Why the Indiana Fever's First Injury Report Shouldn't Stir Panic
The Indiana Fever are set to take on the New York Liberty in their first preseason game of 2026.
Although it's only preseason, this game already shows a familiar trend from last season as the Fever will find themselves without four players. Aliyah Boston (lower leg), Tyasha Harris (knee) and Lexie Hull (hamstring) are all out against the Liberty. As for Damiris Dantas, she has yet to join the team due to issues regarding her visa.
Both Boston and Harris are missing playing time as a part of their return-to-play regimen. Boston, who was injured towards the end of the Unrivaled season, has been participating in training camp practices and the hope is she doesn't have any setbacks. Harris is still recovering from season ending knee surgery after playing in only five games with the Dallas Wings last season.
Hull, who finds herself on the injury report due to tightness in her hamstring, has also been a participant in open portions throughout training camp. Missing playing time is something new for her after she played in all 44-games last season.
Fever Take Precautionary Measures in Preseason
Being down players isn't anything the Fever haven't been used to. They've proven to be one of the best teams in the league when it comes to adapting to change all while under head coach Stephanie White. Although seeing multiple names on the injury report may cause instant panic amongst the Fever's passionate fanbase, there's still some good news that comes along with it.
In an X post by IndyStar's Chloe Peterson she noted that the holdouts are precautionary and the players would be suiting up if it was a regular season game.
All of these are precautionary, I’m told.
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) April 24, 2026
It is part of AB and Harris’s return-to-play regimen after injury, and Hull is dealing with some tightness that Indiana didn’t want to risk in the preseason.
If it was a regular season game, they would be playing. https://t.co/aY0rkjkXy1
Fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that each of these players is expected to be ready to go for the start of the regular season. The last thing that Indiana wants to deal with is a repeat of their injury nightmares from last season. Coach White has even acknowledged that they plan to take extra measures to ensure that it doesn't re-occur with their players. She previously detailed how they don't plan to push Caitlin Clark in the preseason.
These changes in rotation for the Fever will provide a good test for their bench players by forcing them into scenarios that will help them gain valuable experience early. Despite it only being preseason, Indiana will be able to learn early where they are with their newly added depth.
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Lindsay Burke covers women’s basketball for Indiana Fever On SI and Women’s Fastbreak On SI. She graduated from Purdue University Fort Wayne with a Bachelor's Degree in journalism and a minor in media production. Early in her career she covered ECHL hockey, the NFL and college football and has since expanded her expertise to the WNBA and the Fever franchise.
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