With the 2024 WNBA draft now in the books, which rookies are well-positioned to make an immediate impact in fantasy women's basketball this season?

We turned to our fantasy experts Andre Snellings, Eric Moody and Liz Loza to to get their thoughts on that and other big questions following an exciting draft night in Brooklyn.

Clark has such a massive following coming off her college career that I expect her to be drafted very early. Much like Wemby in the NBA, I expect her to be off the board by the second round of most drafts. With the average league having six managers, I'd say this makes her right around a top-10 pick in a lot of leagues. -- Snellings

There's no way Clark isn't drafted inside the top 15 players. The Fever played to an audience of just over 4,000 fans per home game last year. Less than a week ahead of yesterday's draft the team confirmed a rapid "spike" in ticket sales with prices at marketplaces like Vivid Seats reporting an increase of over 90%. The hype is real and figures to spill over into fantasy. -- Loza

I expect Clark to be drafted in Round 3 or Round 4 of fantasy drafts. Her average draft position should be eerily similar to former No. 1 picks Aliyah Boston and Rhyne Howard. The good news is that both players were fantasy-relevant as rookies, and that trend should continue with Clark. Clark was the first player in Division I history, men's or women's, to reach 3,000 points and 1,000 assists. Her skill set will translate well to the WNBA. -- Moody

My initial thought is that Clark won't live up to her ADP. Here's why: Few athletes have captured the nation's attention like she has, and that interest isn't going away. Managers will reach for Clark in fantasy drafts. Also, she won't have to carry the scoring load with the Indiana Fever, since she'll be playing alongside last season's Rookie of the Year, Boston, who I anticipate she'll feed often in the post. -- Moody

Clark is a record-breaking scorer. Her long range shooting is awe-inspiring. But she's also an incredible passer, as Rebecca Lobo noted after Clark made history over the weekend. Each assist is worth a point in ESPN's fantasy scoring. Given Clark's overall offensive prowess, it's going to be hard for me to rank her outside of the top 12. -- Loza

Clark's game has a good chance to translate well to the next level. Everything is set up by her ridiculous shooting range, well beyond the professional 3-point line, so she could challenge for the league lead from deep as a rookie. And if the defenses extend, we've seen how that opens up the court for her to drive and make plays. And on a team full of finishers, Clark should be among the league leaders in assists as well. While it's a lot to ask her to produce top-10 stats as a rookie, and I do expect her to have an ADP in that range, she at least has a realistic shot to produce at that level in year one. -- Snellings

There's no way Kelsey Mitchell leads the Fever in scoring again in 2024. The 28-year-old finished as a top-10 scorer, averaging over 18 points per game for a second consecutive year. That figures to change once Clark joins her on the court, however, as the vet's minutes and opportunities are certain to dwindle. -- Loza

Clark should have a positive effect on the scoring efficiency of all three, and Boston may be the one whose overall numbers increase the most as she thrives in her sophomore season against defenses that won't be able to double-team her anymore. With that said, Smith is a great rim-runner, and Mitchell is outstanding as a catch-and-shoot finisher, so both should really benefit from Clark creating good looks and getting them the ball in their scoring pockets. -- Snellings

There's going to be a positive impact on Boston. The scoring ability of Clark is well-documented, but she's also a great passer. Boston will have more room to operate in the post and opponents won't be able to double-team her since Clark and Mitchell will make them pay on the perimeter. The Fever were 11th in APG last season. Clark averaged 8.2 APG during her career at Iowa. This is a perfect fit. -- Moody

Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese both have the opportunity to immediately step in and make an impact for a Chicago Sky squad that had difficulty in the paint last season. With Isabelle Harrison out last season after knee surgery, the Sky had the fourth-fewest total rebounds and allowed opponents to shoot the second-highest field goal percentage in the WNBA. Cardoso and Reese are both elite on the glass and on defense, which could earn them minutes and opportunities to produce from the opening tip. -- Snellings

Rickea Jackson being drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks made a lot of sense. She's versatile and has the ability to score inside and out. Jackson averaged 20.2 PPG while shooting 48.5% from the floor last season at Tennessee. She has also performed very well in a scrimmage against Team USA last fall. Raegan Pebley, the Sparks general manager, called their lottery picks "foundational" before the draft. She said that they needed players who would not only make an immediate impact, but also have "a long runway ahead of them." Jackson fits that criteria. -- Moody

Cameron Brink has a massive opportunity given Nneka Ogwumike's departure for Seattle. The Sparks are desperate for, well, a spark and the former Stanford player is an ace talent who can score from a variety of ranges and locales. She's also a solid defensive player having been named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year this past March. As Moody noted above, Los Angeles is rebuilding. Both of the team's rookies are on the rise. -- Loza

