Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark had yet another historic week and continued to solidify her spot as the No. 1 player in the CBS Sports WNBA Rookie Rankings. Meanwhile, Angel Reese wrapped up her season early because of a wrist injury, but the Chicago Sky forward still did more than enough to be included at No. 2 again this week.
Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson and Sky center Kamilla Cardoso have also become familiar faces around here. However, we are shaking things up by welcoming the New York Liberty’s 24-year-old rookie Leonie Fiebich into the rankings.
Here is a closer look at this week’s CBS Sports WNBA Rookie Rankings.
1. Caitlin Clark
Clark garnered multiple accomplishments over the past week. The former Iowa star set a new record for most 3-pointers in a single season in Fever history, registered her second career triple-double and, most importantly, helped the Fever clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2016.
Clark is leading Indiana in three different statistical categories. As expected, Clark is leading Indiana in scoring and assists, but she is also the team leader in steals per game with 1.3 and a strong rebounder.
After the Fever’s 104-100 win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, Clark set a new record for most rebounds by a rookie guard. Her current rebounding total is 209, and according to StatMamba that’s the fourth most in a single season by any WNBA guard.
2. Angel Reese
Unfortunately, Reese’s historic rookie season ended early because of wrist injury. On Sept. 1, Reese broke the WNBA’s single-season rebounding record. Earlier in the year, she registered a new record with 15 consecutive double-doubles.
Reese’s last game was particularly impressive as she helped the Sky get a 92-78 win against the Sparks with 24 points going 9-of-15 from the field. She also got yet another double-double with 12 rebounds. Although she is not known to be a strong shooter from beyond the arc, it was definitely exciting to see her last bucket as a rookie be a 3-pointer.
3. Rickea Jackson
The Sparks’ season has not gone very well, and they have now locked in the top lottery odds for the 2025 WNBA Draft. They dropped to a 7-28 record after a 79-67 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, but the highlight of the game was Jackson leading all scorers with 23 points on 50% shooting.
Jackson has proven time and again how efficient she can be. According to the Sparks, Jackson is one of five players shooting at least 45.0% from the field, 35.0% from beyond the arc and 75.0% from the free throw line in 2024. The other players on that list are Jonquel Jones, Nneka Ogwumike, Kayla McBride and Kelsey Mitchell.
4. Kamilla Cardoso
Cardoso will have to take on a bigger role now that Reese is done for the season. Things were already looking promising for the former South Carolina star after the Olympic break, so she’ll look to continues to shine as the Sky chase a spot in the playoffs.
The 6-foot-7 center has been leading the Sky in blocks, and without Reese she is Chicago’s top rebounder. Since the break, she has also become a more consistent scorer, reaching double figures in nine of her last 11 games.
5. Leonie Fiebich
The Liberty have the best record in the WNBA, and despite this already being a star-studded roster, Fiebich has shown she can be an important part of the team. She is a talented 3-point shooter, but in addition to her offensive strengths, she is also a solid defender with a high basketball IQ.
Fiebich is getting around 21 minutes per game, and in that time she is averaging 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.9 steals. She is shooting 45.6% from the field and an impressive 42.5% from beyond the arc.
