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WNBA 2022 betting guide: Odds, picks for champion, MVP and more

(Joshua Huston/NBAE via Getty Images)

If you’ve followed our WNBA coverage over the last eight months, you know we’ve added betting analysis as one way to help grow the game. We kicked it off with our primer heading into last year’s playoffs, which is a great place to start if you’re new to the betting scene.

This year, for the first time, we’ll be rolling out betting coverage right from the beginning of the season.

We aren’t likely to have game lines until the regular season tips off on Friday, but we do have championship futures and trends from last year. So, let’s go ahead and break those down as we count down the hours until the season openers.

Futures

Championship

Several books have had these posted for months, and they have been continuously adjusting throughout the offseason as league news has affected the landscape.

For example, the Mystics were listed at around +3000 in most places before the draft lottery, but after they landed the No. 1 pick (which they later traded), those odds dropped to +2000 or even +1800 at some books.

Likewise, teams like the Sparks and the Mercury, who added big names such as Liz Cambage and Tina Charles during free agency, saw their odds move. Kudos to you if you were able to snag any of those bets at the previous odds.

At this point, the next event to affect the odds will probably be the games themselves. For now, here are where the odds stand at a few of the biggest books.

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FanDuel
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DraftKings
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BetMGM

There should be more value in a couple of weeks (more on that later), but as it stands, the Liberty at +3000 on FanDuel and the Sun at +400 on DraftKings may be solid bets.

In New York’s case, the roster didn’t change a whole lot from last season’s playoff team, but the coaching staff did. Sandy Brondello is a proven winner who should know how to get the most out of the talent on this team.

The one big change was the Liberty’s addition of Stefanie Dolson. It may not have been as splashy as the Cambage or Charles signings, but Dolson is a two-time All-Star in the prime of her career who brings championship experience at the college, WNBA and EuroLeague levels. Her screening ability was one key reason Courtney Vandersloot was able to do so much damage in the pick-and-roll over the last several seasons. Sabrina Ionescu could see similar success in that department.

Connecticut, meanwhile, upgraded its roster by virtue of health. Yes, Alyssa Thomas returned at the end of last season, but having her back from the start will make a huge difference next to Jonquel Jones and DeWanna Bonner. This will be the first year that those three will get to play together all season, despite it being the third season that they are all under contract for the Sun.

And we can’t forget about the return of Courtney Williams. Bringing her back into the mix means the only difference between this year’s starting lineup and the one that pushed the Mystics to the brink in the 2019 Finals will be Bonner (in place of Shekinna Stricklen).

Not only is Williams an upgrade, but the absences of Jones and Thomas over the last couple of years have allowed players like Brionna Jones to step in and gain valuable experience, which should make this team deeper than that 2019 squad was.

MVP

FanDuel is the only book with MVP odds at the moment, but more and more should pop up in the next week or two. Here are FanDuel’s MVP odds.

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There is a pretty clear “big three” this year, although a few others have a path to that top tier at some point. If Tina Charles or Sylvia Fowles can carry their respective teams in the absence of Brittner Griner and Napheesa Collier, their stock could rise. Elena Delle Donne’s could as well if she can stay healthy for the first time since 2019.

As far as the current top tier, Breanna Stewart seems like the best bet. Jonquel Jones is coming off of a remarkable season, but she’ll lose a little bit of scoring volume to Alyssa Thomas, and voter fatigue generally makes it tough to repeat for any award in any sport.

A’ja Wilson should take off in Becky Hammon’s new system without Liz Cambage stealing paint touches, so she deserves to be the favorite. The gap between her odds and Stewart’s is enough that the latter may be a slightly better value though.

Trends to watch out for

Early breakouts

Last year, the first few weeks of the season provided tons of value in terms of futures betting. Both championship odds and MVP odds stayed relatively stagnant while we started to gain information about teams and players through the first handful of games.

There was a window of time to bet on breakout stars like Betnijah Laney for MVP or upstart teams like the Sun (whose odds were in the middle of the pack early on as everyone overestimated the impact of losing Alyssa Thomas to injury). While Laney didn’t win the MVP and the Sun didn’t win the title, both looked much more likely to do so a month into the season than they did on opening day. Naturally, those bets had good value, and at sportsbooks that allow midseason cashouts, it was possible to still profit from that value.

Keep an eye on the odds during May: If there’s a 2022 version of Laney or a Connecticut to bet on this year, those who pay the closest attention will have a leg up on beating the books to those bets.

