After a packed Saturday that saw 10 teams in action, the WNBA schedule on Sunday, May 26 is lighter, with just two games on the board to round out the weekend.
However, there were still plenty of intriguing WNBA odds and matchups to choose from and I go through my three favorite WNBA picks for Sunday’s slate below.
WNBA player prop bets for May 26
- Collier Over 22.5 points (-113 at FanDuel)
- McCowan Under 13.5 points (-105 at bet365)
- McCowan Under 9.5 rebounds (-120 at bet365)
Picks made on 5-26 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Today's best WNBA player props bets
Prop bet #1: Napheesa Collier Over 22.5 points
You would be hard-pressed to find too many players who are having as strong a start to the season as Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx. She finished last season fourth in both Most Improved Player and on the MVP ballot, making All-WNBA first team for the first time in her career.
She is a legit do-it-all forward, who can defend, pass, dribble, and shoot.
Collier is averaging 26.7 points through three games and has yet to score under 20. She’s doing all this despite uncharacteristically struggling with her outside shot — in other words, she’s far from maxing out what she’s capable of.
Her opponent on Sunday, the Atlanta Dream, is a high-pace, high-octane offense.
The Lynx are trying to win through defense, but they’ll have to score in bunches to have any hope of outdueling Atlanta. The Dream’s elite talent is mostly perimeter-based. While Cheyenne-Parker Tyus is a strong interior presence, she doesn’t stand much of a chance at containing Collier on the block.
Newcomer Tina Charles is a quality post, but she’s years removed from her prime at this point.
Napheesa Collier prop: Over 22.5 points (-113 at FanDuel)
Prop bet #2: Teaira McCowan Under 13.5 points
Dallas Wings center Teaira McCowan is one of the more skilled players at her size in the W, but that skill hasn’t seen her improve on her year-to-year production in a meaningful sense throughout her career.
She’s been steady going. Good for double-digit scoring (but not much more) and close to double-digit rebounds (but not much less) in each of her first five years in the league.
In part, that's because she doesn’t traditionally have the highest motor or largest gas tank. That won’t be helped given that the Wings are on a back-to-back against a rested Los Angeles Sparks squad. She’ll have the odd scoring burst when she’s got a strong size mismatch or when she’s particularly motivated, but otherwise, she’s consistent but rarely exceeds expectations.
McCowan is strictly a traditional center, not a threat to stretch the floor or put the ball on the deck and drive. She scores mostly on pick-and-roll finishing and putbacks, which makes her highly dependent on strong perimeter play to succeed.
With Satou Sabally out for the foreseeable future, the Wings are down their best playmaker, which should depress McCowan’s number of easy shot attempts as well.
Her 14.3 points per game average so far this season has juiced these Teaira McCowan odds, but there’s no reason to believe she’s made changes to her game dramatic enough to justify them.
Teaira McCowan prop: Under 13.5 points (-105 at bet365)
Prop bet #3: Teaira McCowan Under 9.5 rebounds
I’m going back to well to short McCowan again with my third pick. Not only do I see her having difficulty exceeding her scoring prop, but I think she’s going to be in a tough spot on the glass as well.
The Wings are not a good defensive rebounding team and make up for it by routinely dominating the offensive glass against smaller opponents. That’s where McCowan has proven deadly as a big in her career.
Except, the Sparks are not a small team to be pushed around, and if McCowan wants to notch double-digit boards on Sunday she’s going to have to do it against some pretty fierce competition.
Cameron Brink is a rookie, but she’s already turning heads with her defensive size, instincts, and toughness in L.A. Even if her rebounding numbers don’t leap off the page, she’s having a massive impact on the Sparks' team rebounding because she’s so physical and has great box-out discipline already. She’s a big part of why the Sparks are the best defensive-rebounding team in the WNBA so far.
She’s backed by Dearica Hamby at power forward, giving the Sparks serious size in the front court. And unlike McCowan, Hamby plays like a woman possessed, with a tenacity that few in the W can match when she’s determined to make a play for the ball.
With the Wings on a back-to-back, I don’t like McCowan's chances of matching the intensity of the Sparks’ frontcourt tandem.
Teaira McCowan prop: Under 9.5 rebounds (-120 at bet365)
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