by Vegas Writer
Monday, May 18, 2026While we know who the top teams in the WNBA will be, or at least assume who they'll be, this is a good time to identify which team or teams are the ones to watch with a value price on their heads.
Enter the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky.
Both teams, which entered the season with little to no expectations, have been two of the top teams at the betting window through the first two weeks of the season.
The Mystics come into the week with a perfect 3-0 ATS mark while winning two of three straight-up. Impressively, the two wins came on the road, including a 104-102 overtime victory in Indianapolis over Caitlin Clark and the Fever. It was the Mystics' second straight overtime clash, after they took the preseason-favored New York Liberty to extra time.
The Mystics continued their four-game road trip in Dallas on Monday, and will close out the junket with two winnable games in Seattle. They return home to close out May with a Friday night clash against the Los Angeles Sparks, and then open June at home with the Sky in what could be a battle of the league's top two most profitable teams.
As for the new-look Sky, who shipped Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream during the offseason, they opened the season winning and covering three of their first four games - all of them away from Chi-town.
After a couple of days off, the Sky will open the home portion of their schedule on Wednesday against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, the start of a four-game homestand, which will also bring in Minnesota, Toronto and Minnesota again.
If you're looking for early-season value with perceived underdog numbers, keep an eye on the Mystics and Sky.
PROP WATCH OF THE WEEK
In three games last week, Toronto veteran BRITTNEY SYKES averaged 29.0 points per game and hit 64.4% of her shot attempts. And that included back-to-back games in Los Angeles, where she helped the Tempo to split against the Sparks. With two more left on the road trip, coach Sandy Brondello could lean on Sykes with games in Phoenix and Minneapolis. The 10-year veteran owns a career average of 13.9 points versus the Mercury and 9.4 against the Lynx. The latter doesn't reflect her best performances, but with Minnesota experiencing a bit of a struggling start this season, and still without Napheesa Collier, it wouldn't surprise me to see Sykes get a couple of good warm-ups before the Tempo close the week with an expansion showdown against the Portland Fire in Toronto on Saturday.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Thursday, 8 pm eastern, GOLDEN STATE at NEW YORK: The VW No. 2 Liberty host the No. 3 Valkyries in an early-season clash of two of the best teams in the league. The question is whether or not coach Natalie Nakase's squad will arrive in Brooklyn with rust after being off for more than a week. The Valkyries haven't played since losing at home to the Chicago Sky, 69-63, at home. It was quite different than when the Valks opened the season with 91 points in an 11-point win at Seattle and 95 points in their 16-point home-opening win. The Liberty, meanwhile, return home after playing three straight road games, the last two in Portland, where they split a pair against the expansion Fire. It'll be the start of a seven-game homestand for the Liberty, and they'll be looking to make a statement.
WEEKLY RANKINGS:
1. Las Vegas Aces - A'ja Wilson for MVP and Chennedy Carter for 6th Player of the Year.
2. New York Liberty - Sabrina Ionescu can't return quickly enough to spark this offense.
3. Golden State Valkyries - Janelle Salaün is coming off the bench to lead the team with 15.7 points per game.
4. Atlanta Dream - Angel Reese is off and running with a double-double average of 10.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game.
5. Washington Mystics - If there were a Sophomore of the Year Award, then Sonia Citron would be the leading candidate, as she leads the team with 24.3 points per game.
6. Minnesota Lynx - I don't expect to see the true version of coach Cheryl Reeve's bunch until Napheesa Collier is back from injury.
7. Chicago Sky - Huge blow to the team when Rickea Jackson left Sunday's game against the Lynx with an injury, as she leads the team with 18.0 points per game.
8. Phoenix Mercury - Five players are scoring double figures, but the surprise has been Jovana Nogić, who has scored at least 16 in three of the first four games of her career.
9. Indiana Fever - While most will clamor about Caitlin Clark's team-leading 24.3 points per game, her fans should be more concerned with her 5.0 turnovers per contest.
10. Toronto Tempo - As Kiki Rice continues to improve, this team has a built-in leader who blends nicely with the veterans on this team.
11. Dallas Wings - Coach Jose Fernandez should look in the mirror before calling out one of the best players on his team (Maddy Siegrist).
12. Portland Fire - The staple mark win over the New York Liberty should help provide a spark when this team needs a reminder of how to win.
13. Los Angeles Sparks - When Rae Burrell starts taking over games, this team will raise its danger zone.
14. Seattle Storm - Coach Sonia Raman can't hold a candle to Noelle Quinn. This will be a long year for the Storm.
15. Connecticut Sun - These ladies have one foot out the door and on their way to Houston.
Enter the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky.
