Fantasy women’s basketball: Early-season surprises and impressions

Elena Delle Donne is playing a lot more minutes than I would have expected considering she was on load management last season. She played 33+ minutes in each of her first two games of the year (only played 33+ minutes in 2 games all last season). Her mobility and stamina looked good in both games and she filled up the box score (16.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.5 BPG). If she continues to stay healthy and play this many minutes, she will have a huge season. — LaCroix

Cooke making strong impression

Zia Cooke is making her mark in the WNBA with an impressive performance against the Sparks last Saturday, racking up 22 fantasy points in just 15 minutes. The No. 10 overall pick in April is poised to have a significant role in the Los Angeles rotation and she’s proving she’s more than ready for the big stage. It’s time for fantasy managers to take notice of Cooke’s talent and potential. — Moody

Wings show potential for three fantasy stars

It’s only been one game for the Dallas Wings, but they generated three of the to-5 scoring averages in the league to date from that one game. I expected Arike Ogunbowale to have a big season, but Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard weren’t in my top-5 for the season. It may have just been a good game, from which the forwards eventually return to their expected values. But Howard came to the team in a trade and Sabally has dealt with major injuries in each of her first three season. As such, both are in relatively new situations and their ceilings are unknown. I’ll be paying a lot of attention to the next few Wings games to see how this shakes out, as far as establishing the expected values for each player for the rest of the season. — Snellings

Mabrey still getting going

I’ve been high on Marina Mabrey throughout the preseason so it was surprising to see her struggle in her Chicago debut. The 26-year-old guard converted 2 of 5 field goals, managing just five points over 23 minutes last Friday. She also injured her ankle and was unable to play in the Sky’s matchup versus the Mercury on Sunday. Mabrey’s struggles didn’t negatively affect the team, however, as Chicago pulled off back-to-back upsets. Meanwhile, Courtney Williams averaged over 34 minutes per game and posted consecutive contests with 5 three-point-attempts. Mabrey figures to be back in action this Friday versus Washington. — Loza

Chicago’s impressive new center

Elizabeth Williams epitomizes the Sky’s defensive identity, dazzling with back-to-back games of 25 or more fantasy points. While Isabelle Harrison is out indefinitely after she had surgery to repair a…