Caitlin Clark prop odds, bets bets for WNBA rookie season with Indiana Fever AP Photo

You would have to be living under a rock to be unaware that the WNBA regular season begins on Tuesday, yet another example of the Caitlin Clark effect on women’s basketball. Not only have preseason games gotten prominent placement on highlight shows over the past few weeks, but the carryover of Clark-specific props going up on betting sites have followed the Iowa star into the pros.

Caitlin Clark props are available on multiple top-rated US sportsbooks , but we’ll work with FanDuel’s numbers for the purpose of this piece, which will look to isolate a few props to target as Clark begins her WNBA career inside a casino resort. Her Indiana Fever visit the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena, looking to win a season opener against a team that is 78-30 over the last three regular seasons, reaching the Finals in 2022.

Caitlin Clark props: Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun betting analysis

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Stephanie White, who called many of Clark’s college games in her side gig as a color commentator at ESPN, will now look to keep her bottled up as she begins her third season as the Sun’s head coach.

The Fever went 13-27 in 2023, finishing with the WNBA’s third-worst record despite the presence of Rookie of the Year Aaliyah Boston. However, they were much improved given they had gone 5-31 the previous season. The 2022 No. 2 pick NaLyssa Smith out of Baylor joins Boston up front, while veteran All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana’s leading returning scorer, joins Clark in the backcourt. She hasn’t been able to play this preseason due to an ankle injury but may return in at least as limited capacity against Connecticut.

Clark averaged 30 minutes in Indiana’s two preseason games, a close loss to the Dallas Stars and a tight win over the Atlanta Dream. She shot just 10-for-27 from the field (37 percent), making seven of 22 3-pointers, averaging 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

Indiana Fever G Caitlin Clark prop picks vs. Connecticut Sun in WNBA season opener

For this game against Indiana, Clark’s points prop number has been set at 21.5 (-113), which is simply too high to hop on.

Clark herself has said she envisions being more of a pass-first point guard in the WNBA, especially since she has a pair of elite talents in the post to feed in Boston and Smith. That Mitchell may return would also cut into the amount of shots she’ll take, and head coach Christie Sides has plenty of options on the wings in Erica Wheeler, Lexie Hull, Grace Berger, Kristie Wheeler and top free agent signee Katie Lou Samuelson, a UConn product who started last Thursday’s preseason win.

It would be less surprising to see Clark dish out 10 assists than for her to score 22 points, which makes the prop on her scoring 20-plus points a terrible bet given that it’s juiced at -168. FanDuel has Clark at +172 to score 25 or more points and +540 to score 30-plus.

The Sun are a 5.5-point home favorite against Indiana, and the total is hovering around 170 depending on where you shop.

Caitlin Clark season props at FanDuel sportsbook

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) controls the ball during the first quarter against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center.

Other fun props to get in on prior to the season tipping off that involve Clark are her being listed at -380 to finish as the Fever’s leading scorer, -190 for her first basket to come via 3-pointer, and -160 for her to average 22 or more points per game as a rookie.

Think twice before eating all that chalk, because her role promises to be different in Indiana and the level of competition she’ll be facing will be much stiffer. Clark will have a target on her back every night out, but has incredibly talented teammates to share the burden with. She’s listed at -700 to win Rookie of the Year, with the field listed at +440. Given the class she’s coming into the pros alongside, it would be foolish to bet this as well despite her being the rightful favorite.

The one Clark prop I do like is her registering at least three triple-doubles this season, which would more than double your investment since it pays +190. I could see her emerging as a stat-sheet stuffer, particularly as she grows more comfortable later in the season.