2026 WNBA Awards Odds Watch & Rankings: Olivia Miles Joins MVP Race

By Cheryl Coward | Jul 28, 2026, 3:56pm

The 2026 All-Star Game is in the books and the players are back in regular-season action after a five-day break. While the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup will cause another break in the season in September, we are officially in the second half of the season as the countdown to the playoffs and postseason awards continues.

This week’s movement is based on the broader midseason picture with clear favorites established in some award races while the competition is tighter in others. Olivia Miles remains far ahead in the Rookie of the Year race, but the Minnesota Lynx guard has also played her way into the MVP discussion. She is not overtaking A’ja Wilson but Miles’ combination of individual numbers, efficiency and team success gives her a legitimate place immediately behind the four-time MVP.

This is the 10th installment of a weekly awards watch that will run through the regular season. The rankings are based on current player production, team performance, league context, current standings and the latest power rankings from the league and ESPN.

2026 WNBA MVP Odds & Power Rankings

A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Wilson stays at No. 1 with the strongest complete statistical profile in the league. She leads the WNBA with 26.1 points per game while averaging 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and a league-high 2.0 blocks. Wilson is also shooting 53.3% from the field and 44.6% from three. Las Vegas is 18-8 and third in the overall standings, and fifth in ESPN’s latest power rankings. Wilson’s scoring, efficiency, rebounding and rim protection give her advantages that none of the other leading candidates can match simultaneously.

Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx

Miles enters the top three and immediately moves into second. She ranks eighth in the league with 19.3 points per game and is tied for eighth with 6.0 assists while adding 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks. Her 49.4% field-goal percentage is especially impressive for a rookie guard carrying a major offensive role. Miles was the only rookie selected for the All-Star Game. The team context strengthens her case. Minnesota has the WNBA’s best record at 22-6, leads the league with a +8.7 scoring differential and sits first in ESPN’s power rankings. Wilson remains comfortably ahead, but Miles has become the leading candidate from the league’s best team.

Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever

Mitchell drops one position because of Miles’ entrance rather than any weakening of her own case. She remains second in the WNBA with 23.3 points per game and is shooting career-best rates of 49.8% from the field and 42.5% from three. Indiana enters the second half at 17-10, fourth in ESPN’s power rankings and first in the WNBA with 95.5 points per game. Mitchell’s scoring consistency and efficiency keep her in the top three, but Miles’ all-around production and Minnesota’s advantage in the standings give the rookie the edge this week.

Paige Bueckers remains close after averaging 20.9 points, 6.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds on 51.3% shooting for third-ranked Dallas. Caitlin Clark is also within range at 21.0 points and 7.9 assists per game.

2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds & Power Rankings

A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Wilson stays first after leading the WNBA with 2.0 blocks per game while ranking fourth with 9.5 rebounds and contributing 1.6 steals. Her ability to defend at the rim, rebound and create turnovers away from the basket gives her the most complete individual defensive case. Las Vegas also leads all teams with 5.1 blocks per game and ranks fifth with 34.3 rebounds.

Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries

Williams stays second because she remains the central perimeter defender for the league’s most effective defensive team. Golden State allows a WNBA-low 76.4 points per game, more than six points fewer than Minnesota, and ranks fifth with 7.6 steals per contest. Williams averages 1.7 steals per game, fourth in the league. Golden State is 19-8, second in both the standings and ESPN’s power rankings, giving Williams the strongest team-based defensive argument among Wilson’s challengers.

Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream

Howard remains third as the WNBA’s steals leader at 2.4 per game. She also averages 0.8 blocks, an unusually strong figure for a guard, while handling one of the league’s largest offensive workloads.

Atlanta leads the WNBA with 9.4 steals per game and is 16-10 in the standings. Golden State’s sizable advantage in points allowed keeps Williams in second, but Howard’s individual disruption and defensive playmaking remain too significant to leave outside the top three.

2026 WNBA Most Improved Player Odds & Power Rankings

Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings

Shepard moves up one position and takes over the lead. She is averaging 14.9 points, a league-leading 12.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting 59.7% from the field. Shepard has also recorded a league-best four triple-doubles this season. The statistical growth from 2025 is impressive. Shepard averaged 8.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season. She has nearly doubled her scoring, more than doubled her assists and become the league’s leading rebounder. Dallas’ rise to 18-9 and third in ESPN’s power rankings gives her improvement stronger team context than the other leading candidates.

Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo

Mabrey drops one spot but remains one of the strongest candidates after increasing her scoring average from 14.4 points last season to 21.0. She ranks fourth in the WNBA in scoring and leads the league with 3.3 made three-pointers per game. Her efficiency has improved along with her volume. Mabrey is shooting 44.0% from the field and 39.2% from three after making 36.7% and 27.0% in 2025. Toronto’s 10-16 record is the primary difference between her case and Shepard’s, but Mabrey’s transformation into one of the league’s leading scorers keeps the race close.

Carla Leite, Portland Fire

Leite stays third after developing from a reserve with Golden State into Portland’s primary playmaker. She has raised her averages from 7.2 points and 2.0 assists last season to 15.3 points and 6.0 assists. Leite is shooting 43.8% from the field and 34.5% from three after finishing last season at 38.7% and 17.3%, respectively. Portland’s 11-16 record limits her team argument, but the increase in her role, scoring, playmaking and efficiency keeps her firmly among the top three.

2026 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Power Odds & Rankings

Janelle Salaün, Golden State Valkyries

Salaün stays first with the best combination of production, shooting and a clearly defined reserve role. She has appeared in all 27 of Golden State’s games without making a start, averaging 12.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.4 minutes. Salaün makes 2.5 three-pointers per game while shooting 39.4% from three-point land. She has the highest scoring average among the leading reserves, and Golden State’s 19-8 record helps to strengthen her case.

Sophie Cunningham, Indiana Fever

Cunningham remains second after coming off the bench in 23 of her 26 appearances. She averages 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.9 minutes while shooting 47.4% from the field and 42.9% from three. Her efficiency and ability to provide perimeter scoring for the league’s highest-scoring team keep her comfortably in the top three.

Kaitlyn Chen, Golden State Valkyries

Chen stays third after appearing in all 27 games without making a start. She is averaging 7.7 points and 1.9 assists in 14.7 minutes while shooting 57.5% from the field and 42.9% from three. Her playing time and scoring volume remain below Salaün’s and Cunningham’s, but Chen’s efficiency and reliability as a solid reserve keeps her in the rankings.

Photo Credit: REUTERS