The WNBA standings tell one story, the tape and advanced statistics sometimes another.

We dug into all of it this week to make sense of the increasingly competitive middle tier and the teams that might be under- or over-performing. Here is where we landed on every team over a quarter of the way through the season.

12. Indiana Fever (1-11) —

The Fever play a heavy post game, with 41.7 percent of their points per game coming in the paint. The problem is they’re not finishing those shots efficiently enough — they are eighth in the WNBA with 31.3 paint points per game — and their offense is predictable for opponents.

11. Los Angeles Sparks (4-5) -2

The Sparks’ wins this season have come against the last-place Fever and the Sky without Candace Parker. They rank last in the league in offensive rating, scoring just 74.2 points per game, and will be without Nneka Ogwumike until the first week of July at the earliest.

10. Chicago Sky (4-7) +1

I’m taking the Sky’s back-to-back wins over the Fever with a grain of salt, but Candace Parker rounding into form with a double-double in her second game back is promising for Chicago. Taking care of the ball continues to be a problem, with opponents scoring 18.2 points per game off of Chicago turnovers.

9. Washington Mystics (4-6) +1

When Tina Charles scores 20 or more points in a game, the Mystics usually put themselves in a position to win. But for how long can Washington rely on their center? Charles is leading the league in points per game with 24 as well as in usage percentage, with the Mystics running 32.1 percent of their plays through her.

8. Atlanta Dream (5-6) -1

When the Dream’s offense is on, they’re a hard team to beat. Excluding their win over the Fever, when the Dream have reached the 90-point threshold in a game, they’ve won. When they haven’t, they’ve lost. It’s the inconsistency that raises concerns at this point in the season.

7. Phoenix Mercury (5-6) -3

All of the Mercury’s losses this season — except a drubbing by the Sun on May 21 — have come by single digits. They’re playing teams close and are just a few late baskets away from having a winning record. Their biggest problem is their bench not getting it done, currently last in the league with 11.6 points per game.

6. Minnesota Lynx (4-5) -1

That the Lynx have won four games given all of their roster turnover is a testament to coach Cheryl Reeve. She’ll have to go back to the drawing board again now that both Aerial Powers and Natalie Achonwa are out indefinitely with injuries. I’m not counting her out from finding an answer.

5. New York Liberty (6-4) +3

The Liberty are dealing with injuries to Natasha Howard and Sabrina Ionescu but continue to battle against good teams, mostly due to Betnijah Laney’s MVP-like start to the season. As long as the Liberty are connecting on their league-leading attempts from 3 (currently 40.2 percent), they’ll give themselves a chance.

4. Dallas Wings (5-6) +2

Welcome to another edition of “the Wings are better than their record shows.” They’re fourth in the league in offensive rating — behind only the Sun, Aces and Storm — and their bench is scoring a WNBA-leading 26.3 points per game. This is a deep team that’s only getting better as returning players acclimate to the system.

3. Connecticut Sun (8-3) -1

The Sun’s loss to the Storm on Sunday gave us a taste of what life will be like for Connecticut until Jonquel Jones returns from her EuroBasket commitments. For a team at the top of the league standings, the Sun surprisingly have the second-least productive bench. That could hurt them during this stint without Jones and down the stretch.

2. Las Vegas Aces (8-3) +1

The Aces are getting it done with their post players, scoring a league-leading 39.6 points per game in the paint. That dominance down low is also translating to defense, where they hold opponents to just 30.7 points per game in the paint. Not many teams can compete with that.

1. Seattle Storm (10-2) —

Unlike the Aces, the Storm are giving up the majority of their points in the paint. That doesn’t matter as much when you’re leading the league in offensive rating and 3-point percentage at 40.8 percent.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

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'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.