One team is starting to separate themselves from the pack ... while there is a cloudy outlook in the middle of the standings as multiple WNBA teams hover around similar records. Let's take a look at the razor-thin margins in this week's rankings:
1. Minnesota Lynx (17-2)
The Minnesota Lynx are surging ahead now, with four games in between them and the Phoenix Mercury behind them. That's a big gap to overcome for teams lower than them in the standings. Despite a rough week for them (and their worst performance all season during the Commissioner's Cup final, which isn't weighted in these rankings), they remain on top. They also have the favorite for MVP on their team in Napheesa Collier, who leads the league with 24.3 points per game.
2. Phoenix Mercury (13-6)
Phoenix has been great in the past few weeks despite being on the bad end of the inescapable injury problem in this league. Kahleah Copper is currently day-to-day, as is Satou Sabally who was seen in a boot over the weekend. Lexi Held is still out with her lung injury. They may have lost to Dallas in the first game of a home-and-away series, but ended up blowing them OUT in the second game, 102-72. Sami Whitcomb stepped up to score 36 points, and Alyssa Thomas led the team in assists with 15, and rebounds with 10. Just the proof of how deep this Mercury team is.
3. New York Liberty (12-6)
While the Mercury have been staying afloat despite injury, the Liberty's injuries are exposing gaps in this team. Jonquel Jones has an MVP case solely in the way this team misses her presence on the floor, and the Liberty are not rushing her back from her ankle sprain out of caution. It's not time to panic or anything, but they've slipped a little.
4. Seattle Storm (12-7)
With three All-Stars on their roster, the Seattle Storm have been thrilling this season, especially in recent weeks as they've truly figured out their roster. They've proved they can win games against teams like Minnesota and New York, as well as Phoenix, and are positioning themselves for a great playoff spot. Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams will represent the team in Indianapolis for the All-Star game, fitting as the Storm's Big-3 are meshing so well.
5. Atlanta Dream (12-7)
Atlanta rounds out the "top-tier" of our rankings, slipping just a bit after losing 3 of their last 5 games. There were some heartbreakers in there, including a 1-point loss to Seattle, an OT loss to Minnesota, and a low-scoring loss against Dallas. Again, nothing to panic about, especially as they have an MVP candidate in Allisha Gray leading them. This upcoming week will be big for them as they face Indiana and New York.
6. Indiana Fever (9-9)
The Indiana are on top of what is considered the "middle" — makes sense given all three of these teams currently have identical 9-9 records. It's going to be a BATTLE for these last playoff spots as we approach the second half of the season. Indiana has lost 2 of their last 5, which is great considering Caitlin Clark has been out since June 24 with a groin injury. She has only played in 9 of the Fever's games this season, meaning she has missed half of the games they have played. More than half, when you include the Commissioner's Cup Final. She did play 5-on-5 scrimmage with the team on Monday, per reports, so hopefully she is back soon.
7. Golden State Valkyries (9-9)
Ballhalllllaaaaa — the place to be this WNBA season. Yet, the Valkyries struggle when they hit the road, with a record of 2-6. That showed when they headed out on the first two games of a four-game road trip, losing both. They'll play Indiana and Las Vegas on the road this week, which could be great chances for them to prove they aren't just a product of their home court advantage.
8. Las Vegas Aces (9-9)
Las Vegas played what their coach called "one of the worst games she has ever watched" last week, losing 81-54 to the Indiana Fever. They can't seem to find any defensive OR offensive flow, and when they get into a rut, they cannot seem to dig themselves out. The person saving them from complete and utter disaster is A'ja Wilson, who scored 29 points in that loss against Indiana, outscoring the rest of her team. If the Aces don't want to be pushed out of a playoff spot, they need to figure out how to be more aggressive and give Wilson some help. The Mystics are lurking...
9. Washington Mystics (9-10)
Youth is at the core of the Washington Mystics, with their now All-Star duo of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen on fire. Washington is the kind of team that usually (with some exceptions) wins against lottery teams, and puts up a fight (sometimes even defeats) top teams in the league. In particular, they are one of only two teams that have beat the Minnesota Lynx this regular season.
10. Dallas Wings (6-14)
Dallas may not be stacking wins lately, but they are super fun to watch. Paige Bueckers has obviously been fantastic, and rewarded with an All-Star starting role in her rookie year. She was also the top-ranked All-Star when you combined the fan vote, media vote and player vote. Bueckers leads the team in points per game with 18.2, assists per game with her 5.5 dimes, and steals per game with 1.7. Her fellow rookies in Aziaha James and JJ Quinerly have been getting solid development minutes as well, leading to an exciting look into the future of the Dallas Wings.
11. Los Angeles Sparks (6-13)
The Sparks get the lower ranking here because they should be better than they are... but aren't. Kelsey Plum is leading the team in points with 20.1 per game, as well as dimes with 5.6 per game. Azura Stevens is having a great year, and is high on the list of All-Star Snubs. Of course, they have had some rough injury luck in 2025, and are still awaiting the return of Cameron Brink. Again, seems like a placeholder year in the grand scheme of things.
12. Chicago Sky (5-13)
Chicago only has 5 wins this season, which is why they are ranked so low, and the vision is hazy there. Obviously, the future is in Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso (who has been away from the team for the last few weeks competing with Team Brazil in the AmeriCup tournament), but the timeline is murky. Losing Vandersloot to injury last month has been rough, and it's still hard to see a path for Chicago. This season feels like a placeholder in their grand plan.
13. Connecticut Sun (2-16)
Well, yeah. The Sun have not won a game since June 6, and are now at 10 losses in a row. On June 24, it was announced their leader Marina Mabrey was expected to be out for 2-4 weeks after suffering a knee injury, which doesn't help their chances either. The positive here is that with no expectations on the season, the Sun can focus on developing their younger players in Saniya Rivers and Aneesah Morrow.