WNBA betting roundtable - Expert picks and tips for the 2022 season

The 26th WNBA season kicks off Friday night. Twelve teams will play a 36-game regular season schedule over the course of three months for a chance at the playoffs.

Who are the favorites, long shots and MVP front-runners?

Our analysts break down everything you need to know before the season starts.

Odds from Caesars Sportsbook and FanDuel.

André Snellings, ESPN Fantasy Basketball and betting analyst: Connecticut Sun (+350)

The Sun dominated the regular season in 2021, turning in a WNBA-best 26-6 record that was 10 games ahead of the second place team in the Eastern Conference. They were strong both at home (15-1) and on the road (11-5), and finished the season on a 14-game winning streak. They fielded arguably the most dominant frontcourt in the league, built around WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones, and used their size to dominate half-court offense (top Offensive Rating in WNBA) and defense (3rd in Defensive Rating) against their opponents.

All of that came to an end in their first playoffs matchup, against the eventual champion Sky. Several things seemed to work against them...their long winning streak to end the season may have taken away their edge; they had a postseason bye that maybe left them a bit rusty to start the series; and the Sky had the length in the paint to counter the Sun's front line, and the Sun didn't seem to have the strength in the backcourt to overcome.

This season, things shape up differently. The Sun re-signed Jones to maintain her role as the franchise cornerstone, but they also signed explosive-scoring guard Courtney Williams to come in and give them scoring punch from the backcourt. They also enter this season with a healthy Alyssa Thomas, who tore her Achilles tendon in January of 2021 and missed most