Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Our latest WNBA power rankings show a tight race for the top seed with one team still leading the pack.
- The health of MVP candidate Paige Bueckers could determine whether the Wings becomes a legitimate title threat this season.
- One expansion franchise is exceeding expectations while another faces a critical decision point to secure its long-term future.
The Golden State Valkyries might still be sitting slightly behind the Minnesota Lynx in the race for the No. 1 overall seed, but the second-year franchise remains on top in this week's WNBA power rankings.
Behind them, though, there are changes — some big ones, some small ones and one in particular that might be short-lived depending on a certain injury situation.
WNBA Power Rankings, Week 11
Position | Team | Record | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Golden State Valkyries | 19-7 | 1 |
2 | Minnesota Lynx | 20-6 | 2 |
3 | Dallas Wings | 17-8 | 4 |
4 | Las Vegas Aces | 17-7 | 3 |
5 | Indiana Fever | 16-10 | 5 |
6 | Atlanta Dream | 16-10 | 6 |
7 | Washington Mystics | 12-12 | 8 |
8 | New York Liberty | 13-12 | 7 |
9 | Portland Fire | 11-15 | 11 |
10 | Toronto Tempo | 10-15 | 9 |
11 | Chicago Sky | 9-17 | 15 |
12 | Phoenix Mercury | 9-18 | 12 |
13 | Connecticut Sun | 7-19 | 14 |
14 | Los Angeles Sparks | 10-15 | 10 |
15 | Seattle Storm | 6-21 | 13 |
The Wings might have a Paige Bueckers issue
Paige Bueckers is a viable MVP option. She's arguably the most clutch player in the league. She's turned the Dallas Wings from an afterthought into a true contender, but there's one issue: an injury that could derail everything.
Nneka Ogwumike and Paige Bueckers left the Sparks-Wings game after an inadvertent collision with each other. pic.twitter.com/faDGHCVaD4
— espnW (@espnW) July 19, 2026
Bueckers collided with Nneka Ogwumike on Sunday and was forced to leave the game against the Sparks. She didn't return, and it's unclear what exactly the issue is here. She's off the injury report for Monday, so maybe this is just much ado about nothing, but it's at least worth monitoring.
If Bueckers misses time, Dallas would need to rely heavily on Arike Ogunbowale, something that's definitely riskier than relying on Bueckers. Azzi Fudd would almost have to take on more ball-handling responsibility, which, again, seems less than ideal. Bueckers is what makes this team a viable title threat, so having her back healthy as soon as possible is crucial.
Portland has built a foundation for the future
There were two expansion teams this year, and both seemingly took different approaches: Toronto built to compete now, while the Portland Fire were playing the long game. Except...we're almost at the All-Star break and the Fire have a better record than the Tempo.
Portland is ninth in the overall standings at the moment, but need either Washington or New York to collapse to have a shot at making the playoffs. Even without that, though, Portland has shown some very impressive stuff this season.
The team has found some real gems in the backcourt. In a close loss to Minnesota this week. Bridget Carleton, Carla Leite and Sarah Ashlee Barker all scored 20-plus points. Because of this, the team should be able to approach the upcoming offseason with a specific goal in mind: get the frontcourt to be as good as the backcourt. Do that, and this team will be challenging for a playoff spot next season.
Is there anything New York can do to salvage things?
Four losses in a row. A 2-8 record over the last 10 games. An injury report that looks like a CVS receipt. The New York Liberty are in a lot of trouble right now. A team that entered 2026 with title aspirations is just 13-12, a half-game up on the Mystics for the No. 7 seed.
It's no longer looking dire. It simply is dire. Just look at Monday's injury report: the team is without Leonie Fiebich and Satou Sabally. In fact, the assumed starting lineup before the season (Sabally, Fiebich, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones) has shared the floor for a grand total of 25 minutes this season. That quintet has a +3.0 net rating when playing together.
It's clear at this point that we aren't seeing the LIberty team that New York wanted to put out there, and even if we do get that in the second half of the season, the hole that New York has dug itself into is deep. Will it even matter if we get the full roster at some point? Stewart and Ionescu's shooting struggles this season mean that lineup will have serious spacing concerns anyway, and the best thing the team could do at this point might be to trade one of its bench wings for future draft capital to try again next season.
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