WNBA betting: Should you be fading Caitlin Clark for the near future?

Prior to Clark's regular-season debut with the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, DraftKings set the over-under for points she would make at 21.5, O/U on assists at 6.5 and O/U on 3-pointers at 3.5. 

While those numbers sound modest for the No. 1 overall draft pick, Clark only hit the Over — and just barely — on 3-point shots in her season debut. And that stat wasn't a pretty one, as she went 4-11 from downtown. Clark was also scoreless in the first quarter of Tuesday's game against Thomas and the Connecticut Sun. She ended the game with 20 points, thre assists and a whopping 10 turnovers as the Fever fell 92-71.

Of course, nobody is going to beat themselves up over this more than Clark herself. And her improved play as the game went on shows her continued effort to grow her own game and help her new team win games. 

However, that may not happen right away — especially with back-to-back games coming up against the New York Liberty.

The East Coast juggernaut doesn't just boast big names like 2023 MVP Stewart and 3-point-shooting phenom Sabrina Ionesco. They are also very hard for other teams to play against. As CT Insider breaks down, the Liberty ranked second in the league last season in rebounds (37.9) compared to their opponents (33.0). New York's defense is already clicking in 2024, registering 28.0 defensive rebounds, eight steals and five blocks while ranking fourth in the WNBA with a 96.4 defense rating.

A team like the Liberty — who are favored -298 on the moneyline at DK to win the first game of this two-game series — will be another big test for Clark. And with their defensive prowess, it doesn't look like she will completely shake off her debut jitters.

Clark has so much room to grow and has already shown that she can shake off a rough start to a game and put points on the board. For the Fever's next few games, however, it may be a smart choice to fade her when placing your WNBA bets.