Special unders

For a lot of people, betting unders isn’t as fun as betting overs. The average fan doesn’t usually enjoy a game filled with bricks.

If you want to take advantage of a couple of areas that have been misjudged by sportsbooks, however, consider back-to-back unders and fourth-quarter unders.

Back-to-back unders come into play during the second of consecutive matchups between the same two teams. Last season, this happened 47 times, and the under hit in 26 of those (55.3 percent). Since you only need to win around 53 percent of your over/under bets to be profitable, you would have come out ahead simply by betting the under in every single second leg of a back-to-back.

Part of this is simply a matter of rest. Almost all of those back-to-backs were played with just one off day in between, leaving players a little more tired and less likely to push the pace in the second game.

Of course, that would be true of any game in which the teams were playing on short rest, but there’s an added component at work when the short-rest games are between teams that just met two days prior: scouting report familiarity. Put those two factors together, and you have a recipe for a game that was lower-scoring than the first matchup.

The other type of under bet that’s worth monitoring was even more profitable last season. Fourth-quarter unders went 119-72 with one push in 2021, cashing out well over 60 percent of the time.

Basketball games at almost any level tend to slow down a little bit as the game goes on — legs aren’t as fresh 35 minutes in as they were at the tip. This leads to lower-average scores in each successive quarter. While free throws at the end of close games do sometimes drive the fourth quarter scores up, the effect isn’t large enough to buck the overall trend; fourth quarters have still been historically the slowest and lowest-scoring quarters of the game.

For whatever reason, sportsbooks haven’t seemed to figure that out yet. These lines vary, but often you can find a fourth-quarter over/under that’s at one-fourth of the game over/under or even slightly higher. For instance, in a game that has an over/under set at 160, a fourth-quarter line of 40 or 41 may be worth taking the under on.

The more people bet on a sport, the more people watch the sport, and the more the sport grows. As part of our efforts to grow the WNBA, we’ll be keeping you updated on the betting trends and futures odds with regular analysis throughout the year, so stay tuned all season long.

Calvin Wetzel is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering basketball and betting. He also contributes to Her Hoop Stats, CBS SportsLine and FiveThirtyEight. Follow him on Twitter at @cwetzel31.

Tennis Stars Hit the Grass Court as Wimbledon Kicks Off

Canada's Carson Branstine faces world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the first round of the 2025 Wimbledon Grand Slam.
The 2025 Wimbledon Championships kicked off early Monday morning in London. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

The third Grand Slam of 2025 is officially underway, as the world's top tennis stars hit the grass courts in London for the annual Wimbledon Championships on Monday.

World No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková enters as the Slam's reigning champion, with all of the WTA's current Top 10 — none of whom have ever won at Wimbledon — looking to dethrone the 2024 victor.

No. 3 Jessica Pegula looks to be an early frontrunner, as the US star picked up steam following her defeat of No. 4 Iga Świątek 6-4, 7-5 in Saturday's championship match of the 2025 Bad Homburg Open, a Wimbledon tune-up tournament.

A 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinalist, Pegula has already earned three titles this year, gaining significant momentum as she hunts a career-first Grand Slam trophy.

"[Pegula has] an amazing game, and showed it throughout the tournament," Świątek said following Saturday's loss. "Hopefully, we will have many more finals together."

The first day of 2025 Wimbledon action saw No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka cruise through her first-round match against Canada's No. 194 Carson Branstine in straight sets, while No. 8 Madison Keys battled to a narrow three-set victory over Romania's No. 58 Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

Fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova played the most dominant first-round match of the Slam, ousting Kazakhstan's No. 33 Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-0 to open her tournament run.

Italy's No. 5 Jasmine Paolini, a 2024 Wimbledon finalist, also kicked off her 2025 run with a win, downing Latvia's No. 402 Anastasija Sevastova in three sets on Monday afternoon.

Pegula will open her campaign against Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto on the second day of first-round action at 6 AM ET, with Świątek, 2025 French Open champ No. 2 Coco Gauff, and 2024 Wimbledon quarterfinalist No. 10 Emma Navarro also rounding out Tuesday's bill.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

The 2025 Wimbledon women's tournament runs through the July 12th championship.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

Napheesa Collier Returns From Injury as Lynx Top the WNBA Standings

Naphees Collier high-fives her Minnesota Lynx teammates after a 2025 WNBA win.
The return of star Napheesa Collier boosted the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. (Ellen Schmidt/Getty Image)

The Minnesota Lynx are back on the prowl, after the return of MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier from injury fueled the WNBA-leaders to two straight weekend wins.

