Caitlin Clark may still be the face of the WNBA in terms of media coverage and fan attention, but her position atop the betting charts has officially come to an end as she finds herself surpassed by Napheesa Collier in the MVP award race.
As the Indiana Fever star continues to recover from a left quadriceps strain, the Minnesota Lynx forward has continued to light up the basketball courts and most recently did so against the Phoenix Mercury.
That has seen the betting markets shift against the 23-year-old, who last appeared against the New York Liberty on May 24, as she spends two weeks sidelined leading to @PolymarketSport on X.com (formerly Twitter) that she was no longer MVP favorite.
Indiana has dropped their next two matchups before finally securing a win against the Washington Mystics on Tuesday, moving to 3-4 for the season.
They’ll hope to press on with their ace guard back in the picture soon – and so will Clark if her ambitions are to become MVP.
Collier stars vs Mercury as she becomes MVP front-runner
The new favorite for the 2025 WNBA MVP now holds -160 odds to take home the award as Collier, who finished second in voting last season behind A’ja Wilson, is making an emphatic case in the early stages of this year’s campaign.
On Tuesday, while Clark was sidelined, the 28-year-old delivered another standout performance by recording 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and a block as the Lynx overpowered the Phoenix Mercury, 88-65.
The dominant win extended Minnesota’s perfect start to the season and they now sit at 8-0, tied with the New York Liberty as the only unbeaten teams remaining.
Statistically, Collier is among the league’s elite across multiple categories. She leads the WNBA in scoring with 25.1 points per game while also averaging 8.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks.
She’s shooting an efficient 52.5% from the field-production that makes her MVP credentials nearly undeniable at this stage whilst her team success further strengthens her case to win the honor.
Who do the Lynx play next?
The latest win for the Lynx featured a commanding second-half effort. After trailing 23-14 late in the first quarter, Minnesota outscored Phoenix 49-23 to seize control of the game by the end of the third.
The Lynx’s Natisha Hiedeman added 18 points, and Bridget Carleton and Kayla McBride chipped in key three-pointers during a fourth-quarter surge.
They will now turn their attention to a clash against the Dallas Wings at the College Park Center on Sunday, June 8. Tip-off is expected at 16:00 ET/13:00 PT in Texas and the game can be watched on KFAA and FDSN.
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