RADIO
For the third year in a row, ESPN is offering season-long WNBA fantasy leagues. It's something that W fans have long asked for, and after an exciting first season, WNBA fantasy is back again for a second year. Do you have what it takes to win your league? Need some help figuring out what you're doing?
Ahead of the season, I got together five other WNBA experts to do a fantasy draft, so we could help provide readers with expert analysis of what to expect in the 2024 WNBA this season, especially after an offseason that reshaped the league.
Below, you'll find our picks and some analysis from me and the others about the draft. I'll also be providing daily DFS lineup picks throughout the season for those of you who want to engage with the WNBA from a fantasy perspective, but don't want to commit to a full season of fantasy.
Mock Draft Picks - Fantasy WNBA
For this, I got five other WNBA experts together:
- Em Adler (The Next)
- Dani Bar-Lavi (OddsShopper)
- Jack Maloney (CBS Sports)
- Eric Nemchock (Swish Appeal)
- Aidan Cotter (FanDuel Research)
Below is the draft board for our nine-round draft. One thing to note: center and forward are used fairly interchangeably here. In season-long fantasy, the two positions are combined when it comes to lineup spots.
| Round | Justin Carter | Em Adler | Dani Bar-Lavi | Jack Maloney | Eric Nemchock | Aidan Cotter |
| 1 | Breanna Stewart - F | A’ja Wilson - F | Napheesa Collier - F | Alyssa Thomas - F | Brittney Griner - C | Jewell Loyd - G |
| 2 | Natasha Howard - F | Jackie Young - G | Kelsey Plum - G | Rhyne Howard - G | Sabrina Ionescu - G | Arike Ogunbowale - G |
| 3 | Caitlin Clark - G | Aliyah Boston - F | Nneka Ogwumike - F | Brittney Sykes - G | Skylar Diggins-Smith - G | Ezi Magbegor - F/C |
| 4 | Marina Mabrey - G | Allisha Gray - G | Kahleah Copper - G | Jonquel Jones - F/C | DeWanna Bonner - F | Chelsea Gray - G |
| 5 | NaLyssa Smith - F | Brionna Jones - C | Ariel Atkins - G | Cheyenne Parker – F/C | Tina Charles - F | Cameron Brink - F |
| 6 | Jordin Canada - G | Teaira McCowan - C | Alanna Smith - F | Betnijah Laney – G | Natasha Cloud - G | Shakira Austin - C |
| 7 | Courtney Williams - G | Kelsey Mitchell - G | Elizabeth Williams - F | Courtney Vandersloot - G | Dorka Juhasz - F | Kayla McBride - G |
| 8 | Kamilla Cardoso - F | Dearica Hamby - F | Diana Taurasi - G | Diamond Miller – G | Rickea Jackson - F | Satou Sabally - F |
| 9 | Rebecca Allen - G | Jacy Sheldon - G | Azura Stevens – F/C | Katie Lou Samuelson – F | Diamond DeShields - G | Karlie Samuelson - F |
WNBA Mock Draft Analysis
The Decision at No. 3
Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson are the clear top two in redraft leagues, and while you can debate the order of them, you really don't need to consider anyone else if you pick first or second. In fact, I'd argue second is the best spot to pick in the draft, because you get whichever of those is left and get to make your second-round pick a spot ahead of the No. 1 pick.
That third spot is where decisions come into play. In this draft, Dani ended up taking Napheesa Collier with that pick. And hey—that's a really good pick. Collier averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game last year for the Lynx and the only real hole in her game comes with her three-point shooting, as she's shot under 30% in three consecutive seasons. Still, her volume from three allowed her to make 0.9 per game in 2023.
Napheesa Collier said she needs to step up in "areas other than scoring" that will take her game to the next level and push her to an MVP level. #Lynx #WNBA
— Mitchell Hansen (@M_Hansen13) May 1, 2024
I'd say the choice at Pick 3 should be between Collier and Alyssa Thomas, the do-everything forward for the Connecticut Sun who averaged 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. She offers even less from distance but gives you a big advantage with the assists and rebounds.
Where Did Caitlin Clark Go?
There's not a single player with a wider range of fantasy draft outcomes than Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark. If you're playing in a league with more casual players, you could easily see someone reach for her in the first round.
Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) had a strong #WNBA debut. Her shotmaking dazzled, and her playmaking and early chemistry with Aliyah Boston (@aa_boston) in the PnR is promising. Defensively, she’ll need to be more disciplined, though. #SmallsSnippets #IndianaFever #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/cvXdhlpwce
— Carolyn Smalls (@carolyn__smalls) May 7, 2024
In this league of experts, I used Pick 3.01 on Clark, and the chat immediately was like "wow, Justin, you're high on her." That really highlights the huge variety of outcomes for Clark, who enters the WNBA with a ton of hype behind her after setting the all-time Division I scoring record during her time at Iowa. She could come out of the gates scoring, with her playmaking abilities making her one of the most valuable players in the league instantly.
She could also struggle at first against elite competition. WNBA defenses are going to be a little better at sticking with her and forcing her to put the ball on the floor. You can stop on a dime and hit a three from the logo against college teams, but the WNBA has defenders who will do a more effective job of getting in her face and troubling those threes. Force Clark to get the ball out of her hands and she'll still kill you with assists, but a drop in scoring and a possible increase in turnovers make her more of a top 20 option instead of a top five option in fantasy.
Potential Sleepers
Looking at some picks that went after the sixth round, there are a few names that jump out as potential sleepers.
Kelsey Mitchell - Pick 7.02
Based on the lineup that the Fever went with in their preseason game against the Wings, Kelsey Mitchell's probably going to serve as Indiana's sixth player. I love that role for her, as she'll be able to fire away from deep, where she shot 39.8% last season.
Diamond Miller - Pick 8.03
I really think people need to be higher on Diamond Miller. As a rookie, Miller averaged 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. The addition of Courtney Williams could take shots away from Miller, but she could also still be the third option on the team. There's not much reliable wing depth on this roster, so Miller should see heavy minutes.
Diamond DeShields - Pick 9.05
The penultimate pick of the draft has a chance to post her best numbers in years in 2024. Diamond DeShields looked like a future star after the 2019 season, but injuries have limited her and she missed all of the 2023 season. DeShields will have a shot to play a major role on a rebuilding Chicago Sky team in 2024, assuming the team can get her to the floor.
Injury Notes Since The Draft
I can't remember if Satou Sabally's timeline—that she'll be out until around the Olympic break—was official when we drafted, but we all knew enough to not take her until the eighth round. Still, there might be some value there. Sabally's a top-15 fantasy option when healthy, but you likely only get about 15 games from her in 2024. She'll barely help you during the fantasy regular season but could be huge at the end.
My eighth-round pick was Kamilla Cardoso from the Chicago Sky, but she's now set to miss four to six weeks with a shoulder injury. If we redrafted now, I don't take her and instead would have gone Azura Stevens there.
