The total number of rostered players four weeks into the WNBA regular season is roughly 140, not quite the 144 spots allotted by the league due to the financial jigsaw puzzle of fielding a competitive team within the salary cap. Of those 140 current players, 23 are rookies this season.

Here at JWS, we’ll be checking in periodically on the 2022 rookie class to keep you up to date on how they’re stacking up in the competitive WNBA.

Now that most teams have clocked at least 11 regular season games, five rookies have set themselves apart as clear overachievers, demonstrating value on the court that is significantly higher than their predicted value. One is a wildly popular NCAA champion point guard, one is an undrafted free agent making her W debut at age 31, and three are first-round draft picks already exceeding high preseason expectations.

1. Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream, age 22

ESPN Fantasy: preseason ranking — 34th, currently 14th in fantasy points per game

Coming in at number one is none other than the top overall pick of the 2022 WNBA Draft. The rookie with the highest expectations earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors her very first week in the league, something no other rookie had done since Tamika Catchings in 2002. Not even heralded players like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi or Sue Bird achieved that mark.

Howard then became only the seventh player in WNBA history to score more than 100 points in her first five games. After averaging 20.5 points per game through her first six, her scoring cooled off in Week 3. Still, she is 11th league-wide in points per game and is leading the Dream in scoring and is top three in steals, blocks, and assists. In both win shares and player efficiency rating (PER), two stats that aim to measure the actual value a player provides when they are on the court, Howard is contending with the best in the league, currently ranking seventh and 21st, respectively.

At the end of Howard’s record-breaking career at Kentucky, where she departed as the program’s all-time leading 3-point shooter, it was still unclear if she’d go No. 1 in the draft. The draft lottery-winning Mystics even traded down, willingly passing off the opportunity to draft her. Analysts questioned whether she had the motor required to maintain maximum effort up and down the court at the next level. Through the first month of the season, Howard has led Atlanta to its best start since 2017 and silenced all questions about whether she was worth the No. 1 pick.

2. Shakira Austin, Washington Mystics, age 22

ESPN Fantasy: preseason ranking — 87th, currently 61st in fantasy points per game

This is no knock against NaLyssa Smith, the No. 2 pick out of Baylor who has seamlessly transitioned to the pro level with the Fever, but her expected value was already as high as she’s revealing it to be. This is about Shakira Austin, the 6-foot-5 center out of Ole Miss who didn’t get as much mainstream attention until draft night after the Rebels lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Those who had seen Austin play knew she had a lot to offer as a dynamic defender who can protect the basket and hold her own against smaller perimeter players. And she’s been producing on both ends of the court right off the bat, averaging 8.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. Most notably, she’s currently ranked second in the league in field goal percentage (60.3 percent) and twelfth in total rebound rate (16.3 percent).

Having started eight of the Mystics’ 12 games, Austin has proven herself against some of the league’s best, holding Sylvia Fowles to 13 points in just her second career game. And among her rookie peers, she has the highest PER and is second highest in win shares.

3. Rebekah Gardner, Chicago Sky, age 31

ESPN Fantasy: preseason ranking — 149th, currently 66th in fantasy points per game

When filling the final rookie-scale salary spots on their roster, coaches either go for college draftees with steep learning curves but potentially high ceilings long-term, or veteran players from the overseas market who can fill immediate on-court gaps but have likely reached their ceiling. When the latter option reveals a much higher ceiling than expected, it’s like finding a unicorn.

The WNBA’s leading unicorn for 2022 is 31-year-old Rebekah Gardner, who played at UCLA from 2008-12 and then on a variety of teams in Europe over the past decade before finally breaking into the WNBA this season with James Wade’s Chicago Sky.

Rebekah Gardner worked for this bucket 💪 pic.twitter.com/FPCzpfVEVn

— espnW (@espnW) May 19, 2022

Gardner wasted no time in leaving her mark, currently averaging nine points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game and ranking fifth in the league in shooting percentage. Serving as the backup to last season’s Finals MVP, Kahleah Copper, Gardner brings composure and tenacity from her experience playing against many of the league’s best while abroad. Of the rookie class, Gardner is third in scoring and fourth in both win shares and PER.

