The story of the past week in the WNBA was injuries. Diana Taurasi and Natasha Howard were the notable additions to a growing list of sidelined players, opening the door for more movement in the league standings.

With a full slate of competitive games ahead, we’ll see which teams take advantage. Before that, let’s dive into the latest edition of the power rankings.

12. Indiana Fever (1-7) —

The Fever didn’t have an easy schedule last week, but they didn’t show many signs of progress, either. In their three losses, they averaged 74.7 points for and 99.7 points against, including giving up 113 points to the Aces on Friday — a Las Vegas franchise record.

11. Los Angeles Sparks (2-2) —

This ranking might not feel fair after the Sparks picked up two straight wins over a preseason favorite in the Sky, but Chicago is severely shorthanded as Candace Parker and Allie Quigley work their way back from injuries. Los Angeles’ depth for the season also took another hit when No. 7 draft pick Jasmine Walker suffered a season-ending ACL tear.

10. Washington Mystics (2-4) -1

The Mystics have picked up their game over the past week and Tina Charles again played like an MVP candidate in a close loss to Connecticut. Even with Myisha Hines-Allen back in the fold, however, their short bench continues to raise concerns.

9. Dallas Wings (1-4) -2

Yes, Dallas has dropped four straight games. Yes, they’re still averaging 90.4 points per game, second most in the WNBA. Yes, they’re getting Allisha Gray and Satou Sabally back shortly from the 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. No, I’m not worried about them.

8. Chicago Sky (2-4) -3

It hasn’t been pretty for the Sky since Parker and Quigley went down and Stefanie Dolson left to represent Team USA in the 3×3 qualifying tournament. Dolson’s on her way back and Parker appears closer to returning than Quigley does. No matter the timelines, Chicago has to clean up its possession and defense, as it currently leads the league in turnovers (20.8 per game) and averages the third-most personal fouls (20.7).

7. Minnesota Lynx (1-4) +1

Napheesa Collier is back, Layshia Clarendon is signed, Sylvia Fowles continues to tear it up and the Lynx are showing marked signs of improvement after starting the season 0-4. In their win over Connecticut on Sunday, they out-rebounded and out-shot the Sun from 3, two areas where they’ve otherwise struggled this season.

6. Phoenix Mercury (3-3) —

Diana Taurasi is expected to miss at least three more weeks with a sternum fracture, making it even more difficult to know what this team is all about after six games. If Brittney Griner, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Kia Nurse step up like they did Saturday against Dallas, scoring more than 20 points each, Phoenix can manage until Taurasi returns.

5. Atlanta Dream (4-2) +5

Offense has always been the Dream’s calling card, and the most promising development of their 3-0 week was the way they spread the wealth. Eight or more players got on the board in each of their three wins. Courtney Williams also looks more comfortable in her role as the go-to scorer, averaging 21 points over that stretch, and No. 3 pick Aari McDonald grows with each game.

4. New York Liberty (5-2) -2

The Liberty didn’t play their best basketball Saturday against Atlanta and still came close to winning in overtime. The good news is Sabrina Ionescu won’t shoot much worse than the 18.2 field goal and 28.6 3-point percentages she finished with Saturday, and New York continues to shoot lights out from deep as a team, leading the league at 43.2 percent.

3. Las Vegas Aces (5-2) +1

The Aces’ offense is starting to fire on all cylinders and will add Kelsey Plum back into the lineup after she helped the U.S. qualify for the Olympics in 3×3. Las Vegas’ two straight games of 100-plus points did come against the last-place Fever, but that they are a league leader in nearly every scoring category except 3-pointers is no joke.

2. Connecticut Sun (6-2) -1

The Sun’s only losses this season have come against the red-hot Storm in overtime and a Lynx team on the rise. There’s not much reason to worry when Jonquel Jones and DeWanna Bonner continue to get theirs, but I do wonder if they’ve messed with a good thing by replacing Natisha Hiedeman with Briann January in the starting lineup.

1. Seattle Storm (5-1) +2

The biggest question for the Storm is how they respond to new head coach Noelle Quinn after Dan Hughes retired over the weekend. The odds are good the transition goes smoothly given Quinn’s long ties to the organization, in which case Seattle is once again the team to beat.

Thursday night's NCAA basketball action spotlights a tense SEC rematch, as No. 2 South Carolina hosts No. 4 Texas in conference play following the pair's nonconference Players Era Championship matchup in November.

The Longhorns just edged the Gamecocks 66-64 in the Las Vegas competition's title game, but the tide has since shifted, with South Carolina now riding a 10-game winning streak into Thursday's matchup while No. 6 LSU served Texas a season-first loss last Sunday.

"I'm really disappointed in the league for putting us in that position, but we play whoever is in front of us," Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer said of his team's grueling road trip. "It's one monster after another."

The pair's sole 2025/26 conference matchup could end up determining the SEC basketball regular-season title — South Carolina and Texas split their two 2024/25 SEC clashes to tie for last season's honor before the Gamecocks ousted the Longhorns from both the conference tournament and the Final Four.

