Six more teams will start their WNBA seasons on Saturday, with plenty of stars on the court to target for our WNBA player prop bets.
I’m taking a bet from each game today, starting with defending MVP A’ja Wilson and continuing with both a young star (Angel Reese) and a veteran (Nneka Ogwumike), where I think there are clear plays for bettors.
Let’s take a closer look at my favorite props today in my free WNBA picks for Saturday, May 17.
WNBA player prop bets for May 17
A’ja Wilson Under 24.5 points (-110 at FanDuel)
Angel Reese Over 12.5 rebounds (-135 at DraftKings)
Nneka Ogwumike Under 28.5 points + rebounds + assists (-120 at BetMGM)
Today's best WNBA player props bets
A’ja Wilson Under 24.5 points (-110 at FanDuel)
At 28 years old, A’ja Wilson continues to improve and is right in the prime of her career. The Las Vegas Aces superstar averaged a career high 26.9 ppg last season on her way to winning her third MVP award in the last five years.
But even that wasn’t enough to get the two-time defending champs back to the WNBA Finals, as they fell to the New York Liberty in four games in the semifinal round. And perhaps banking on that rivalry to attract viewers, the WNBA has scheduled the Liberty and the Aces to face off at the start of their respective seasons on Saturday.
This was one of Wilson’s toughest matchups last season. While she was still highly effective against New York, Wilson averaged just 22.5 ppg in the regular season against the Liberty, her second-lowest total against any team. Those relative struggles continued in the playoffs, where the Liberty held her to an average of 20.8 points per game in the four-game series.
Wilson failed to score more than 24 points in any of her six total meetings with New York last year. With her points total set at 24.5 today, I’m taking the Under.
Angel Reese Over 12.5 rebounds (-135 at DraftKings)
Angel Reese finished second in the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year race last season, behind only Caitlin Clark. And if you thought the league put some thought into the Aces vs. Liberty matchup, there was never any doubt that it would want Clark’s Indiana Fever facing off against Reese’s Chicago Sky on Saturday.
While Reese wasn’t the most efficient scorer in her rookie campaign, she proved to be an outstanding rebounder, leading the league at 13.1 boards per game. That total only increased as the season wore on, with Reese averaging an astronomical 16.0 rebounds per game in August and September.
This is a clear area where Reese will continue to dominate, and she’ll likely only become more of a terror on the boards as she develops as a professional player. With reasonable odds on her rebounding prop at just 12.5, the Over looks like a safe play in Reese’s season opener.
Nneka Ogwumike Under 28.5 points + rebounds + assists (-120 at BetMGM)
Nneka Ogwumike combined with Jewel Loyd to give the Seattle Storm veteran stability on the way to a playoff appearance in 2024. And while Loyd is off the team, Ogwumike is back on the roster, joined by two other veterans – Alysha Clark and Erica Wheeler – that should give the Storm a stable veteran core to build around.
Last season, Ogwumike averaged 16.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game for a combined average total of 26.6. All three of those numbers were down from 2023, and there are several reasons to expect that decline to continue in 2025.
For starters, there are questions about just how good Seattle will be on offense. The Storm lost Loyd, their leading scorer last year, from a team that was already mediocre in scoring, and it’s unclear where they plan to pick up the slack.
We also need to consider that Ogwumike is now 34 and may be past her peak, meaning we can expect less production from her going forward.
Seattle gets a tough opening matchup against a Phoenix Mercury team that has added Satou Sabally to form a talented starting lineup alongside Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Cooper, and company. Oddsmakers are expecting big numbers out of Ogwumike, but I’m taking the Under.
Today’s WNBA games
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