WNBA Power Rankings Week One: Connecticut’s Sale Timeline

WNBA 2026 – Ten days into the 2026 season, the WNBA has already started sorting teams into early tiers—while Connecticut’s move to Houston becomes the sharpest off-court storyline of the week. The rankings reflect records and key injuries as teams race through a tiny but

When the WNBA jumped back into motion and fans finally got more than talk on paper, it didn’t take long for the season to start feeling real. By games played on Sunday, May 17—ten days in—every team had at least a handful of results that could be measured, questioned, and compared.

The leagues’ first Power Rankings of 2026, in their second week of editions, still come with a warning: the sample size remains extremely small. But “extremely small” isn’t the same as meaningless. It’s enough to leave impressions on 15 teams—some of them steady, some of them fragile.

Las Vegas Aces (4-1) opened with a title-defense stumble, losing a blowout to Phoenix on ring night. They responded with four straight wins, capped by Chelsea Gray’s game-winner against the Dream on Sunday. After playing five games in the season’s first 10 days. the Aces are off until Saturday. when they host the Sparks and raise their third championship banner.

New York Liberty (3-1) still look like the team to beat. The Liberty’s lone blemish is a last-second loss to the expansion Fire. but they quickly avenged that defeat with an 18-point win over Portland two days later. Breanna Stewart leads with 23.0 points per game, and the Liberty are averaging a league-best 100 points per game.

Atlanta Dream (2-1) have already had two games that swung on a single possession. In their season opener. they erased an 18-point deficit to defeat the Lynx. with Angel Reese sealing the win with a last-second block in her Atlanta debut. Eight days later. the Dream were on the other side of a last-second moment. dropping a tight game because of Chelsea Gray.

Chicago Sky (3-1) climbed after a start that included four straight road games. and that road work began with a win in Portland that spoiled the Fire’s return. Defensively. the Sky have looked built for the long season already. posting league-best marks in defensive rating (97.2) and opponent field goal percentage (38.1%). The concern came Sunday when the Sky lost leading scorer Rickea Jackson to a knee injury. a potential problem if she misses extended time.

Golden State Valkyries (2-1) came out strong with double-digit wins over the Storm and Mercury. then absorbed their first setback against the Sky on Sunday. Their net rating through the opening week is +8.3. but this week includes a difficult road back-to-back. with games at New York and Indiana on Thursday and Friday.

Phoenix Mercury (2-2) have had flashes that feel like a turning point. After watching the Aces receive their championship rings before tipping off their Finals rematch. Phoenix responded with a 33-point win in the season opener. But then came consecutive losses to Golden State and Minnesota. They bounced back by beating an unbeaten Chicago. Rookie Jovana Nogić has been one of the early bright spots. averaging 16 points and 3.3 three-pointers on 65% shooting from deep. helping the Mercury shoot a league-best 38.5% from beyond the arc.

Washington Mystics (2-1) are tied to the season’s early storyline of close games going deep. There have been only two overtime games in the WNBA so far this season, and both have featured the Mystics. They fell to the Liberty 98-93 last Sunday, then defeated the Fever 104-102 on Friday. In their only non-OT game, Washington held off Toronto to spoil the Tempo’s franchise opener. This week they visit Dallas and Seattle, with the question hanging over whether they can finally land a decisive win.

Indiana Fever (2-2) have plenty of offense, even if the results have not followed. So far this season, teams are 7-2 when scoring 100 or more points. The Fever’s two losses belong to that group: they scored triple-digits and still fell short. surrendering 104 to the Mystics and 107—season-high—to the Wings. Caitlin Clark is driving the production with the WNBA record for most career games with 20+ points and 10+ assists just three games into her third season. The problem shows up on the other side of the ball: Indiana’s defense ranks 12th in opponent points allowed (91.8).

Minnesota Lynx (2-2) are trying to navigate injuries that keep stacking. Napheesa Collier is still recovering from offseason ankle surgeries. Then another hit arrived: rookie center Emma Čechová has been lost for the season with a torn ACL. The Lynx started 2-2 in four games decided by seven points or fewer. and after closing the week. they’re off until Thursday. when they host Toronto before finishing in Chicago.

Dallas Wings (1-2) have their own kind of early tension—games that keep going down to the wire. Last season, the Wings finished 3-15 (.167) in clutch games, defined as games within five points during the final five minutes. All three of their games have come down to the wire this season. After defeating the Fever, Dallas fell to both the Dream and Lynx down the stretch. With four games scheduled this week. the question is how many land in clutch time again—and what the Wings do differently when they do.

Toronto Tempo (2-2) have the makings of a real test against multiple styles. After coming up just short in their franchise opener against Washington. the Tempo earned their first-ever win against Seattle on Wednesday behind a combined 44 points from Marina Mabrey (26) and Brittney Sykes (18). Sykes ranks fifth in the WNBA in scoring, averaging 24.3 points over her first four games. She’s getting it done by drawing fouls. reaching the free-throw line at a league-high 11 per game. and knocking them down at a 90.9% clip. The Tempo visit Phoenix and Minnesota before hosting Portland in a clash of expansion squads.

Portland Fire (1-2) still carry the emotional weight of their return. After 24 years, WNBA basketball returned to the Rose City. In their opening week, the Fire hosted the Sky and the Liberty twice. Portland earned its first win with a buzzer-beating putback by Sarah Ashlee Barker. but that remained the Fire’s lone victory as the Liberty won their rematch two days later. Portland will host Connecticut on Monday before embarking on its inaugural road trip with stops in Indiana and Toronto to close the week.

Los Angeles Sparks (1-3) are learning the cost of a split season. Offensively, they rank in the middle of the pack with a 107.7 offensive rating that ranks eighth. Defensively, they are dead last with a 121.3 defensive rating through their first four games. Their lone win came against the expansion Tempo on Friday behind 25 points from Kelsey Plum. who leads the WNBA in scoring at 26.8 points per game.

Seattle Storm (1-3) are short-handed in more than one way. In the frontcourt. All-Star Ezi Magbegor sustained a foot injury while competing for Australia in the 2026 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers. and the Storm were also without second-year center Dominique Malonga during Sunday’s loss to Indiana due to a concussion. Malonga is having a breakthrough season in Seattle, averaging 16 points, 7.3 rebounds, two steals and a block through three games. The Storm’s lone win so far has come against winless Connecticut.

And then there’s Connecticut Sun (0-4), whose week carries a rare kind of league-wide attention. On Wednesday. it became official: the WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun to Houston. The final season in Connecticut has started slowly. with the Sun still searching for their first win after falling to New York. Seattle. and Las Vegas twice. This week. the team from the Northeast will be in the Pacific Northwest. visiting Portland on Monday before a two-game set in Seattle on Wednesday and Friday.

The sequence of the first week’s results tells a simple truth: teams can swing fast, but so can pressure. Some rosters are building rhythm—New York with 100 points per game and Atlanta’s last-second edge—while others are coping with injuries and defensive gaps that can’t be brushed aside. In a season still early enough for impressions to be fragile. Connecticut’s relocation approval makes those impressions feel heavier. not lighter.

WNBA Power Rankings 2026 season Connecticut Sun relocation Houston Las Vegas Aces New York Liberty Atlanta Dream Chicago Sky Golden State Valkyries Phoenix Mercury