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As a courtesy to everyone out there, I want to give you this quick note: The WNBA starts today. I’m sure that everyone has been anxiously awaiting the return of the league and knew that, but just in case, I wanted to give you a heads up. I love the league for a ton of reasons, but one of them is that I find good value on teams and games. I’m going to share some thoughts on some futures for this year. I’ll have my first official play tomorrow.
Champion
I don’t have an overwhelming feeling about any team in particular to win the championship, but there are some clear favorites. The Aces have won three of the past four and have the best player in the league. The New York Liberty are the favorite at +220, and it makes total sense with Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones. The Fever are +450 after making it to the semifinals last season without Caitlin Clark. I don’t see them repeating that success, but it is certainly possible. They are a deep team.
For value, I would lean to the Minnesota Lynx, the best team from last season at +800. But they’ve lost a ton of depth. The Fever are my next favorite with their depth and continuity. The Liberty are a good value, though.
CAITLIN CLARK’S FEVER MAKE SEVERAL KEY OFFSEASON SIGNINGS IN CHAMPIONSHIP PURSUIT
Win Totals
The Chicago Sky stand out to me as potentially the worst franchise in all of the WNBA. This team is going to be decent, but I have a lot of questions about where the offense will come from. They have a lot of veterans — DiJonai Carrington, Skylar Diggins, Courtney Vandersloot and Natasha Cloud. At this point in their careers, most of them are known for defense over offense. I like the under 19.5 on them.
The Los Angeles Sparks went 21-23 last season and should improve this year. They have Cameron Brink for a full season, and Nneka Ogwumike returning. Kelsey Plum proved she could carry the scoring load for the team. She is one of the more reliable scorers in the league. I do have some questions about their depth, but I like the over 25.5.
AZZI FUDD QUESTIONS WNBA REFS BEFORE EVEN PLAYING A REGULAR-SEASON GAME AS A DALLAS WINGS ROOKIE
The Dallas Wings are probably my favorite bet this season. I expect them to improve significantly after going 10-34 last season. They got the No. 1 overall pick and took Azzi Fudd to pair with Paige Bueckers. The UConn duo should be elite this year. As a third scorer, Arike Ogunbowale is one of the best options in the league. I love the Alanna Smith signing. She does a bit of everything, from scoring to rebounding and defense. I’ll take the over 22.5.
Awards
A’ja Wilson is a beast on defense, and at +250 I think we still have some good value on the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Wilson has won three of the past four, tying Alanna Smith last year. Napheesa Collier is the other winner. Cameron Brink is a great value at +1200. She has a great rim presence and is athletic enough to switch on a lot of positions.
Fudd is listed as the second favorite for Rookie of the Year. I could see her not winning because she is likely to be a second or third option on her team. My guess is that Fudd won’t get enough credit for the Wings’ improvement to warrant winning. I like Lauren Betts at +700. She will be an offensive force for the Mystics. Washington is not a good team, but that means Betts will probably get more run.
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Last little note: I’ll sprinkle Bueckers MVP at +1400. She is going to be the focal point of her team, and they will be much improved. Now, with more talent around her, she is likely to lead them to the playoffs. Clark is probably not going to play enough, and Wilson may suffer from voter fatigue. I like the odds on her.
Let’s get down to the season. Remember, all WNBA tickets cash the same as any other sport.
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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
