WNBA Picks & Predictions 2026: 1 Bet for All 15 Teams

The 2026 season marks the beginning of a new era for the WNBA.

With a historic new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, player salaries have reached all-time highs. Rosters have expanded, and the league welcomes two new expansion franchises, bringing the total to 15 teams.

To set the stage for this pivotal season, I’ve broken down the preseason WNBA odds and identified one bet for each of the league’s 15 teams.

WNBA Predictions & Best Bets 2026

Atlanta Dream

Angel Reese’s WNBA MVP odds of +7500 are worth a sprinkle, and I’d be willing to play it down to 50/1. After the Atlanta Dream traded two first-round picks for Reese this offseason, it’s easy to envision her thriving in this system with so much shooting around her.

The best version of Reese looks a lot like Alyssa Thomas’s profile. Thomas averaged 9.2 assists per game in her first season with the Phoenix Mercury last year, which led to a third-place MVP finish.

If Reese can improve her passing (3.7 assists per game last year) to go along with her double-double averages in points and rebounds, I see a world where she’s on MVP ballots. It’s certainly more plausible than these odds would suggest.

Chicago Sky

As for Reese’s former squad, the Chicago Sky’s win total of 19.5 feels too high. The Sky went 10-34 last year and have won 20-plus games in a season just once this decade.

Chicago made moves this offseason, bringing in Rickea Jackson, Skylar Diggins, Jacy Sheldon, and Natasha Cloud to retool the roster. But this was the league’s worst defensive team a season ago.

Offensively, the concerns are just as real. The Sky averaged a league-worst 75.8 points per game last year, and a backcourt of Courtney Vandersloot, Cloud, and Diggins isn’t exactly going to keep defenses honest from deep. Spacing will be a problem.

The arrows are pointing down, not up.

Connecticut Sun

The Sun are in the early stages of a promising rebuild, leaning into a defensive identity with their young core.

Leïla Lacan ranked second in the WNBA with an average of 2.2 steals per contest. Saniya Rivers flashed two-way ability on the perimeter, and Aneesah Morrow recorded eight double-doubles in her first season.

In their final season before moving to Houston, the Sun should be competitive enough on the defensive end to clear a low win total of 11.5. They have finished over this win total in all but three seasons in franchise history.

Dallas Wings

I’ve backed first-year head coach Jose Fernandez at +1500 in the preseason WNBA Coach of the Year odds market. He’s worth a bet at +900 or better, though I’d also consider the Wings’ win total (21.5) and their odds to make the playoffs (-165).

If the Wings make the playoffs after posting the worst record in the league last year, Fernandez will get a lot of the credit. He’s built quite a reputation after spending the last 25 years as the head coach of the University of South Florida women’s basketball team, earning nearly 500 career wins.

Dallas has given Fernandez a strong roster in Year 1 after landing Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard in free agency. The Wings also added Azzi Fudd with their second straight No. 1 pick to pair with Paige Bueckers. Get on the bandwagon before it’s too late.

Golden State Valkyries

The Valkyries set a high bar for expansion teams, reaching the playoffs in their first season while producing two award winners: Natalie Nakase (Coach of the Year) and Veronica Burton (Most Improved Player).

Golden State forward Kayla Thornton was trending toward the MIP award before a midseason injury derailed her case. But here’s the thing, neither Thornton nor Burton was the Valkyries’ first selection in the expansion draft.

That distinction belonged to center Iliana Rupert, and at 100/1, she’s worth a small bet in the Most Improved Player market. Rupert averaged 11.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 11 starts last season, but this year she gets her first real shot as a full-time starting center. The opportunity is there for a breakout.

Indiana Fever

It’s difficult to find value on the Fever in any futures market due to their popularity, so I’ve settled on taking the under in their season opener against the Wings on Saturday. The total is currently trading at 175.5, the highest mark in the opening weekend.

These two teams combined for 175 points in the lone preseason meeting, but I’m banking on more defense in a meaningful matchup. The Wings also improved their defensive outlook by bringing in Smith and Shepard to bolster their frontcourt.

Indiana improved its defensive rating to seventh last year, but there could be another gear in the second season under head coach Stephanie White. The Fever had only three full-game totals listed 175.5 or higher last year, finishing 2-1 to the under.

Las Vegas Aces

Somehow, A’ja Wilson didn’t begin as the favorite to win WNBA MVP. As long as that’s the case, Wilson has the best value in the MVP market.

Wilson became the first player in WNBA history to win a fourth MVP award last year. She averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game. Wilson helped the Aces close the year on a 16-game win streak to claim the No. 2 seed.

Assuming the Aces don’t get off to another slow start, Wilson might run away with the MVP race. Many of her biggest challengers in recent years aren’t as formidable as they once were, and Wilson is firmly in her prime as the best player in the league.

Los Angeles Sparks

If I were setting the odds, Sparks coach Lynne Roberts would be my favorite for WNBA Coach of the Year. That’s exactly why I jumped on her +1200 price tag this preseason.