While injuries have impacted both sides, South Carolina anticipates a roster boost from 6-foot-7 French international Alicia Tournebize, who recently joined the Gamecocks after playing pro ball in Europe.

"She looked good," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said of her team's midseason addition. "She'll play, she'll definitely play."

How to watch Texas vs. South Carolina on Thursday

The No. 4 Longhorns will tip off against the No. 2 Gamecocks in Columbia at 7 PM ET on Thursday, with live coverage airing on ESPN2.

The NWSL Players Association is speaking out, filing a grievance against the league's new "High Impact Player" rule on Monday after claiming that the mechanism violates both the CBA and US labor laws.

"Player compensation is a mandatory subject of bargaining," the union said in its Wednesday statement. "The League has no authority to unilaterally create a new pay structure that bypasses negotiated rules."

The union requested "immediate rescission of the HIP Rule, an order requiring the League to bargain in good faith over any proposed Player compensation rules prior to implementation, and to make-whole relief for any Players impacted by the League's unilateral actions."

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With the future of stars like Trinity Rodman hanging in the balance, the "High Impact Player" rule allows clubs to exceed the salary cap by up to $1 million so long as players qualify under specific criteria — measures that a mere 27 current NWSL athletes currently meet.

The NWSLPA instead suggested simply raising the overall salary cap by $1 million, with the NWSL going on to institute the rule despite union objections.

"We want to make sure everybody has a level playing field," NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic in December. "If the league can come in here and put their thumb on the scale…they can put their thumb on the scale of any player's contract negotiation."

With free agency heating up, players making moves, and the 2026 NWSL preseason kicking off, the pressure is mounting for both sides to figure out a lasting fix.

USWNT star Sam Coffey has sealed the deal, with WSL side Manchester City announcing on Wednesday that they've signed the 27-year-old through 2029.

Manchester City reportedly paid $875,000 in transfer fees for the midfielder, after Coffey led the Portland Thorns to one NWSL title in her four years with the NWSL club.

"Sam's reputation as one of the world's best speaks for itself," said Man City director of football Therese Sjögran in the WSL club's announcement. "We're delighted she's chosen to come here ahead of other potential suitors."

"Sam is playing at the top of her game, and I think her decision to come here shows the incredible progress we've made as a Club and the ambitions we have moving forward," added Sjögran.

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City's ambitions are rising alongside their place on the WSL table, where the Citizens currently sit six points clear atop the standings thanks to global stars like Bunny Shaw and Vivianne Miedema.

Coffey's move, however, continues to tip the USWNT's scales away from the NWSL, with over half of the starting XI from the 2024 Olympic gold-medal match now playing club football in Europe — at least for now.

"For as long as I've kicked a ball, I've always dreamed of playing professional soccer in Europe," Coffey said in an emotional letter to Portland on social media. "I would never forgive myself if I didn't go try."

How to watch Manchester City this weekend

Though the date of Coffey's European debut is still unknown, Manchester City will next take the pitch against third-flight club Bournemouth in the fourth round of the 2025/26 FA Women's Cup at 8 AM ET on Sunday before facing a top-tier battle against WSL champion Chelsea in the League Cup semifinals next Wednesday.

WSL action for the Citizens will then resume on Sunday, January 25th, when Man City takes on the London City Lionesses at 6:55 AM ET on ESPN+.

The upcoming Netflix feature film about the 1999 USWNT World Cup team has landed a lead, with Deadline confirming on Wednesday that the streaming giant is tapping actor Emily Bader to play star forward Mia Hamm in The 99'ers.

The 29-year-old most recently starred in People We Meet on Vacation, which made its debut at No. 1 on Netflix last week.

Bader previously enjoyed a breakout turn in the Prime historical drama My Lady Jane, which dropped in June 2024.

Calling her role in The 99'ers "a dream come true," Bader celebrated her Netflix casting in her Instagram Stories on Wednesday.

"Growing up playing soccer and being so inspired by @miahamm," she wrote.

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Netflix first acquired the rights to The Girls of Summer: The US Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World — a 2000 book by Jeré Longman — back in 2020, with the project officially going into development in May 2025.

Known for her directorial prowess on Sirens on Netflix as well as her Emmy and Director's Guild Award-winning work on HBO's Watchmen, Nicole Kassell will direct The 99'ers.

Kassell will work off a script penned by Katie Lovejoy (Love at First Sight, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before 3), Dana Stevens (The Woman King, Fatherhood), and Peter Hedges (Ben Is Back).

Helmed by Liza Chasin from 3Dot Productions, The 99'ers boasts a production team that includes Hayley Stool, Ross Greenburg, Marla Messing, Jill Mazursky, and Krista Smith.

While no timeline for production or distribution are available, Netflix will likely aim to use the film to bolster its coverage of the the upcoming World Cups in light of the streamer recently snagging the exclusive US broadcast rights to both the 2027 and 2031 tournaments.