2026 WNBA Power Rankings: Minnesota Lynx Still Rule as Playoff Race Heats Up

Our Crush & Rush WNBA Power Rankings show some surprises from last week’s rankings.

The Minnesota Lynx are still the team to beat, but the race behind them is getting awfully interesting.

Minnesota continues to roll; the Golden State Valkyries have established themselves as a legitimate championship contender; the Indiana Fever is surging; and the New York Liberty has climbed back into the conversation.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Wings are trying to survive an injury-filled stretch, while the Portland Fire refuse to let the final playoff spot disappear without a fight.

Here are the latest Crush & Rush News WNBA Power Rankings for Aug 17, 2026

Crush & Rush News WNBA Power Rankings for August 17, 2026

1. Minnesota Lynx (29-7) ↔

There is the Minnesota Lynx, and then there is everybody else.

The Lynx have continued to pile up victories and have been outstanding both at home and on the road.

Rookie Olivia Miles is an MVP candidate; Napheesa Collier is healthy again; the defense remains elite, and this is the deepest and most complete team in Women’s basketball.

Until somebody proves otherwise, the road to the WNBA championship goes through Minnesota.

2. Golden State Valkyries (24-9) ↑1

Forget calling Golden State Valkyries a nice expansion story.

The Valkyries are championship contenders.

Golden State continues to win consistently behind one of the league’s best defenses and has established itself as Minnesota’s biggest threat at the top of these rankings.

Now comes the fun part. The Valkyries get another opportunity to prove they belong with the league’s elite.

3. Indiana Fever (23-12) ↓1

The Indiana Fever drops one spot, but this isn’t punishment.

The Fever continue to win behind one of the most explosive offenses in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell give Indiana enough offensive firepower to beat anyone, and the Fever are becoming increasingly dangerous as the postseason approaches.

If the defense can come together, Indiana can make a serious run.

4. Las Vegas Aces (24-12) ↔

Never count out A’ja Wilson and the defending champions.

The Las Vegas Aces remain right in the battle for home-court advantage and still possess one of the highest ceilings in the WNBA.

The Aces haven’t dominated the league like they once did, but nobody wants to deal with Wilson and this roster in a playoff series.

5. New York Liberty (22-14) ↑3

Here come the New York Liberty.

New York has rediscovered its winning form and is beginning to resemble the championship contender we expected to see all season.

The Liberty have plenty of experience, plenty of offensive talent, and remain extremely difficult to beat in Brooklyn.

The Lady Liberty are dangerous again.

6. Atlanta Dream (21-13) ↓1

The Atlanta Dream remains one of the better teams in the league despite some recent bumps against quality opponents.

The Dream defend, rebound, and have enough offensive firepower to compete with anyone.

There isn’t much separating Atlanta, New York, Indiana, and Las Vegas right now, and the battle for playoff positioning should be terrific down the stretch.

7. Washington Mystics (20-14) ↔

The Washington Mystics have won eight of their last 10, Shakira Austin and Sonia Citron are beginning to turn it on, and all looks well in the nation’s capital.

This young team continues to defend, compete, and find ways to win games few expected them to win.

Washington has gone from an interesting rebuilding team to a legitimate playoff threat.

8. Dallas Wings (20-15) ↓2

The Dallas Wings have fallen on hard times, but injuries have played a major role.

Azzi Fudd has been out of the lineup, and her absence has taken an important scorer and perimeter threat away from the Wings.

Jessica Shepard has also missed time, leaving Dallas without one of its most productive and versatile frontcourt players.

Shepard is back at full strength for Monday night’s game against Golden State, which should provide Paige Bueckers and the Wings with some badly needed help.

Dallas needs to get healthy before this slide becomes a much bigger problem.

9. Portland Fire (15-20) ↑3

Don’t bury the Portland Fire just yet.

Portland has suddenly put together some wins and made the race for the final playoff spot at least a little more interesting.

The math isn’t friendly, but the Fire continue to compete, and Carla Leite gives this franchise a terrific young piece to build around.

For an expansion team, there is plenty to like here.

10. Chicago Sky (13-22) ↓1

The Chicago Sky remain inconsistent, but they aren’t rolling over.

Kamilla Cardoso continues to develop into one of the league’s premier interior players, while Chicago has shown enough flashes to make life difficult for better teams.

The Sky aren’t playoff material yet, but they’re no longer an automatic win on anybody’s schedule.

11. Phoenix Mercury (13-23) ↔

The Phoenix Mercury’s record isn’t pretty, but there is some important context.

Kelsey Plum has missed most of the Mercury’s games since arriving at the trade deadline because of a leg injury.

Phoenix acquired Plum to give the offense another major scoring weapon and simply hasn’t had much opportunity to see what the new-look roster can do with her on the floor.

Until Plum gets healthy and stays healthy, it’s difficult to fairly judge what Phoenix has after the trade.

12. Los Angeles Sparks (12-22) ↓2

The Los Angeles Sparks continue to slide, and health remains a major problem.

Cameron Brink simply hasn’t been able to stay healthy, which has made it difficult for Los Angeles to establish any consistency in the frontcourt.

Add the Kelsey Plum trade to the equation, and the Sparks are clearly looking more toward 2027 than making a serious postseason push.

There are still some pieces here, like Rae Burrell, but Los Angeles needs Brink on the floor.

13. Connecticut Sun (8-25) ↔

The Connecticut Sun remains firmly in rebuilding mode.

The Sun have struggled to produce results, but the remainder of the season provides valuable opportunities to evaluate the younger players and determine who should remain part of the franchise’s future.

The focus here is clearly on what comes next.

14. Seattle Storm (7-30) ↑1

The Seattle Storm owns the league’s worst record, so there isn’t much lipstick we can put on this one.

I will give the Storm one spot because they continue to battle and have at least remained competitive in several recent games.

Dominique Malonga, Flau’jae Johnson, and the young core are what matter now.

This season is about 2027.

15. Toronto Tempo (10-23) ↓1

Nobody in the WNBA is colder than the Toronto Tempo.

The Tempo’s promising expansion season has completely fallen apart during the second half, with losses piling up and the consistency disappearing on both ends of the floor.

Marina Mabrey is a dawg, but even she can’t fix everything.

For now, the Tempo belong in the basement.

Biggest Movers

📈 New York Liberty (+3)

📈 Portland Fire (+3)

📈 Golden State Valkyries (+1)

📉 Dallas Wings (-2)

📉 Los Angeles Sparks (-2)

📉 Indiana Fever (-1)

Final Thoughts

Minnesota remains the clear No. 1, but there is finally some serious pressure building behind the Lynx.

Golden State has become a legitimate championship threat. Indiana continues to win. New York looks dangerous again, while nobody should count out A’ja Wilson and Las Vegas.

Dallas might be the most interesting team to watch over the next couple of weeks.

The Wings looked like one of the league’s best teams earlier this summer, but injuries to Azzi Fudd and Jessica Shepard have played a major role in their recent struggles. Getting Shepard back Monday night is a start, but Dallas needs Fudd healthy as well.

Portland is still hanging around, which means the Wings can’t afford to keep dropping games.

The playoffs are getting closer, the pressure is building, and there should be plenty more movement before these rankings are finished.