This edition of the CBS Sports WNBA Rookie Rankings was tough, because injuries have impacted multiple players over the last couple of weeks. The most notable one involves Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd, who on Wednesday announced she will undergo arthroscopic surgery on her right knee and miss the remainder of the season.
Because of this, and the fact that she has not played since Aug. 5, Fudd dropped out of the rankings. However, she does deserve a shoutout as a consistent member of our top five. She ends her season averaging 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game while being one of the Wings' strongest defenders. She also became the first rookie to ever win the WNBA 3-point shooting contest during All-Star weekend.
Many other top rookies of the class of 2027 have unfortunately been affected by injuries, including the top Rookie of the Year candidate Olivia Miles, who appeared to tweak her ankle on Wednesday. With players coming in and out of the lineups, deciding how to rank them is a balance between looking at performances before their injuries and how they have done upon their return. Without further ado, here are the latest rookie rankings:
5. Kiki Rice
Yep, she is back on the list. Rice had been absent from our rankings for a while because she was sidelined with a left ankle sprain and has only played 19 of 35 games this season. But before her injury, she was one of the top rookies to watch, and August has been a good month for her. Although her chances at winning Rookie of the Year are slim, she has the potential to move higher in these rankings before the regular season is over.
In her last outing, Rice scored 19 points on 55.6% shooting from the field, including going 3 of 4 from beyond the arc against Washington. The Tempo have not won a game since her return, and in fact have lost 12 in a row. However, coach Sandy Brondello said the losses have been "learnings," not failures, especially since the team has dealt with multiple injuries. A bright spot for this season? Brondello called Rice a "franchise player" who the team will continue to invest in.
Kiki Rice tonight 🔥 • 19 points • 2 assists • 3/4 3PM • 5/9 FG Led the Tempo in points pic.twitter.com/O0qWC8CNl9
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) August 20, 2026
4. Flau'jae Johnson
Johnson suffered a left ankle sprain against Portland on Aug. 8 and missed the following two games. She returned on Aug. 16 against Chicago, but she only scored five points in 30 minutes while making two out of seven field goal attempts. Despite that less-than-ideal shooting night, Johnson got to keep the No. 4 ranking this week because she deserves the benefit of the doubt since she was coming back from an injury and might not have been 100% yet.
And even though she struggled scoring, Johnson did try to contribute in other areas as she grabbed four rebounds, six assists, a steal and two blocks. In the process, she officially reached 100 career assists. She is also currently in the top 20 across the league in steals.
Flau'jae to Ezi and the energy is 🆙 pic.twitter.com/6kDATA65r9
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) August 16, 2026
3. Awa Fam
Fam hasn't been the most consistent rookie, but she returned to our rankings this week after some very efficient performances. She scored 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting, including 4 of 8 from beyond the arc, along with nine rebounds against Portland on Aug. 14. Fam was coming off the bench, which she said gave her an opportunity to read more of the game early on and therefore know what to expect with the opponent's offense and defense once she checked in.
Seattle is a young team, but as the roster continues to develop, their future looks bright. Fam is part of the "three towers," the frontcourt combination that also includes Ezi Magbegor and Dominique Malonga. All three bigs move well and can make an impact on both sides of the court, which is why coach Sonia Raman has been vocal about how the team is working toward using that particular lineup more often.
La dosis diaria de AWA FAM que tanto te gusta 😍 💫20 puntos 💫9 rebotes 💫1 robo En 22 minutos en pista ante Portland. pic.twitter.com/4JuupL3yMF
— NBASpain (@NBAspain) August 15, 2026
2. Sydney Taylor
Picking the No. 2 player was particularly difficult, because although Taylor had this spot earlier this month, she missed five consecutive games due to a left groin injury and has only been back for one game.
She was only on the court for 17 minutes in her return against the Liberty on Aug. 18. She scored 9 points while shooting 3 of 9 from the field and 1 of 6 from beyond the arc, which was not her most productive game -- especially considering she scored 14 points in 17 minutes on Aug. 3 against the Mercury. However, Taylor was turning heads before her injury and she should be able to get back into a good rhythm soon. Like Johnson, she has been a consistent player in our top five and therefore gets some grace this week.
sydney taylor crediting natasha cloud as a player she’s learned from. a great vet presence for her and kamilla. pic.twitter.com/w095VPFrCH
— promise (@CalebsChiTown) August 19, 2026
1. Olivia Miles
Miles officially moved into third place for most points scored by a rookie in WNBA history, surpassing Paige Bueckers and A'ja Wilson. After scoring 20 points during Wednesday's 77-66 win against the Golden State Valkyries, Miles sits at 676 points. She has seven regular season games remaining as well as the postseason, because the Lynx already clinched their spot. She's generating highlight reels every game and is currently second behind Wilson in MVP odds (+1000 at FanDuel).
Miles is averaging 19.9 points per game, which means she is well on track to surpass Caitlin Clark's rookie record of 769 points. However, she had to leave Wednesday's game early after she accidentally stepped on teammate Napheesa Collier's foot while defending a pass. Miles appeared to injure her ankle, but it is currently not known how serious it is and if she will miss any games.
Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation commentsOh, you thought the show was over? 🤭 Olivia Miles connects from deep and gets fired up after! She also has passed Paige Bueckers for the 3rd-most PTS by a rookie in WNBA history https://t.co/samjPXUsvp pic.twitter.com/Tee7UUe52M
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 20, 2026
