Good rankings and projections are the backbone of any fantasy women’s basketball draft, but they don’t tell the complete story. Sometimes it helps to group similar players together to have a backup plan when your top choice disappears from the top of the draft board.
For example, using points league projections, we can figure out which players are likely to score a similar amount to others, so if you lose out on your preferred choice, you can grab another without sacrificing production. On the flip side, it can give us insight into which players are better to reach for early to avoid missing out.
With that in mind, here are our frontcourt (forward and center) draft tiers for this season.
Other resources: Sign up! | Projections | Rankings | Average draft position | Schedule
Tier 1
A’ja Wilson
Play Fantasy Women’s Basketball
Fantasy Women’s Basketball is now open! Create or join a league today to get started.
Sign up for free!
This season, the top frontcourt tier has just one name: A’ja Wilson. Wilson, last season’s WNBA MVP, is the only player at any position projected to score more than 40 fantasy points per game this season. Last season, she and Napheesa Collier were the only players to average more than 40 FPPG, but Collier is injured and not expected to return until well into the season. Thus, Wilson’s projected 1,792 fantasy points this season is nearly 400 points higher than second-place Alyssa Thomas.
Tier 2
Alyssa Thomas
Breanna Stewart
Angel Reese
Aliyah Boston
Dearica Hamby
Nneka Ogwumike
Napheesa Collier
The second tier goes seven deep, including the players who finished second and third in last season’s MVP vote behind Wilson. Thomas is a mainstay in this tier, but Collier likely would have been in Tier 1 if it weren’t for her injury. Former MVPs Stewart and Ogwumike are veterans in the tier, while Reese and Boston are both young players still on the way up that could eventually reach Tier 1 status.
Tier 3
Satou Sabally
Azura Stevens
Kiki Iriafen
Natasha Howard
Tina Charles
Gabby Williams
Jonquel Jones
Kamilla Cardoso
Alanna Smith
This is the largest tier among forwards and centers with nine names on the list, including two members of the New York Liberty frontcourt. Sabally is the newest Liberty starter after coming over from the Phoenix Mercury, while Jones has been with the team for a couple seasons now. The sheer concentration of talent on the team caps their fantasy upside. Cardoso could be in for a larger impact this season after Angel Reese was traded. Iriafen is the youngest in the grouping as she prepares for her sophomore season.
Tier 4
Dominique Malonga
Rickea Jackson
Lauren Betts
Shakira Austin
Kayla Thornton
Editor’s Picks
Fantasy women’s basketball mock draft: When to draft Napheesa Collier and others
ESPN Fantasy
Top 10 WNBA free agent moves: Which players will have the biggest fantasy upgrade?
Andre Snellings
1 Related
This tier is largely comprised of younger players. Betts is a rookie, Malonga a sophomore and both Jackson and Austin are still early in their careers as well. The one veteran in this group, Thornton, was on pace for a career season with the expansion Valkyries before injury cut it short. This tier projects to between 950 and 1,025 fantasy points.
Tier 5
Brionna Jones
Elizabeth Williams
Brittney Griner
DeWanna Bonner
Janelle Salaun
Aneesah Morrow
This group rounds out the list of forwards and centers that project to be universally drafted in ESPN leagues. It includes two members of the Connecticut Sun, veteran addition Griner and Morrow in her second season. Bonner and Williams could both be in for large roles this season on teams that traded away big producers in the frontcourt.
Tier 6
Naz Hillmon
Ezi Magbegor
Cameron Brink
Jessica Shepard
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus
Leonie Fiebich
Bridget Carleton
NaLyssa Smith
Myisha Hines-Allen
Awa Fam
Made it this far? Time to play! Sign up for free and draft your team today.