Minnesota first outlasted the No. 4 Atlanta Dream 96-92 in overtime on Friday before thumping the last-place Connecticut Sun 102-63 on Sunday, with Collier racking up 49 points over the two-game span.

Collier's bounce-back couldn't have come at a better time, as the WNBA announced Sunday that the Lynx forward will captain the 2025 All-Star Game alongside Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.

"It's really cool," Collier said of the news. "I went from never being a starter to captain."

Both Collier and Clark will have an early chance to test their leadership skills in Tuesday's 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship game, when the defending champs Minnesota Lynx will take on first-time finalists Indiana.

With a second straight title on the line, red-hot Minnesota hold the advantage coming into the Commissioner's Cup final, but a healthy Clark could make all the difference for up-and-down No. 8 Indiana.

Meanwhile in the WNBA standings, as the Lynx continue to hold court at the top, this weekend saw the Mercury overtake the Liberty at No. 2, thanks in large part to Phoenix's 106-91 Friday victory over New York.

Along with Sunday's 90-81 loss to the Dream, the reigning champs have dropped five of their last seven games, as now-No. 3 New York struggles without injured center Jonquel Jones.

How to watch the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final

While the other 11 league teams rest until Thursday, the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever will take Tuesday's court in a battle for the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup.

The in-season tournament's grand finale will tip off at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on Prime.

USWNT Tops Ireland 4-0 in Back-to-Back Shutout Wins

USWNT attacker Alyssa Thompson celebrates her goal with teammate Emma Sears during a 2025 friendly against Ireland.
The USWNT won their second friendly against Ireland 4-0 on Sunday. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT earned another lopsided result against No. 25 Ireland on Sunday, handing the Girls in Green a second straight 4-0 loss despite extensive lineup changes on both sides.

Veteran forward Lynn Biyendolo opened the scoring in her first match as USWNT captain, followed by first-ever senior team goals from both debutant defender Izzy Rodriguez and attacker Yazmeen Ryan.

Second-half USWNT sub Alyssa Thompson found the back of the net in the 86th minute to finish padding the 4-0 scoreline over Ireland.

With one more friendly against No. 8 Canada set for Wednesday, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes rotated all 11 starters on Sunday, trusting bubble players to overcome inexperience to produce a result.

"The level has been set to be relentless in the pursuit of performing and progressing," Hayes said after the game. "It's not about understanding everything in our playbook, but developing the confidence and bravery to deliver."

The victory also marked the USWNT's 600th program win, with midfielder Sam Meza joining Rodriguez in picking up the 23rd and 24th first caps of the Emma Hayes era.

"I feel like everyone is not only trusting the process, but carrying out all the things we ask them to do," said Hayes of her new additions. "Everybody showed themselves so well."

Though the US keeps stretching its depth and coming out on top, the need to develop strong connections on the pitch could force tough roster decisions in the future.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against rivals Canada on Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET.

Live coverage of the clash in Washington, DC, will air on TNT.

WNBA Announces Expansion to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert smiles during a 2024 Finals press conference.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert plans to grow the league to 18 teams by 2030. (Elsa/Getty Images)

The WNBA made a splash on Monday morning, announcing an expansion plan that will see the league officially grow to 18 teams by 2030, with new franchises joining from Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.

Subject to approval by the WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors, the league expects to add Cleveland in 2028, with Detroit following in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030.

With existing NBA ownership groups backing all three cities, the league chose the trio because of "market viability, committed long-term ownership groups, potential for significant local fan, corporate, media, and city and state support, arena and practice facilities, and community commitment to advancing the sport, among other factors."

Notably, while Monday's news will bring a WNBA team to Philadelphia for the first time, the announcement represents a return for the league to both Cleveland and Detroit.

The Ohio city hosted one of the league's inaugural teams, the Rockers, from 1997 to 2003, while the Detroit Shock joined the WNBA in 1998, eventually relocating to Tulsa in 2010 before becoming the Dallas Wings in 2016.

Monday's WNBA expansion plan also follows the already announced incoming teams in Toronto and Portland, both set to tip off next season, as well as 2025 newcomer Golden State.

Each of the three incoming clubs in Monday's announcement paid a $250 million expansion fee — five times the $50 million that Golden State paid in October 2023.

"This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league's extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women's professional basketball," said commissioner Cathy Engelbert. "I am deeply grateful for our new owners… for their belief in the WNBA's future and their commitment to building thriving teams that will energize and inspire their communities."

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