Bettors are buying into the next generation of WNBA superstars, but sportsbooks are lining up against the reigning MVP as the season begins.
Aja Wilson She is the unanimous preseason favorite to win her fifth WNBA MVP award in 2026, with +220 odds showing at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Friday morning. fan favorite Caitlin Clark Comes in at +240 before a big margin Nafeesa Collier At +800.
Clarke, who has been a consistent top attraction at Awards Future since her debut in 2024, is back in action once again, leading MVP tickets at BetMGM by 29.5%. By reducing his odds, bettors are looking to limit their risk on Clarke.
David Lieberman, head of pro basketball at Caesars Sportsbook, told ESPN, “No matter what the price, people will bet on it. They just want a piece of the Kaitlin Clark action.” “So that’s kind of the game that all the sports books are playing, how low can you go where people will still bet and balance your book a little bit.”
Sportsbooks face serious liability problem with reigning Rookie of the Year Paige BueckersThat checks in with the fifth-best odds for MVP at 14-1 at DraftKings and as high as 20-1 at other sportsbooks. DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello said bookmakers are “the public’s most popular choice”, which involves a $1,000 bet at 20-1 odds that would net $20,000 if successful. BetMGM reports that 85% of handles have favored him as the sportsbook’s biggest liability, possibly due to one or several large bets.
However, despite the large amount of support for Clark and Bueckers, Wilson actually moved into the odds lead a week before the season. As recently as Wednesday, Clarke topped the odds board at +245, with Wilson at +265. Wilson received the highest percentage of votes from WNBA general managers in a poll to become the 2026 MVP Released at the beginning of the week.
Bookmakers are extremely conservative with their power ratings to make up the odds, which explains why Collier is still ranked high on the board despite suffering an ankle injury that is likely to keep him out until at least June.
“If Collier were healthy, his prospects would be closer to Clark and Wilson,” BetMGM trader Tyler Groth said over email. “How much time she misses will determine whether she can compete for MVP.”
The same power rating principle applies to the WNBA Finals odds board, where new york liberty Favorite at +220, followed by Wilson Las Vegas Aces +390 and at Clarke indiana fever Per DraftKings line at +450. Despite the fact that the Fever are heavily bet on for the title, they have actually gone long from their short point around +375, which reflects the sportsbooks’ respect for the Liberty and Aces.
“On paper they’re both the best teams,” Lieberman said.
atlanta dreamJoe, who went from 18-1 to +650 for the title after a stellar offseason, also didn’t get much attention from bookmakers, but bookmakers dallas wings (30-1), coming in as one of the biggest liabilities at BetMGM and DraftKings.
Other teams attracting action in various futures markets include Golden State Valkyries (45-1), los angeles sparks (14-1), phoenix mercury (30-1) and seattle storm (250-1), while Sabrina Ionescu (22-1), Dominic Malonga (65-1), aliyah boston (100-1) and rickia jackson (250-1) has seen some flyers as a long shot in the MVP market.
Avello said, “It’s a really good book that we’ve got here. There’s money on almost every team.” “If any of those long shots have a good season, bettors will continue to bet on them throughout the season, so the liability could become even stronger.”