Roberts’ debut in Los Angeles ended just short of the playoffs, but the trajectory was encouraging. The Sparks went 15-9 over the final two months of the season, and with veteran additions Nneka Ogwumike and Ariel Atkins now in the fold, there’s every reason to believe that momentum carries over.

The historical case is compelling, too. Since 2016, eight of the last 10 Coach of the Year winners have come from a top-four seed. The Sparks have that kind of ceiling this year — a significant step up from last season’s 21-23 finish — and if Roberts gets them there, the award conversation will follow.

Minnesota Lynx

My first WNBA betting future this preseason was on the under for the Lynx’s win total, which has dropped from 27.5 to 25.5. With that edge gone, I prefer the +300 value on Olivia Miles in the WNBA Rookie of the Year odds race.

It’s officially a new era for the Lynx, who are replacing four of their top seven rotation players in terms of minutes played. Napheesa Collier will also be sidelined until the summer after having surgery on both ankles.

As a result, Miles should step into a huge role as the starting point guard. She averaged 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and three assists in the preseason. Don’t be surprised when Miles becomes an early favorite in this wide-open race.

New York Liberty

For the second straight year, Marine Johannès is my favorite long shot in the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year odds market. She’s +4000 this time around after being +2200 last preseason.

Johannès, who finished fourth in the 2023 6POY race, didn’t have nearly the same impact in 2025. She averaged 6.4 points in 18.3 minutes per game, but I’m hopeful that new head coach Chris DeMarco (former Golden State Warriors assistant) will prioritize Johannès’ shooting off the bench. She should see an early boost in playing time with Sabrina Ionescu out to start the year.

Typically, this award goes to a reserve on an elite team. The last Sixth Player of the Year winner from outside the league’s top four came in 2014. With the Liberty projected as the best squad in the league, don’t be surprised if a 6POY candidate emerges from their bench.

Phoenix Mercury

At this point, I’m willing to trust Alyssa Thomas and the Mercury front office unconditionally. That combination gives Phoenix a solid enough foundation to clear its 2026 win total of 23.5.

Thomas has been consistently excellent. She hasn’t missed the postseason in a decade, so I have a hard time predicting too much of a downfall after the team lost Satou Sabally to the Liberty.

In addition, the Phoenix front office has continuously found gems. Last year, Monique Akoa Makani emerged out of nowhere to start 40 games as a rookie guard. Kathryn Westbeld proved to be a valuable 3-and-D player as an undrafted rookie. 

Don’t be surprised if the Mercury replicate some of that formula again in 2026.

Portland Fire

A big lesson from the 2025 season is that expansion teams have an advantage in a market like Most Improved Player. Players are embracing bigger roles with their new teams, which leads to a significant boost in production.

There is a good chance that this year’s MIP winner comes from the Portland Fire or Toronto Tempo. Fire forward Bridget Carleton seems like a solid choice at +1000 after she was the first pick in the expansion draft. Carleton averaged 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and two assists per game last year with the Lynx, but this is her chance to be the top option.

Second-year guard Carla Leite might be the better value play as a +4000 long shot. A second-year player hasn’t won MIP since 2017, but Leite should have a much bigger role compared to her debut season with the Valkyries, in which she averaged 7.2 points and two assists per contest.

Both players are worth a look in the MIP market.

Seattle Storm

It’d be under or pass for me on the Storm’s win total, which has dropped from 15.5 to 14.5. No other team lost as much as Seattle did this offseason, with Gabby Williams, Brittney Sykes, Diggins, and Ogwumike all leaving the team.

The Storm have leaned into youth and size. After selecting 6-foot-6 center Dominique Malonga with the No. 2 pick last year, the Storm landed 6-foot-4 forward Awa Fam with the third pick this spring. They also extended 6-foot-4 forward Ezi Magbegor, who will be injured to start the year.

I’m curious to see how all three players fit when healthy, but this is shaping up to be the start of a rebuild in Seattle.

Toronto Tempo

The market is giving the Tempo plenty of respect in their first season as an expansion franchise. Their win total (15.5) is six games higher than the Fire’s over/under entering their first season. And it comes after the Valkyries had a single-digit win total last year.

But the thing is, winning games in Year 1 is difficult. Before the Valkyries’ surprise season, the previous two first-year WNBA teams (Sky in 2006 and Dream in 2008) failed to win 15% of their games in their debut campaigns.

The Tempo could be a frisky team with a backcourt combination of Marina Mabrey and Sykes, but I’ll bet against them picking up many wins in 2026.

Washington Mystics

Permission to get excited about the Mystics’ young core? The Mystics crushed last year’s draft, nabbing Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen with back-to-back picks. They both earned All-Star nods as rookies.

Georgia Amoore, a 5-foot-6 playmaking point guard, didn’t even play after suffering an ACL injury in April. So, the Mystics are essentially adding multiple rookies to their team again after selecting center Lauren Betts, who led UCLA to its first national championship in the spring.

Both Amoore and Betts are worth circling as candidates in the WNBA Rookie of the Year odds, though I’d wait to see if there is better value down the road. For now, give me the over on Washington’s win total (17.5), as this young team can pick up some wins against the bottom of the league.