Both teams, which entered the season with little to no expectations, have been two of the top teams at the betting window through the first two weeks of the season.
The Mystics come into the week with a perfect 3-0 ATS mark while winning two of three straight-up. Impressively, the two wins came on the road, including a 104-102 overtime victory in Indianapolis over Caitlin Clark and the Fever. It was the Mystics' second straight overtime clash, after they took the preseason-favored New York Liberty to extra time.
The Mystics continued their four-game road trip in Dallas on Monday, and will close out the junket with two winnable games in Seattle. They return home to close out May with a Friday night clash against the Los Angeles Sparks, and then open June at home with the Sky in what could be a battle of the league's top two most profitable teams.
As for the new-look Sky, who shipped Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream during the offseason, they opened the season winning and covering three of their first four games - all of them away from Chi-town.
After a couple of days off, the Sky will open the home portion of their schedule on Wednesday against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, the start of a four-game homestand, which will also bring in Minnesota, Toronto and Minnesota again.
If you're looking for early-season value with perceived underdog numbers, keep an eye on the Mystics and Sky.
PROP WATCH OF THE WEEK
In three games last week, Toronto veteran BRITTNEY SYKES averaged 29.0 points per game and hit 64.4% of her shot attempts. And that included back-to-back games in Los Angeles, where she helped the Tempo to split against the Sparks. With two more left on the road trip, coach Sandy Brondello could lean on Sykes with games in Phoenix and Minneapolis. The 10-year veteran owns a career average of 13.9 points versus the Mercury and 9.4 against the Lynx. The latter doesn't reflect her best performances, but with Minnesota experiencing a bit of a struggling start this season, and still without Napheesa Collier, it wouldn't surprise me to see Sykes get a couple of good warm-ups before the Tempo close the week with an expansion showdown against the Portland Fire in Toronto on Saturday.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Thursday, 8 pm eastern, GOLDEN STATE at NEW YORK: The VW No. 2 Liberty host the No. 3 Valkyries in an early-season clash of two of the best teams in the league. The question is whether or not coach Natalie Nakase's squad will arrive in Brooklyn with rust after being off for more than a week. The Valkyries haven't played since losing at home to the Chicago Sky, 69-63, at home. It was quite different than when the Valks opened the season with 91 points in an 11-point win at Seattle and 95 points in their 16-point home-opening win. The Liberty, meanwhile, return home after playing three straight road games, the last two in Portland, where they split a pair against the expansion Fire. It'll be the start of a seven-game homestand for the Liberty, and they'll be looking to make a statement.
WEEKLY RANKINGS:
1. Las Vegas Aces - A'ja Wilson for MVP and Chennedy Carter for 6th Player of the Year.
2. New York Liberty - Sabrina Ionescu can't return quickly enough to spark this offense.
3. Golden State Valkyries - Janelle Salaün is coming off the bench to lead the team with 15.7 points per game.
4. Atlanta Dream - Angel Reese is off and running with a double-double average of 10.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game.
5. Washington Mystics - If there were a Sophomore of the Year Award, then Sonia Citron would be the leading candidate, as she leads the team with 24.3 points per game.
6. Minnesota Lynx - I don't expect to see the true version of coach Cheryl Reeve's bunch until Napheesa Collier is back from injury.
7. Chicago Sky - Huge blow to the team when Rickea Jackson left Sunday's game against the Lynx with an injury, as she leads the team with 18.0 points per game.
8. Phoenix Mercury - Five players are scoring double figures, but the surprise has been Jovana Nogić, who has scored at least 16 in three of the first four games of her career.
9. Indiana Fever - While most will clamor about Caitlin Clark's team-leading 24.3 points per game, her fans should be more concerned with her 5.0 turnovers per contest.
10. Toronto Tempo - As Kiki Rice continues to improve, this team has a built-in leader who blends nicely with the veterans on this team.
11. Dallas Wings - Coach Jose Fernandez should look in the mirror before calling out one of the best players on his team (Maddy Siegrist).
12. Portland Fire - The staple mark win over the New York Liberty should help provide a spark when this team needs a reminder of how to win.
13. Los Angeles Sparks - When Rae Burrell starts taking over games, this team will raise its danger zone.
14. Seattle Storm - Coach Sonia Raman can't hold a candle to Noelle Quinn. This will be a long year for the Storm.
15. Connecticut Sun - These ladies have one foot out the door and on their way to Houston.