4. Destanni Henderson, Indiana Fever, age 23

ESPN Fantasy: preseason ranking — 147th, currently 80th in fantasy points per game

Destanni Henderson claims the fourth-place spot on our overachievers list, not for any lack of fanfare after her stellar performance in South Carolina’s run to the NCAA championship, but because 19 other rookies were selected before her on draft night. Granted, had she not put on one of the best showcases of her college career in the national championship game, her going 20th overall would not have raised too many eyebrows. Nonetheless, Henderson has quickly proven her stock is worth more than that.

DESTANNI HENDERSON 🤯 @dh3nny pic.twitter.com/sLrTwKCZOO

— WNBA (@WNBA) May 27, 2022

In just her second game at the pro level, she put up 19 points, three assists, three rebounds and two steals and went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Henderson, mostly coming off the bench for the Fever, is averaging 7.2 points and 2.8 assists per game and has continued to hit shots from deep, currently ranked second in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (51.9). Within her rookie class, Henderson is second overall in assists per game, third in PER and fifth in win shares.

5. Queen Egbo, Indiana Fever, age 21

ESPN Fantasy: preseason ranking — 100, currently 49th in fantasy points per game

It should be no surprise that Indiana has two top-five overachieving rookies — the Fever had the highest number of first-round draft selections in the history of the league with four this year. Queen Egbo, a center out of Baylor, just barely edged out teammate Emily Engstler, a forward from Louisville, for our (highly coveted) fifth-place spot.

The two bigs are neck-and-neck in practically every stat sheet. Egbo is averaging 6.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game, while Engstler is recording 6.8 points, seven rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Engstler also is currently second league-wide in offensive boards per game. But in almost every other statistical category, Egbo is either right by her side or slightly ahead. Even in league-wide and fantasy stat sheets, if you scan for one name, the other is lurking very close by. So, it really comes down to preseason expected value.

Engstler was the higher pick, taken fourth overall with Egbo going six picks later. Engstler’s ESPN preseason fantasy ranking was 80, and though her jump to 53rd in fantasy points per game is impressive, Egbo has the upper hand, rising from 100th to 49th. Both have quickly proven worthy of taking up two highly coveted WNBA roster spots, and we suspect they will for many years to come.

Underachievers

Overachieving during your rookie season is no guarantee of sure footing in the WNBA. Look no further than 2020 Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield, who bounced around the league to start the year before landing with New York. But underperforming is a much harder trench to climb out of.

Two first-round draftees — Lexie Hull (IND) and Veronica Burton (DAL) — went higher than expected in the draft (much higher in Hull’s case), and are now up against inflated expectations as both have dropped in fantasy rankings from where they started. Granted, you have to get playing time in order to perform or underperform, and those were always going to be hard to come by for Hull and Burton this season. Hull is averaging seven minutes and Burton is getting 11.3 per game, but both are in the bottom 5 percent of the league in PER. If they can prove their value in practice day in and day out, their chance to establish themselves in the WNBA may come down the road.

The same will be true for Naz Hillmon (ATL), Kierstan Bell (LVA) and Nia Clouden (CON), three other first-round picks who have yet to prove whether they are here to stay. The highly anticipated WNBA expansion can’t come soon enough for many in this year’s rookie class.

Tessa Nichols is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports.

Chelsea FC is once again looking across the pond to bolster their roster, with the six-time reigning WSL champions reportedly aiming to make a deal with NWSL side Angel City to acquire ACFC and USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson, per The Guardian this week.

Though the two clubs have yet to reach terms, Chelsea would need to have the deal signed before the WSL transfer window closes next Thursday.

Any agreement for Chelsea to snag Thompson from Angel City will likely feature yet another historic transfer fee, with cost projections topping former Tigres UANL star Lizbeth Ovalle's record $1.5 million transfer to the Orlando Pride earlier this month.

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The 20-year-old phenom is currently under contract with ACFC through the 2028 season after inking a three-year extension this past January.

With six goals and two assists in her 16 regular-season appearances in 2025 so far, the 2023 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick is trailing only rookie Riley Tiernan's seven goals on this year's Angel City scoresheet.

Should the transfer go through, Thompson would be the third ACFC player in a week to be moving to the UK, with the NWSL club transferring defender Alanna Kennedy and midfielder Katie Zelem to the newly WSL-promoted London City Lionesses on Wednesday.

