (Portland Fire)
The Fire’s rotations are probably going to change quite a bit throughout the course of their inaugural season, and on paper they aren’t looking like a very competitive team. That being said, Leite appears to be one of the few Portland players who already has a secure role. She didn’t shoot the ball well in the Fire’s season opener against Chicago, but she still scored 18 points thanks to her ability to get to the free throw line (11-for-12), and she played 29 minutes—a mark she hit only three times last year with Golden State. Unlike her rookie season with the Valkyries, Leite won’t be competing with an established veteran for more playing time, so she’ll have a clear runway for consistent playing time.
Kennedy Burke (Connecticut Sun)
After struggling in her Sun debut, Burke bounced back against the Storm, recording a healthy stat line of 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 34 minutes. Connecticut will have a lot to figure out this season and probably won’t win many games, but as one of the team’s few veteran perimeter players, Burke will likely have a much bigger role with the Sun than she’s had at any other point in her WNBA career. She’s also very comfortable playing for Rachid Meziane, who previously coached her in France when she won back-to-back MVP honors in the Ligue Féminine. The playmaking opportunities will dry up a bit when the Sun get Leïla Lacan back from overseas commitments, but Burke should otherwise remain a steady contributor.
Marine Johannès (New York Liberty)
This is more of a short-term add, but it’s an important one nonetheless. With Sabrina Ionescu out for at least two weeks due to a foot injury, the Liberty have turned to Johannès to fill that void in their backcourt. Through two games, she’s been scorching hot, totaling 42 points, 11 3-pointers and five steals. Johannès is a streaky shooter and is bound to cool off sooner or later, but as long as Ionescu is out of the lineup, she’ll have the ball in her hands much more often, and she’ll be playing plenty of minutes alongside the rest of the Liberty’s starters. Just be prepared to drop her when New York returns to full strength.