Fantasy managers should consider selecting Alissa Pili near the end of their fantasy draft since she was selected by the Minnesota Lynx. Legendary Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve will leverage Pili's versatility and floor-spacing ability. The rookie was one of four players in the country to average at least 21.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 2.0 APG. A first-round draftee isn't guaranteed a spot on a team's rotation or even a roster spot early in their career. However, Pili's unique set of skills could lead to fantasy relevancy. -- Moody

Chicago is another franchise in the midst of a rebuild. The Sky drafted two buzzy rookies -- Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese (whom they traded up for) -- seemingly attempting to capitalize on each player's respective talent and momentum. It's unclear how things will shake out under first-year head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, but the opportunity for both players is rife with upside. -- Loza

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Seven months after general manager Kevyn Adams declared the Sabres' competitive window of opportunity as being open, it slammed shut on coach Don Granato, who was fired on Tuesday.

Expressing his frustration and impatience, Adams launched what now stands as the team's eighth coaching search in 12 years by targeting someone with NHL experience to inspire a young but underperforming team that extended the franchise's league-record playoff drought to a 13th season.

"It's go time. It's time to perform on an individual level and a team level. We have to be better," Adams said. "I believe we have a talented group of players that now we need to take the next step, which is obviously getting in the playoffs and going from there."

Though crediting Granato for developing much of the Sabres' young core during his three-plus seasons behind the bench, Adams believes his players now need a more seasoned voice behind the bench.

"I'm not going to get in the names. I think it's a challenge to do that and unfair. I think what you need to know is that as I walk out of here, know I have a plan," Adams said, referring to his list of candidates. "We're right there and we're on the cusp and it's going to be up to us. It's going to be hard but that's the best part."

Granato was fired less than 12 hours after the Sabres closed their season with a 4-2 win at Tampa Bay. The team finished with a 39-37-6 record and had been eliminated from playoff contention last week.

The 56-year-old Granato was a first-time NHL head coach, who took over first on an interim basis during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2021 season after Ralph Krueger was fired. Granato had two seasons left on his contact and finished with a record of 122-125-27 in Buffalo.

The team also announced the firing of assistant coach Jason Christie and video coordinator Matt Smith.

Potential candidates with NHL experience to replace Granato include former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube, former New York Rangers and Vegas coach Gerard Gallant, and 69-year-old Bruce Boudreau, who has been out of a job since being fired by Vancouver last season.

Another candidate who fits Adams' vision is former Sabres coach and player Lindy Ruff, who was fired by New Jersey in March. Ruff, who was fired by the Sabres during the lockout shortened 2012 season, led Buffalo to eight playoff berths -- including a Stanley Cup Final in 1999 -- during his 14-plus seasons.

The Sabres stumbled through a season in which the team won three straight games just twice and was too often unable to overcome slow starts.

This was not the expectation Adams had following a 2022-23 season in which the Sabres missed the playoffs by two points, and their 42 wins and 91 points were the most since the team last made the postseason in 2010-11.

"It just wasn't good enough. In my opinion, we underperformed. We were inconsistent and we need to be better," Adams said.

He also said it was time to eliminate excuses of the Sabres being too young or experiencing difficulty dealing with pressure.

"Look, you don't get to the National Hockey League without handling pressure. That is the most ridiculous thing I could ever hear someone say," Adams said. "We just didn't play well enough. Period."

The Sabres' playoff drought is tied with the New York Jets as being the longest active drought in North America's four major professional sports.

This season, the Sabres were undone by injuries to key players, goaltending inconsistencies, a front-office decision to add more youth to what was already the NHL's youngest roster and Granato making the questionable change in coaching philosophy to have the Sabres switch to a more defensive style.

Adams disputed the switch being a change in philosophy, but acknowledged the focus on being better defensively led to the team playing with a level of hesitancy.

A season after the free-wheeling Sabres finished third in the NHL with 293 goals, Buffalo's production dropped to currently rank 22nd with 244 with two days left in the regular season. After finishing 26th in allowing 297 goals last season, the Sabres currently rank 11th in allowing 243.

Poor starts played a key factor in sinking Buffalo's season. The Sabres have allowed a league-worst 97 goals in the first period, while scoring just 67, which ranks 22nd.

Granato declined to address his status following the game at Tampa Bay, by saying he wanted to focus on the outing.

Last week, Granato said, his sole focus every season was improving the Sabres.

"I have to do my job every day. And it's to help this team and this franchise get better every day. That's my focus every day. That's my drive every day," he said. "So I don't know, you know, any other way to do things. When I first got in this position, even as the interim, I wasn't trying to become the next head coach. There's a job that needs to be done. My focus is on that. It has to be on that."