The first week of the 2026 WNBA season has come and gone. We now have a small sample size of games from each team. The superstar franchises are not surprising anyone with their dominant performances, but there have been a few unexpected shake-ups since our Power Rankings Volume Zero!
Here are a few teams we’ve seen leap, a couple who’ve been knocked down, and others who are surprising us in one way or another.
TEAMS ON THE RISE
Chicago Sky
For a team that wasn’t necessarily at the top of preseason rankings, the Chicago Sky should be feeling fantastic. They sat in tenth in our rankings last week and have now moved up to third. They started the season on a four-game road trip, handled business, and are now heading back home with a 3-1 record. We’ve seen an ‘everybody eats’ mentality from this team and have had five or more players score in double-figures in two of their four games so far.
With so many new pieces, the early chemistry is making this team look like the real deal. With Skylar Diggins being ruled out against Minnesota, the Sky’s rookie Gabriela Jaquez stepped up. As more injured players return, like Dijonai Carrington and Azurá Stevens, we shouldn’t be surprised to see this team get more dangerous.
Washington Mystics
After three straight nail-biters to open the season, one thing is for certain: the Washington Mystics are not going down without a fight. A team full of young players will undoubtedly come with some mistakes, but the Mystics have kept their composure and poise as things get chippy late. Washington should feel confident about the way they’ve handled themselves — a 2-1 record after going toe-to-toe with the Toronto Tempo, then into overtime with both the New York Liberty and Indiana Fever is no small feat. For that, they’ve risen from twelfth to fifth in our rankings.
Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron, and Shakira Austin have all elevated their play, both in production and chemistry. I sense that this is only the beginning for the Washington Mystics, especially as more of the rookies find where they fit within this system.
TEAMS ON THE DECLINE
Dallas Wings
Seemingly, everyone was hot on the Wings before the season tipped off; they were ranked fifth by our Winsidr crew. Things have cooled down a bit. While the season-opening overtime victory over the Indiana Fever was thrilling, Dallas has struggled to find consistency since. Head Coach Jose Fernandez has played around with the starting lineup, trying to find the best combination. We’ll see if they can bounce back after a couple of close losses to the Atlanta Dream and Minnesota Lynx. There’s a tough stretch of games lying ahead for this squad. We’ll see if the Wings can grab some wins and boost themselves back up in our next volume.
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever is another team that people considered a top contender heading into this WNBA season. A drop from fourth to ninth in our rankings seems vast, but in Indiana’s defense, they’ve faced a couple of tough opponents early. They dropped close ones to two teams with a lot of hype: the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics.
This team is relying heavily on Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, who combined for 11 three-pointers against Washington, but were still unable to secure the win. Being able to close out these down-to-the-wire thrillers will only get more important as the season progresses. The Fever are off to the West Coast for a four-game away trip, facing both the Portland Fire and Golden State Valkyries twice.
TEAMS WITH SURPRISING TAKEAWAYS
Portland Fire
The Portland Fire delivered a shocking loss to the New York Liberty in their second game of the season. While they’re still sitting at only 1-2, they’ve seen a boost in our rankings, jumping from dead-last to twelfth. There are glimpses of potential on the court in Portland. Carla Leite and Bridget Carleton are doing a great job leading, while others are getting opportunities they have yet to see in their careers.
This team is performing well for an expansion squad with a coach who’s brand-new to the W and players who are new to the spotlight. The wins might not be knocking on the door yet, but the chemistry and hype around this squad are.
Los Angeles Sparks
If you asked fans what they thought the Sparks’ record would be after week one, I don’t think they would have said 1-3. Los Angeles saw a decrease in our power rankings, going from ninth to thirteenth. Perhaps having a lot of room for improvement is a good thing. Once the three ball starts falling, defensive efforts pick up, and the turnover rate goes down, we could be looking at a dangerous team. There are plenty of veterans on this squad as well, who know what it takes to fix a team early in the season to set themselves up for later-season success.
Kelsey Plum is leading the squad in scoring, but she’s the only guard averaging more than 10 points per game. I’m sure they wanted to start their season-opening four-game home streak on a better note, but they’ll now go on a four-game away trip. Starting with some tough opponents, including the Las Vegas Aces, whom they suffered a near 30-point loss to during the season opener. The Sparks will need to dig deep — but perhaps a change of scenery will help reset things.
