A storyline has been percolating throughout this WNBA season: Are the league’s giants faltering, making way for a new champion? The Liberty, and to a lesser extent, the Aces, haven’t had the most consistent regular-season campaigns, provoking questions about their championship mettle.
Meanwhile, a handful of challengers have climbed the league standings. The Lynx, who are currently the team to beat, aren’t necessarily new to the winner’s circle, but they haven’t won it all since 2017. The Valkyries are in the finals conversation in just their second year in the league, while the Fever are looking for the franchise’s first league trophy since 2012.
Is this the year that the baton is passed?
1. Minnesota Lynx
Previous ranking: 1
The Lynx capped off a four-game winning streak with a critical road victory over the Aces on Saturday. Minnesota is in the driver’s seat to lock up the No. 1 playoff seed and is the indisputable team to beat heading into the back stretch of the regular season. Olivia Miles has continued to add to her impressive Rookie of the Year résumé, averaging 20.5 points and 8.7 assists over the past four games.
2. Golden State Valkyries
Previous ranking: 3
The Valkyries have won six consecutive games, downing the Wings, 78–70, on Monday night. Golden State’s top-rated defense has been stellar during the team’s latest run, holding opponents to an average of 75.8 points over the past six outings. Gabby Williams has continued to make an impact on both sides of the floor, notching 23 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists against Dallas.
3. Indiana Fever
Previous ranking: 6
The Fever have the most explosive offense in the league, boasting the highest rating (115.8) and averaging the most points per game (96.4). Indiana’s backcourt duo of Kelsey Mitchell, who has not scored less than 20 points since June 20, and Caitlin Clark, who is averaging 25.4 points and 9.4 assists per game over the Fever’s five-game winning streak, is a nightmare to try to contain. But Stephanie White’s frontcourt has impressed too, with Makayla Timpson slotting in next to Aliyah Boston and earning more minutes throughout the season. Timpson had her breakthrough performance in the Fever’s overtime win over the Dream on Sunday, logging a career-high 20 points and seven rebounds.
4. Las Vegas Aces
Previous ranking: 5
The Aces charged to back-to-back wins over the Mystics, with Jackie Young dropping 32 points in the second outing against Washington. Then, Las Vegas fell to the Lynx on Saturday, with Minnesota holding Young to just eight points while forcing six turnovers from the Aces’ star guard. Young bounced back against the Dream, logging 24 points, but Las Vegas allowed Angel Reese, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard all to score over 20 points in Atlanta’s win. Consistency has not been the Aces’ strong suit this season, but does that really matter for a team notorious for showing up in the playoffs when it counts?
5. Washington Mystics
Previous ranking: 2
After dropping consecutive games in Las Vegas, the Mystics bounced back with a home win over the Sparks. The Big Three of Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin has continued to impress, scoring 57 of Washington’s 80 points against Los Angeles. However, as impressive as this young squad is, the matchup with the Aces highlighted the space remaining between the Mystics and the league’s more veteran teams.
6. Atlanta Dream
Previous ranking: 7
The Dream let a close, overtime game against the Fever slip through their fingers on Sunday. Atlanta has a powerful starting lineup, with Howard and Gray both top five in the league in net points. The Dream’s Big Three had an offensive outburst, scoring 65 points in the team’s 97–82 win over the Aces. But the Dream need to get more out of their bench, ranking 14th in the league in bench points per game (16.9).
7. New York Liberty
Previous ranking: 4
The Liberty may have won twice last week, but they weren’t the most convincing victories. First, New York nearly blew a 28-point lead against the Sparks, surrendering 40 points in the fourth quarter on Thursday. Then, on Saturday, the Liberty nearly let one slip away against a struggling Sun side, before Marine Johannès pulled off some late-game heroics to pull New York to victory.
THE WONDERFUL WIZARD 🪄
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 15, 2026
Marine Johannès hits the deep jumper off one leg!
NYL-CON | League Pass
Tap to watch: https://t.co/As88eWR9gq pic.twitter.com/WRngmuIIhA
Then, the Liberty fell to the Sky on Tuesday night, with Jonquel Jones exiting the game early with an ankle injury. This is the latest setback for a team that’s been plagued by injuries throughout the season.
8. Dallas Wings
Previous ranking: 8
The mood in Dallas is grim, with the Wings losing five of their last six games. Jose Fernandez has had to make do without Azzi Fudd, who has been sidelined with a knee injury for much of the Wings’ slump, and clearly her absence is felt. The team also lost Jessica Shepard to an ankle injury, with the star forward exiting Dallas’s Aug. 9 game against the Lynx. In her return on Monday, she scored four points in 27 minutes against Golden State.
9. Portland Fire
Previous ranking: 11
The Fire won back-to-back games after keeping it close against the top-ranked Lynx. On any given night, any player on the Portland roster can have a moment. On Friday, in Phoenix, it was Holly Winterburn who dropped 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 21 minutes. She is averaging 3.2 points and 9.9 minutes this season and hadn’t scored more than six points in a game for Portland before her 20-point outburst. That’s the fun of this Fire team. Five games out from playoff position, the postseason is likely out of reach, but this squad is hanging tough.
10. Chicago Sky
Previous ranking: 9
The Sky blunted a three-game slide, narrowly defeating the Storm on Sunday. Kamilla Cardoso has been a bright spot, dropping 20 points on the Valkyries before logging a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double against Seattle and a 17-point, 12-rebound game against the Liberty. But Natasha Cloud was the star of the show against New York, putting on a career performance against her former team, finishing with 35 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
11. Phoenix Mercury
Previous ranking: 13
Even the presence and aura of Diana Taurasi couldn’t save the Mercury. With the GOAT in attendance for her jersey retirement, Phoenix fell to the Fire, 88–85. The Mercury have lost four of their past six games and are seven games out of playoff position. New acquisition Kelsey Plum has been sidelined with a leg injury and hasn’t played since Aug. 9, with a lot still riding on the midseason trade.
12. Los Angeles Sparks
Previous ranking: 10
Riding a five-game slide, the Sparks look lost. Cameron Brink missed Los Angeles’s past two games due to injury, with the team putting up just 70 points against the Mystics on Saturday and 77 points against the Sun on Tuesday. Rae Burrell has shown her value, averaging 21.5 points on 47.3% shooting over the past four outings.
13. Connecticut Sun
Previous ranking: 12
The Sun are out of playoff contention, and much of the team’s focus is on the future with the franchise moving to Houston next year. The rest of the campaign may be more about individual player showcases. Olivia Nelson-Ododa has had flashes of brilliance, like her double-double against the Liberty on Saturday, while Charlisse Leger-Walker has had a handful of gritty performances.
14. Seattle Storm
Previous ranking: 14
The Storm may be out of playoff contention, but the future looks bright in Seattle. This season was all about the development of the Storm’s young stars, and there have been signs of the lineup coming together. Five Seattle players finished in the double figures against the Sky on Sunday, including Dominique Malonga, Ezi Magbegor and Awa Fam, who led the way with 19, 17 and 14 points, respectively.
15. Toronto Tempo
Previous ranking: 15
The Tempo are firmly in the basement, losing 11 consecutive games. This season may not be competitive for Toronto, but Marina Mabrey continues to shine. Mabrey has averaged 27 points over the past three games.
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