Napheesa Collier

Collier made just four appearances in 2022 after missing most of the year while on maternity leave. However, she returned to dominance in 2023, making 37 appearances and averaging a career-best 21.5 points. She also averaged 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks in 33.5 minutes per game. The 27-year-old was among the top fantasy options before her pregnancy, and it was encouraging to see her return to form following her lengthy absence. She posted just 12 double-doubles on just 12 occasions last year, but she was a continual threat in the scoring and rebounding columns while also regularly pitching in on the defensive side of the ball. Teammates Diamond Miller and Dorka Juhasz showed promise as rookies last year, and the Lynx acquired Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith and Natisha Hiedeman during the offseason. However, Collier should remain the clear focal point of Minnesota's system in 2024. Collier has been an elite fantasy contributor since entering the league in 2017, and availability hasn't been a concern outside of when she was on maternity leave in 2022. Fantasy managers with a pick early in the first round of drafts should have no reservations about selecting Collier.

Collier's name fell by the wayside last season, as she spent most of 2022 getting up to speed after giving birth to her first child in May. Collier eventually retook the floor for the last four games of the season but wasn't up to her usual standards, mainly returning to support Sylvia Fowles in Fowles' last career contests. With Fowles - who finished second on the team in points scored last season and led the team in 2022 - now removed from the frontcourt equation, Collier should compile a huge campaign on both ends of the floor. Optimistic fantasy managers hoping Collier will be back to 100 percent and in line for a bigger role can look to her averages in 2021 and 2020. In 2021, she averaged a career-high 16.2 points, while in 2020, she averaged career marks in rebounds (9.0), assists (3.3) and blocks (1.3). As a rookie, she averaged a career-high 1.9 steals. There's clearly potential for a massive bounceback season. The fifth-year big's contributions in 2020 and 2021 earned her top-7 status on a per-game basis in each of the two years, and she figures to be the featured player on the 2023 iteration of the Lynx.

Collier has played an important role in Minnesota's frontcourt across her first three seasons in the league, and she averaged a career-high 16.2 points along with 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 34.6 minutes per game last year. However, the Lynx will have to search elsewhere to replace her production to begin the 2022 campaign, as she's pregnant and is expected to give birth to her first child in May. As a result, the 25-year-old is on track to miss a significant portion of the season, and it wouldn't be surprising to see her limited once she's cleared to return following her lengthy layoff. Collier should be a strong fantasy option in future seasons, but she has limited potential in 2022 given her expected absence. In her stead, Damiris Dantas, Crystal Dangerfield and Bridget Carleton should have the opportunity to carve out more prominent roles.