Caitlin Clark has a quad pressure and is predicted to overlook at the very least the following two weeks of motion. What does that imply for the fantasy hoops and betting prospects of Clark and her teammates? Let’s discover.
Fantasy hoops angles:
Kelsey Mitchell tied with Clark to guide the Fever at 19.2 PPG final season, making them the highest-scoring backcourt within the WNBA, and he or she is the starter whose utilization may improve essentially the most whereas Clark is out.
Lexie Hull (obtainable in 73.8% of ESPN leagues) and Sophie Cunningham (obtainable in 52.0% of ESPN leagues) may each get key minutes as swing starters and even major contributors off the bench.
DeWanna Bonner has struggled since becoming a member of the Fever this offseason, however Clark’s absence may result in extra pictures to probably get her Fever profession jump-started. Natasha Howard is one other newcomer who already has a 26-point effort underneath her belt this season and will develop into a extra constant scorer in Clark’s absence.
Betting angles:
The largest modifications in odds following the damage announcement got here within the MVP and the championship markets. Within the MVP race, Clark went from the odds-on favourite at -115 to +210, with Napheesa Collier taking on the lead (from +185 to -135) and A’ja Wilson’s odds bettering from +825 to +600. If Clark is out for under the projected two weeks, she would nonetheless have loads of time to reclaim her MVP momentum, however muscle accidents can linger and the season is barely 44 video games lengthy.
Collier is in the perfect place to win the MVP primarily based on her glorious play and her workforce’s sturdy begin, however as the brand new odds-on favourite she’s not getting a whole lot of juice. For finest worth, I might nonetheless lean to reigning MVP Wilson who, regardless of a comparatively slower begin, has proven she has MVP mettle. Getting +600 odds for a participant who has received three of the final 5 MVP awards is powerful worth.
The Fever’s odds to win the championship lengthened from +300 to +330, however I do not count on Clark’s damage to actually have an effect on these odds except it lingers for a for much longer than anticipated time size. Primarily based on the preliminary absence estimate of two weeks, the Fever would count on to face the 2-3 Mystics twice, the winless Solar and the winless Sky earlier than one other rematch with the Dream on June 10. With their improved lineup, the Fever may fairly be anticipated to win all 4 video games earlier than dealing with the Dream once more. In the event that they do, they need to preserve their spot within the standings throughout Clark’s absence.
