INDIANAPOLIS — After a round of cuts this week, the Indiana Fever have solidified their 12-player roster for the 2026 regular season.
Indiana cut Megan McConnell, Kayana Traylor and Jessica Timmons on Wednesday, leaving the Fever with 12 players on standard contracts and one (Justine Pissott) on a development player contract. The Fever can still sign one other player to a development contract to fill out the roster.
“I like the group that we have,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “We’ve just got to continue to grow, continue to get better, make sure we have some versatility, and now we have an opportunity to kind of hone in on what our rotations are going to look like.”
This is IndyStar’s projected rotation for the Fever this season:
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Indiana Fever point guard projections
Starter: Caitlin Clark
Backup: Raven Johnson
This one, really, has been obvious since Johnson was drafted with the No. 10 pick in April.
Clark, now healthy after coming off an injury-filled season, will be the primary ball-handler for the Fever and start at point guard. Throughout the three preseason games, Johnson has been the first off the bench in order to give Clark a breather.
Johnson will be crucial as both a defensive presence in needed situations and someone who can take the ball out of Clark’s hands at times to give her a sort of on-court break. Johnson is a good playmaker herself, too, which will be crucial as she runs the second unit.
Indiana Fever shooting guard projections
Starter: Kelsey Mitchell
Backup: Tyasha Harris
Three-deep: Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
Mitchell is coming off her most productive season yet, elevating to a franchise-record 20.2 points per game and earning a first-team All-WNBA nod as an MVP finalist.
Harris can be both a backup at shooting guard and point guard, but will likely be Mitchell’s primary backup with the addition of Johnson through the draft. Harris is also stronger defensively, giving the coaching staff some options when they need a tough defensive lineup.
White has also been experimenting with smaller lineups that include three guards, including three of Clark, Harris, Johnson, Mitchell or Walker-Kimbrough.
Walker-Kimbrough will likely get minimal minutes in the backcourt this season, but could see some minutes in those guard-heavy lineups.
Indiana Fever wing projections
Starter: Sophie Cunningham
Backup: Lexie Hull
The starter at wing is really the only toss up going into the regular season, as either of them could easily take the starting spot with no surprises.
Heading into training camp, Hull was the presumed starter if only because of contract size; Hull got a two-year, $1.5 million contract from the Fever, while Cunningham got a one-year, $665,000 contract.
With Hull out for all three preseason games because of hamstring tightness, however, it seems like Cunningham has the leg up when it comes to the starting position — at least for now. Cunningham started all three preseason games, learning the cadence and rotation in live action while Hull hasn’t had that opportunity.
Hull could still start to begin the season, or take over the starting spot at any time.
Indiana Fever power forward projections
Starter: Monique Billings
Backup: Myisha Hines-Allen
Three-deep: Makayla Timpson
The only question in this two-deep is if Billings, who signed a two-year, $1.6 million deal with the Fever after a year in Golden State, will be healthy for the season opener after injuring her ankle against the Nigerian National Team on May 2. She has been participating in warmups, but not the contact portions of practice that are open to the media.
If Billings can’t go, Hines-Allen will slide into the starting spot as Billings continues to recover. Hines-Allen has been a serviceable role player her entire career, with some part-time starting stints in Washington and Dallas.
Timpson, the Fever’s 2025 second-round draft pick, has shown a lot of improvement in the preseason, but she will likely still get limited minutes in the frontcourt.
Indiana Fever center projections
Starter: Aliyah Boston
Backup: Damiris Dantas
This one, much like the backcourt, is obvious. Boston, the 2023 No. 1 pick and second-team All-WNBA in 2025, will start at center for the Fever. She is a great pick-and-roll partner for both Clark and Mitchell, and those three have developed a strong core heading into their third season all together.
Dantas is a power forward/center who is able to stretch the floor when her 3-point shot falls. She is a career 33% 3-point shooter who had a down year from beyond the arc in 2025, but she shot well while playing overseas in Turkey and with the Brazil National Team in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
Boston has also been working on her 3-point shot, with a goal of taking at least three of them per game. If Boston and Dantas can become serviceable 3-point threats, the Fever could be very difficult to defend in the frontcourt.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Projecting the Indiana Fever starters, rotations for the 2026 season
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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