Caitlin Clark has established herself as one of the WNBA’s true superstars, but injuries have put a damper on what is otherwise an excellent first couple seasons of her professional career. Now entering year three with the Indiana Fever, she’s set to miss her first game of the new season against the Portland Fire on Wednesday night.

Clark has been ruled out for tonight’s game due to a back injury. However, the designation doesn’t seem to be cause for significant concern. Per Fever beat reporter Scott Agness, the absence comes as part of a “strategic management plan” to presumably keep the star healthier than in years past.

Tonight marks the fourth game in eight days for Indiana, so load management doesn’t sound like a bad idea to protect Clark’s health and keep her fresh.

The third-year guard is off to a scorching start to 2026, averaging 24.3 points and 9.0 assists with 5.0 rebounds per game. While she’s appeared in just four games and the sample size remains small, that scoring mark blows her previous career high of 19.2 PPG out of the water. She’s also producing 2.0 combined stocks per game as of this time.

Indiana is just 2-2 through its first four games, good for fifth in the Eastern Conference.

On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Fever are 9.5-point favorites tonight against the expansion-team Fire, who are a +330 underdog on the Moneyline. The game total sits at 176.5 combined points.

Stay tuned to DraftKings Network for updates.