July 6, 2006 - The 4th of July holiday has passed and we are now in the eighth week of the Triple Threat Fantasy Challenge. Since we have now learned who this year's All-Star game starters will be, a good barometer of who should be making the trip to Madison Square Garden can be seen by checking out the Triple Threat Leaderboard.

Lisa Leslie of the Sparks continues to top the Triple Threat charts with a PRA average of 33.1. Leslie is not only putting up big numbers on an individual basis, but has also led the Sparks to the WNBA's best record at 13-5. Justifiably, Leslie is by far the most popular selection in Triple Threat, comprising 14.7% of all picks. Expect more of the same from Leslie over the second half of the season as she positions the Sparks for the playoffs and another title run. She was not voted to start by the fans, but expect her to be a reserve.

Vaulting back into second place after briefly falling out of the top five a few weeks ago is Seattle's Lauren Jackson. Jackson currently ranks fourth in scoring (19.9 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (8.1 rpg) which is adding up to another MVP-caliber season. She is on a roll heading into the All-Star break, posting double-doubles in the Storm's last two contests.

The WNBA's current scoring leader, Diana Tuarasi, ranks third with a PRA average of 29.9. The Chino, California product has been struggling from the field as of late (18-52 in her last three games), but since half of those field goals were from 3-point range, her scoring totals have not suffered. Field goal percentage doesn't count in Triple Threat so feel free to use Taurasi. She will likely put some points on the board as she ranks second in the league in field goal attempts with 265. Like Leslie, she was not voted to start, but she's as much of a lock as there can be to make the roster.

The league's top rebounder, Cheryl Ford, is right on Taurasi's heels with a PRA average of 29.4. Ford's numbers took a dive over the past week, as she has totaled only 14 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists in her last two games. In the previous 11 game stretch, Ford had posted nine double-doubles. Look for Ford to get back on track this week, as the Shock will have had six days off when they return to the court against Phoenix on Thursday.

One of the WNBA's most intriguing storylines this seasons should be the battle for Rookie of The Year between the Mercury's Cappie Pondexter and Minnesota's Seimone Augustus. Right now the first two picks in the 2006 draft are posting identical PRA averages of 27.9. Over their last five games, they have nearly uncannily similiar statlines, with Augustus averaging 21.0 ppg and Pondexter posting a 20.4 ppg average, and both players averaging 1.6 apg. Augustus is rebounding slightly better than Pondexter lately, pulling down 3.8 rpg compared to Pondexter's 2.6 rpg. Both players are excellent options for your Triple Threat entry, and it should be interesting to see if they can keep up this pace in the second half of the season, and if they can lead their teams to the playoffs.

WNBA.com Daily Expert Pick

Thurday, July 6th Cheryl Ford Detroit vs. Phoenix

Friday, July 7th Tina Thompson Houston at San Antonio

Saturday, July 8th Diana Taurasi Phoenix at Connecticut

Sunday, July 9th Lauren Jackson Seattle vs. Indiana

Last week’s expert picks:
My entry made a very slight jump up in the rankings, moving from 129th to 119th, and remains in the 97th percentile. With a short week ahead due to the All-Star Break, I'll be happy if I can crack the top 100 again. I started the week off on the right foot with Cheryl Ford's 22 point, 19 rebound performance on Monday. My other big game game of the week came on Saturday courtesy of Lauren Jackson, who compiled 25 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists against Minnesota. I was disappointed to get only 13 points each from Diana Taurasi and Seimone Augustus, especially since they had big games on other days in the week.

A Look Back At 2005
In the first edition of this column, we reviewed last year's top 10 performers in PRA average, and discussed their outlook this season. Now with just about half of the 2006 WNBA season in the books, let's take a look at how last year's top ten players are doing. With this year's stellar rookie class and the breakout seasons being enjoyed by players such as Cheryl Ford, Tamika Whitmore and Katie Douglas, these players have some heady competition to remain among the WNBA's elite. Something else that becomes apparent when looking at last year top PRA's is how much scoring has increased in the WNBA this season. Any one of this year's top four players in PRA would have taken the top spot last season. Of course there is a whole half a season left, so it remains to be seen if players will keep putting up the big numbers we saw in the first half of 2006.