Peter’s Points: WNBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Rhyne Howard, Kiki Iriafen, Wings and Aces)

At long last, the WNBA is BACK!

After the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup led to a pause in the season in late August, each team will play four more regular season games over the next week (until Sept. 24) before the playoffs begin later on in the month.

All eight playoff spots have been clinched at this point in the season, but the seeding is far from decided. Entering Thursday, the No. 6 through No. 8 seeds (New York, Washington, Dallas) all have the same record and the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds (Atlanta and Indiana) are both two games up on those teams and tied themselves.

So, a lot could change over the next week, especially as teams look to avoid the No. 1-seeded Lynx in the playoffs.

Thursday’s action features a loaded five-game slate with the four playoff teams taking the floor – and all four are favored:

Connecticut Sun @ Atlanta Dream (-14.5)
Washington Mystics (-3.5) @ Chicago Sky
Los Angeles Sparks @ Dallas Wings (-7.5)
Phoenix Mercury (-1.5) @ Portland Fire
Las Vegas Aces (-9.5) @ Seattle Storm

I’m excited to get back to the grind when it comes to Peter’s Points, especially since it’s been a solid WNBA season to date. A 93-80 record has resulted in losing just over four units, but there’s plenty of time to flip that number into the positives.

Whether you’re looking to bet on the W or simply want a breakdown of the day’s action, I’ve got you covered each day here at Sports Illustrated.

Now, let’s dive into the plays for this five-game slate on Sept. 17.

WNBA Best Bets Record

2026 season record: 93-80 (-4.33 units)
Overall (since 2024 season): 268-245-2 (-1.43 units)

Find Peter Dewey's WNBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

WNBA Best Bets Today

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Rhyne Howard OVER 17.5 Points (-125)
Kiki Iriafen OVER 9.5 Rebounds (-133)
Dallas Wings-Las Vegas Aces Moneyline Parlay (-159)

Rhyne Howard OVER 17.5 Points (-125)

Four-time All-Star Rhyne Howard entered the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup break on fire, averaging 21.5 points per game over her last 12 games while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from 3.

During that 12-game stretch, Howard scored at least 18 points 10 times and didn’t have less than 16 points in any game.

She’s looking to pick up right where she left off against a Sun team that is just 12th in the WNBA in defensive rating this season. CT has nothing to play for in 2026, and it has not been able to contain Howard in two games against the Dream.

The former University of Kentucky star had 36 points against Connecticut in the June 2 meeting between these teams, shooting 8-for-19 from 3 and 12-for-24 from the field. She had a more efficient showing the last time these teams played, dropping 29 points on 7-of-10 shooting (5-of-8 from 3) in a 35-point win.

I’ll gladly bet on Howard to close out the season strong as she seeks the first All-WNBA nod of her career.

Kiki Iriafen OVER 9.5 Rebounds (-133)

This season, former first-round pick Kiki Iriafen is averaging 9.4 boards per game for Washington, and she picked up at least 10 rebounds in each of her last six games before the break for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

The Mystics are the best rebounding team in the WNBA, ranking No. 1 in rebound percentage and No. 1 in opponent boards per game. Meanwhile, the Sky enter this game with the No. 12 rebound percentage in the league, allowing the most opponent boards per game (36.9).

Iriafen had 11 rebounds in the lone meeting between these teams, and she should have a field day on the glass since Chicago is one of the worst shooting teams (13th in effective field goal percentage) in the WNBA.

Mystics center Shakira Austin will challenge the second-year forward for boards, but I think both could find their way into 10 or more on Thursday.

Dallas Wings-Las Vegas Aces Moneyline Parlay (-159)

Dallas Wings

Dallas entered the FIBA World Cup break on a four-game winning streak, posting a plus-22.8 net rating during that stretch. All season long, this team has been significantly better at home, going 14-6 straight up.

When favored at home, Dallas is an impressive 7-5 against the spread with an average margin of victory of plus-13.6 points per game. So, I like it in this matchup against the Sparks, who are just 8-12 on the road and have lost both of their games against the Wings by eight points in 2026.

L.A. has the 11th-best net rating in the WNBA this season, but I want to avoid the spread since the Sparks are 9-5 against the number as road dogs in 2026.

Dallas is worth a look in this spot since it needs every win it can get to climb out of the No. 8 spot before the playoffs while L.A. has long been eliminated from playoff contention.

Las Vegas Aces

This seems like a simple bet on paper, but I have to mention that the Storm are 11-4 against the spread when set as home underdogs in 2026. So, I’m forgetting the points with this pick in a moneyline parlay.

Seattle has won just two times in the last 15 games, posting a minus-6.4 net rating during that stretch. It has been the worst team in the WNBA basically all year, as the front office has made it clear this is a rebuilding season.

The Aces have a real chance to close out the season with seven wins in a row (they enter this game on a three-game winning streak), as they take on Seattle (twice), Phoenix and Los Angeles to close the campaign. All four of those teams are out of the playoff race.

Losing NaLyssa Smith for the season certainly weakens Las Vegas’ depth, but A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray are as battle tested as any trio in the league.

The Storm are going to struggle to keep up on offense in this game, as the Aces are No. 3 in offensive rating and No. 4 in points per game in 2026. The Storm rank 14th and 12th in those respective categories.

Las Vegas is 14-6 on the road in 2026, and I think it’ll keep that strong record intact on Thursday night.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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