With only five weeks left in the regular season, the WNBA playoff race is in full swing, and the two teams atop the league standings are contending with hurdles: Both the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty are facing time without their stars while integrating new players.

Minnesota’s MVP front-runner Napheesa Collier will miss at least two weeks with a right ankle sprain, although the Lynx consider themselves lucky there was no major damage and have the luxury of being 5.5 games ahead of the Liberty while she recovers. The Lynx welcome DiJonai Carrington, whom they acquired from the Wings in a trade over this past weekend with hopes that she adds a layer to the defense, provides more wing depth and brings a more veteran presence with deep playoff experience.

Meanwhile, the Liberty are struggling without Breanna Stewart, dropping the first four games without her before picking up a win in Connecticut on Sunday. The good news for New York is that Emma Meesseman made her season debut for the defending champs after signing as a free agent in July.

The Lynx and Liberty aren’t the only teams dealing with injuries, which makes this race for the postseason even more interesting.

Previous ranking: 1

Next seven days: @ SEA (Aug. 5), vs. WAS (Aug. 8), @ NY (Aug. 10)

Minnesota beat New York 100-93 in the first of four matchups between the teams over a three-week stretch, but the final score doesn’t reflect how big of a lead the Lynx had built heading into the final minutes, leading 92-77 before allowing the Liberty to score 11 straight points to bring it back within single digits.

The Lynx followed that up with the largest road win in WNBA history, beating the Aces by 53 points on Saturday. Napheesa Collier suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter of that game, so now the Lynx must navigate at least the next two weeks without the MVP frontrunner.

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Previous ranking: 3

Next seven days: @ CHI (Aug. 7), @ PHX (Aug. 10)

Atlanta continues to climb these rankings after picking up wins over Dallas, Phoenix and Washington over the past week. What’s more impressive is that the Dream did it without Rhyne Howard, who continues to recover from a knee injury, and Brittney Griner, who missed two of those games due to a neck injury. Jordin Canada also missed one game with an illness.

If the Dream can get (and stay) healthy, they could be a pleasant surprise atop the standings as we move toward the postseason.

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Previous ranking: 2

Next seven days: vs. DAL (Aug. 5), @ DAL (Aug. 8), vs. MIN (Aug. 10)

Yes, Emma Meesseman made her debut while Sabrina Ionescu scored a season-high 36 points in Sunday’s 87-78 win over Connecticut to snap a four-game skid, but that was the lone bright spot for New York over the past seven days. The Liberty otherwise lost to that same Sun team — which holds the league’s worst record — and the Lynx in the first of four Finals rematches earlier in the week.

With teams like Atlanta and Indiana finding their rhythm despite also missing key players, it doesn’t seem like New York will have the momentum to climb out of its hole until Breanna Stewart, Kennedy Burke and Nyara Sabally return.

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Previous ranking: 5

Next seven days: @ LA (Aug. 5), @ PHX (Aug. 7), vs. CHI (Aug. 9)

Winners of five straight — including six-point victories over the Mercury and Storm, and a 10-point win over the Wings over the past week — the Fever are riding the league’s longest active winning streak and the franchise’s longest since 2015. They’re doing it without Caitlin Clark, who continues to recover from a right groin strain while Kelsey Mitchell and Aari McDonald keep the offense afloat in Clark’s absence.

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Previous ranking: 4

Next seven days: vs. CON (Aug. 5), vs. IND (Aug. 7), vs. ATL (Aug. 10)

Phoenix dropped two games critical to the standings — at Indiana then Atlanta — before securing its lone week of the past week against Chicago on Sunday to close out a five-game road trip. The Mercury now hope to get back on track with a four-game home stand that starts on Tuesday against the league-worst Sun.

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Previous ranking: 6

Next seven days: vs. MIN (Aug. 5), @ LV (Aug. 7), @ LA (Aug. 10)

The Storm are recovering from two heartbreaking losses: a 108-106 double-overtime thriller against Los Angeles and a 78-74 loss to Indiana. Seattle continues to deal with inconsistency, not having strung together more than two consecutive wins since mid-July, and its schedule doesn’t lighten up from here: The Storm own one of the league’s toughest remaining slates.

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Previous ranking: 7

Next seven days: vs. IND (Aug. 5), vs. CON (Aug. 7), @ GS (Aug. 9), vs. SEA (Aug. 10)

The Sparks welcomed Cameron Brink back last week after she missed the past 13 months with a torn ACL. It’ll take time for the 2024 No. 2 overall pick to regain her rhythm, but she logged 26 total minutes with 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks between last Tuesday’s 89-74 loss to the Aces and Friday’s 108-106 double-overtime win over the Storm.

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Previous ranking: 8

Next seven days: @ GS (Aug. 6), vs. SEA (Aug. 8), vs. CON (Aug. 10)

It’s hard to know what to make of the Aces. After picking up a convincing 89-74 win in Los Angeles, Las Vegas recorded the largest increase in point differential between games, beating Golden State by 24 after losing to Minnesota by 53.

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Previous ranking: 10

Next seven days: vs. LV (Aug. 6), vs. LA (Aug. 9), vs. CON (Aug. 11)

Golden State picked up wins in Atlanta, Washington and Chicago over the past week before losing to Las Vegas by 24 points, placing the Valkyries right at .500. Availability is their biggest issue heading into the final regular-season stretch: Kayla Thornton is out for the year while Monique Billings is sidelined for at least three weeks with a right ankle injury.

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Previous ranking: 9

Next seven days: @ CHI (Aug. 5), @ MIN (Aug. 8), @ DAL (Aug. 10)

After beating Chicago, Washington dropped two games to Atlanta and Golden State. The Mystics are the team to watch as the WNBA inches closes to its Aug. 7 trade deadline: ESPN reported that the team was engaged in conversations to potentially deal Aaliyah Edwards, while Stefanie Dolson and Brittney Sykes would make sense as trade assets if Washington wanted to go into a full rebuild.

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Previous ranking: 11

Next seven days: @ NY (Aug. 5), vs. NY (Aug. 8), vs. WAS (Aug. 10)

Dallas was close to beating Atlanta on the road before ultimately losing 88-85, then dropped Friday’s home game against Indiana 88-78. The Wings also lost DiJonai Carrington, who heads to Minnesota in a trade that sends Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 second-round pick to Dallas.

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Previous ranking: 12

Next seven days: vs. WAS (Aug. 5), vs. ALT (Aug. 7), @ IND (Aug. 9)

Chicago’s losing streak is now up to eight games. Angel Reese returned from a back injury that sidelined her for two games to record 22 points and 13 rebounds in last Tuesday’s 103-86 loss at Washington, but then missed the next two contests with the same ailment. The All-Star is now considered day-to-day. Ariel Atkins and Hailey Van Lith also missed time over this past week, leaving the short-handed Sky searching for answers.

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Previous ranking: 13

Next seven days: @ PHX (Aug. 5), @ LA (Aug. 7), @ LV (Aug. 10), @ GS (Aug. 11)

The Sun split games with the Liberty over the past week, winning the first by 16 and losing the second by nine. But while the victory offered a bright spot, it’s impossible to say the team has turned a corner.

The bigger story surrounding Connecticut is an impending sale that could the franchise to Boston in 2027. While the deal is not done yet, a new investment could breathe some life into the team in the years to come.