Caitlin Clark’s on-court gravity is exceeded only by her outrageous gravitational pull in betting markets, it seems.
Clark, a great player who is almost certainly not going to win the WNBA Most Valuable Player award in 2026, is the betting favorite at +225. According to BetMGM, she has the highest ticket percentage in MVP betting by an absolute mile (35.6 percent). Her team, the Indiana Fever, has 37.3 percent of the handle to win the league championship, too.
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Nothing about the popularity of these bets accurately reflects the current WNBA hierarchy, but it’s pretty clear that Clark’s widespread appeal has not been diminished following a season lost to injury. Clearly, the people cannot get enough Caitlin.
While Clark and her squad are attracting all the money, WNBA futures opportunities can be found elsewhere. Let’s review seven of the most appealing.
A’ja Wilson to win regular season MVP: +225
It is simply wild to see anyone even close to Wilson as the preseason favorite for this award. Wilson has won four of the last six MVPs, including the last two. At 29, she’s still at the peak of her powers. She’s led the WNBA in scoring in each of the past two seasons, and she’s basically a lock to finish at or near the top of the league in blocks and rebounds as well. Also, last year’s MVP runner-up, Napheesa Collier, is currently recovering from ankle surgery and is not expected to return to on-court activity until June.
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This award belongs to Wilson and no one else. It’s probably the safest investment on the board. However, if you wanted to craft an MVP narrative for anyone else (with an appealing payout attached), there is at least one clear alternative.
Paige Bueckers to win regular season MVP: +1600
Once again, this is probably not gonna happen. Wilson is inevitable, a dominant player in her prime.
Bueckers is an ascending (and wildly popular) player, however, and she’s coming off a wonderful first season. As a rookie, she managed to rank among the league leaders in scoring (fifth), assists (ninth) and steals (sixth), which is exactly the sort of across-the-board performance demanded by this award. Bueckers also happens to lead a team that’s likely to vault itself into the playoff picture, perhaps comfortably so.
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The frontcourt and coaching situations have ostensibly improved for Dallas. Bueckers herself may have leveled up as well; she’s been spectacular in the Wings’ two preseason games. She would have hung 35 or 40 points on the Fever last week had it been a regular-season game.
If Dallas actually improves by a dozen or more wins year-over-year and Bueckers finishes top-five in multiple statistical categories, then we won’t be able to have the MVP conversation without mentioning her name.
Jose Fernandez to win Coach of the Year: +800
In our imagined scenario in which the Wings are winning 23-25 games and jumping from the bottom of the standings to the postseason, Jose Fernandez should receive plenty of recognition. He’s a proven program-builder who turned South Florida into a consistently successful mid-major, and he’s now coaching a talented collection of young players, including the league’s two most recent No. 1 draft picks.
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Coach of the Year isn’t simply an award gifted to the league’s best team, just for the record. Last year’s winner, Natalie Nakase, coached the expansion Valkyries to a 23-win season.
This is an easy deposit-and-click. The Aces should be the favorite to repeat as champs. It’s a little weird that they are not. Vegas should sit atop everyone’s power rankings. The Aces not only have the world’s best player (Wilson), but they have three others who aren’t far behind (Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd). They also happen to have the game’s best coach (Becky Hammon).
Did we mention that Vegas has won three of the last four titles? Well, they have. Awesome team. Realistically, this squad and the Liberty (+200) belong to a tier of their own.
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Lauren Betts to win Rookie of the Year: +600
Betts is about to put up numbers for the Mystics. On this matter, there should be no doubt. She scored an easy 15 in the first half against the Atlanta Dream in preseason play on Sunday.
It’s nice to be 6-foot-7, sure, but this is not someone who relies on size alone. Betts is a polished post player with a legit mid-range game. As a rookie, she could very well rank among the league’s top ten in scoring, rebounds, field goal percentage and blocks. Traditionally, that’s a pretty solid ROY resume.
Aneesah Morrow to win Most Improved Player: +2000
After losing Marina Mabrey in the expansion draft and the great Tina Charles to retirement, the Connecticut Sun certainly have plenty of stats and minutes up for grabs. Mabrey and Charles combined for 30.7 points, 27.7 shot attempts and 10.0 rebounds per game last year.
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If preseason usage can be believed, Morrow is coming for a significant share of the vacated opportunities. She appears ready for an uptick in usage, too.
Morrow should have the greenest possible light to chase shots this season for a non-contending team. She’s a high-motor rebounder and defender, the sort of player who can put a great deal of ink on a stat sheet. Morrow was the only player in the league last season who finished among the top 20 in rebounding (6.9 per game) while playing fewer than 20 minutes per night.
It would actually be quite a surprise if Morrow didn’t make serious statistical gains this season, given the team context. If she can average, say, 14 and eight with defensive goodies, she’s a very strong candidate to win this award. Get that +2000 while you can.
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Chicago Sky to make the playoffs: +160
Chicago dramatically remade the roster after a brutal 10-win season, taking full advantage of the fact that basically every player in the league was available in a wild offseason. Angel Reese is gone — notable, because she’s been the only thing this franchise has gotten right since it won the title in 2021 — but a bunch of interesting pieces have since landed with the team.
Skylar Diggins is a legitimate difference maker, a seven-time all-star accustomed to postseason appearances. Azurá Stevens, Natasha Cloud, DiJonai Carrington and Rickea Jackson are irrefutably good. Jacy Sheldon, Kamilla Cardoso and Gabriela Jaquez are at least theoretically good. (Or useful. Or not.)
Essentially, the Sky have now assembled a collection of fun-looking puzzle pieces — probably enough to become an early-exit playoff team. We do not yet know if coach Tyler Marsh is a sufficiently skilled puzzlemaster, however. Chicago doesn’t control its first-round pick in the 2027 draft, so the franchise needs to be firmly all-in on the season ahead.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Chicago Sky, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, WNBA, Sports Betting
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