As for Chelsea, the Blues have been a major player in recruiting US players over the last few seasons, with Thompson potentially joining her USWNT teammates Catarina Macario and Naomi Girma in suiting up for the WSL side's upcoming 2025/26 season.

Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka is looking like her old self this week, as the world No. 24 advanced to the 2025 New York Grand Slam's third round for the first time since 2021 with a straight-set win over the US's No. 47 Hailey Baptiste on Thursday.

"I don't make it my business to know anymore, I kind of just leave it up in the air," said the fan favorite following questions about a possible fifth Grand Slam title run. "I've trained really hard. I practiced really hard. If it happens, it happens."

After taking her lumps on the WTA Tour since returning from pregnancy in 2024, the 2025 US Open marks Osaka's first seeded entry into a major tournament since 2022 — and she appears to be embracing her competitive boost in style, complete with eye-catching outfits and a matching Labubu.

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The 27-year-old Japanese national next faces No. 18 Daria Kasatkina in the pair's third career meeting, with Osaka getting the best of the Australian in both previous matchups — most recently at the 2024 Italian Open.

Should Osaka advance to Sunday's Round of 16, she could be on a collision course toward a date with No. 3 Coco Gauff, after the US star advanced past her own emotionally challenging second-round battle on Thursday.

How to watch Naomi Osaka at the 2025 US Open

With times still to be announced, Osaka will next battle Kasatkina during the second day of 2025 US Open third-round play on Saturday.

Live coverage of the New York Grand Slam airs across ESPN platforms.

The No. 1 Kansas City Current have been unstoppable this season, riding a 10-match unbeaten streak into Saturday's game against the No. 9 North Carolina Courage and inching closer to claiming a franchise-first NWSL Shield.

The Current's dominant 12-point advantage over the No. 2 Washington Spirit marks the league's largest top-table margin since the Courage finished 15 points ahead in 2018.

Even more, Kansas City tops the NWSL in goals scored (34) while also registering the fewest goals allowed (10), entering the league's 18th weekend of play with a record-tying five consecutive shutouts.

After coming in fourth in 2024, the Current's defense has continued to improve under manager Vlatko Andonovski, while another MVP-level year from star forward Temwa Chawinga has bolstered Kansas City's offense.

Chawinga currently leads the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race with 11 goals through 17 games, while sitting in the league's Top 3 for both shots and shots on goal.

"I think because we have such a powerful offense, the defensive things, maybe people don't notice as much," Kansas City forward Michelle Cooper said earlier this week. "I think something absolutely important to us is our entire back line and the commitment to get little touches in, to take [advantage] of angles, and block shots."

How to watch the Kansas City Current this weekend

No. 1 Kansas City will host No. 9 North Carolina — one of just two teams to defeat the Current all season — at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on ION.

The No. 5 New York Liberty are creeping back up the ladder, as the defending WNBA champions continued reversing their recent skid with Thursday's 89-63 win over the No. 10 Washington Mystics — all while the race to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs reaches its boiling point.

While Washington rookie Sonia Citron's 18 points led the game, New York pulled together a true team effort to secure Thursday's victory, with five Liberty players scoring double-digits — including a season-high 16 points off the bench from forward Isabelle Harrison in her return from concussion protocol.

"We're not looking at the other teams at this point," Liberty forward Emma Meesseman said after the game. "We're just looking at ourselves, to maybe send a message to ourselves."

Despite that focus, New York is still contending with injury woes that have overshadowed much of the Liberty's season, taking Thursday's court without starters Sabrina Ionescu (toe), Jonquel Jones (illness), and Natasha Cloud (nose), while leaning on recently returned forward Breanna Stewart.

"We need to win the rest of our games," acknowledged Stewart, with the team gearing up for visits to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, and No. 7 Seattle Storm over the next week. "We need to go and be road warriors."

The Liberty will have their hands full against the Mercury this weekend, with Phoenix coming in hot off a three-game winning streak with postseason-clinching top-of-mind.

"It's like a playoff matchup," Stewart added. "It's a big game, big implications, and [we're] not shying away from that."

How to watch the New York Liberty this weekend

No. 4 Phoenix will host No. 5 New York at 10 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on NBA TV.