For the Los Angeles Sparks, the 2024 WNBA season has been more about player development than winning games. Los Angeles has been in rebuilding mode, and while that doesn’t mean the Sparks don’t have talent on their roster, it does mean they’ll approach the last month of the season differently than teams in playoff contention.
Savvy fantasy basketball owners know that situations like these are where younger players tend to get more shine. In the Sparks’ case, 2024 No. 2 overall draft pick Cameron Brink had her rookie season cut short by a knee injury, but Rickea Jackson, who the Sparks selected at No. 4 overall, has gotten better and better as the year goes on—and if she’s somehow available in your fantasy league, you should consider picking her up.
Since Brink was injured in mid-June, Jackson’s role has expanded, and she’s looked more like the versatile scoring forward she was in college. In her last 10 games, Jackson is averaging 15.3 points (up from 11.9 on the season) on 13 field goal attempts (up from 9.9), and she’s playing a lot, too, averaging 32.7 minutes in that span.
That’s good for 24 fantasy points per game in standard ESPN leagues, and while Jackson’s relative lack of defensive impact thus far (0.5 steals and 0.2 blocks per game on the…
