The 2026 WNBA season was supposed to show fans what a fully healthy Indiana Fever roster looks like. However, all they are left with is Déjà vu.

With just one preseason game in account, the Fever are already staring at a storyline that feels very familiar to their 2025 season. The one where the basketball gods refuse to let this franchise catch a break. And with their next matchup less than 24 hours away, the concern around this team’s health is only growing.

Ahead of Thursday’s clash with the Dallas Wings, the Indiana Fever have released a fresh Game Status Report where Aliyah Boston (lower leg), Lexie Hull (hamstring), Ty Harris (knee), and Justine Pissott (lower leg) have all been ruled out. That’s four rotation pieces unavailable again.

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But the good news is, these seem more like precautions than serious injuries, as head coach Stephanie White didn’t exactly shut the door on their immediate return.

“I don’t know if we’re going to play them tomorrow, I think we’ll still probably be cautious with that,” White said. “I think the goal is probably to get some of them minutes on Saturday if we can. But still, we’ve got another week again from that game until our home opener. We’ll take it slow. We’ll see how it goes. Every day, they’ve been adding things that they’ve been doing in their return to play. There’s no reason right now, I don’t think, to rush it, so we’ll make sure that they’re fully ready to go.”

Still, that doesn’t mean that fans are over the nightmares from last season.

Because if there’s one thing they remember all too well, it’s how quickly injuries snowballed. Caitlin Clark battled through a brutal stretch of setbacks, where she had to deal with quad strain, a lingering groin issue, and a bone bruise that limited her to just 13 games.

Guards Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson went down around the same time, with one having to deal with a broken foot, while the other had a torn ACL. Then came Sophie Cunningham’s MCL tear, Chloe Bibby’s knee injury, and a concussion that kept Damiris Dantas out of the playoffs entirely.

And yet, somehow, they still pushed their way to the semifinals, for which most of the credit goes to Aliyah Boston.

Boston averaged a career-high 15.0 points on an efficient 53.8% shooting, along with 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, to take her injury-ridden team to a level no one expected them to go. She followed that up with an eventful offseason, balling out in Unrivaled while playing for the Phantom BC. But just as things were heating up, luck turned, and she picked up an injury right before the playoffs.

Still, when the Indiana Fever training camp rolled around, Boston was active on the floor with her teammates after signing a record-setting four-year, $6.3 million deal. So just for a moment, it felt like the storm passed.

“I just had a lower leg injury, and right now I’m feeling good to go,” Aliyah Boston said in an interview with Tony East of The IX Sports. “Ready to get to work.”

However, here they are again, being careful, patient, and most importantly, being tested.

Take Hull, for example. She wasn’t just available last season; she was a constant presence in all 44 of the Fever’s games. With her relentless energy and defensive grit, she was the kind of player who would play through two black eyes because the team needed her. But this time, she’s dealing with hamstring tightness, and even if it’s minor, it’s enough to keep her sidelined at least for now.

Then there’s Tyasha Harris, who is still working her way back from a knee injury that limited her to just five games with Dallas last season. While Indiana brought her in to strengthen their guard depth for moments exactly like this. And now, ironically, she’s part of the group they’re waiting on.

On the other hand, after rookie Justine Pissott, the No. 25 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, scored 8 points in 10 minutes in her debut against the Liberty, she has also been sidelined, with little information available about her injury.

So where does that leave the Fever?

In simple terms, this situation leaves the Fever with both opportunity and pressure.

With multiple key players out, Indiana’s bench is being pushed into real-game situations earlier than expected. This isn’t just preseason reps anymore. It’s a live test of how ready this roster truly is beyond its core names.

The Fever still has two preseason games left, one against the Wings and one against the Nigerian National Team, before opening their regular season at home on May 9. That gives them a narrow window to get healthy, find rhythm, and avoid carrying this uncertainty into games that actually count.

For now, it’s all about caution. But with their next game just hours away, Indiana won’t have to wait long to see how this shorthanded roster holds up.

Banged-Up Indiana Fever Face Early Reality Check Against Dallas Wings

With Aliyah Boston and multiple key players ruled out, the upcoming matchup against the Wings isn’t just another preseason game; it will be an early glimpse into what this Indiana Fever roster looks like when it’s forced to lean on its depth.

Taking the floor at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the first time this season, Indiana enters its second preseason game fresh off a 109–91 win over the New York Liberty.

In that game, that performance had its positives, with Kelsey Mitchell leading the charge with 18 points on efficient shooting, while Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added another 18 off the bench. Even rookie Raven Johnson impressed the fans in her debut, finishing with six points and eight assists in a near-flawless outing.

But that game also came with a caveat.

The Fever were already without Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, and Ty Harris, three players expected to play key roles this season. And now, heading into Thursday, that list hasn’t gotten any shorter.

This makes it less about results and more about evaluation.

Because with Boston’s interior presence, Hull’s defensive versatility, and Harris’ guard depth all missing, Indiana is being forced to experiment early, especially with coach White’s “bubble wrap” plan for Clark. So bench players will get extended runs, and roles that were supposed to ease into place are now being accelerated.

At the same time, the Wings present a challenge that goes beyond preseason stakes.

With No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd teaming up with Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, Dallas brings in a young core that’s already familiar with high expectations. With that, add in former Fever players Odyssey Sims, Grace Berger, and Lindsay Allen, and this team becomes dangerous.

That said, the Wings won’t be at full strength either, with four players listed as out and one as questionable:

• Costanza Verona (OUT – Not Injury Related)
• Lindsay Allen (GTD – Hamstring)
• Awak Kuier (OUT – Not Injury Related)
• Rayah Marshall (OUT – Concussion)
• JJ Quinerly (OUT – Knee)

It is also worth noting that this game isn’t just a one-off meeting. It’s a preview of what’s coming next, with both teams set to face off again on May 9 in Indiana Fever’s regular-season opener.

So while the Fever continues to prioritize caution with their injured players, this game still carries weight. Because for a team already dealing with early setbacks, this is the first real look at how they respond when things don’t go according to plan.