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The 2020 WNBA rookie class was considered to be incredibly front-loaded, as Sabrina Ionescu was the heavy favorite to go No. 1 in the draft, and win Rookie of the Year with ease. However, with a little less than a month of WNBA action in the books, that narrative has changed. For starters, Ionescu's now sidelined for at least a month with an ankle sprain she suffered in just her third game in the league, which is an unfortunate setback for a player who was off to a tremendous start in the W. However, while Ionescu was performing well before her injury, there were some other rookies that have been shining too.

Each week we'll run through the top five rookies in the WNBA, with this first ranking highlighting what we've seen from the players since the season began back in July. Though Ionescu was putting up great numbers prior to her injury, only players who have played in five or more games were considered. This isn't a power ranking for Rookie of the Year, as it will highlight week-to-week performances from rookies around the league. With that straightened out, here is the first edition of the 2020 WNBA Rookie Rankings. 

  1. Chennedy Carter -- G, Atlanta Dream

Stats: 17.0 PPG / 4.3 APG / 2.4 RPG / 1 SPG / 42.1 3P%

While Carter is currently sidelined for two weeks with an ankle injury, she's still been the best rookie of the season thus far. Her 35-point outburst against the Seattle Storm more than announced her arrival in the W, and made her the youngest player in WNBA history to put up 30 points in a game. But it shouldn't be all that surprising if you followed her at Texas A&M. Carter can make you pay in a variety of ways on the offensive side of the ball. Her size and strength allow her to finish at a high clip around the rim, she's got range out to the 3-point line and she has perhaps one of the nicest handles in the league already. 

There's still a lot about her game that needs some fine tuning, which is true of any rookie, but what was most impressive about that performance against the Storm was you can actually see her getting better over the course of the game. In the first quarter, she wasn't looking for her shot as much, opting to get other teammates going or being relegated to standing out on the wing completely out of the play. She then got far more aggressive in the second quarter, scoring nine of her 11 first-half points in the second frame of play. That carried over into the second half and it permeated into every other area of her game. She started to get more crafty with her handle, executed some ridiculous passes and was filling it up from everywhere on the floor. Hopefully, the ankle injury won't hinder her too much after the two-week timetable, and she can be back on the floor soon knocking down mid-range jumpers. 

2. Satou Sabally -- F, Dallas Wings

Stats: 11.2 PPG / 7.0 RPG / 2.2 APG / 1 SPG / 1 BPG

Sabally was our pick for Rookie of the Year prior to the start of the season, and while Carter looks to have the edge for that award right now, Sabally has still been impressive in her own right. She had a scare on Monday as she rolled her ankle against the Phoenix Mercury, but Sabally was able to check back into the game later on and it hasn't held her out of any games so far. In her 23-point, 17-rebound performance against the Indiana Fever, Sabally showed off every aspect of her game on both ends of the floor. She was consistently positioned in the right place to corral seven offensive boards, which often led to second-chance points. She can defend in the post and on the wing and can put the ball on the floor and drive to the rim. Sabally was touted as being the most complete rookie coming into the league this season, and so far she's proven that tenfold in her nine games with the Wings.

3. Julie Allemand -- G, Indiana Fever

Stats: 7.6 PPG, 5.8 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 48.7 FG%, 53.6 FG3%

Technically Allemand was drafted by Indiana in 2016, but never made the journey over from her native Belgium to play for the Fever after being drafted in the third round. Instead, she's been honing her skills in the EuroLeague with Lyon, and she's played with reigning WNBA Finals MVP Emma Messerman on the Belgian national team. The Fever signed her to a multi-year contract back in March, and she's been thrust into the starting lineup with Erica Wheeler still not in the bubble due to her battle with COVID-19. Missing Wheeler is a huge loss for Indiana, but Allemand has turned some heads in her young WNBA career. Let's start with this ridiculous pass she made against the Atlanta Dream:

She put that ball in the perfect spot for Kelsey Mitchell to lay it in, but this isn't an isolated situation for Allemand. In the game before that against the Wings, she racked up 11 assists and totaled 20 over a two-game span. She's got tremendous court vision and his automatic from 3-point range. She ranks third in the entire league in assists behind Courtney Vandersloot and Diana Taurasi, second in 3-point percentage among players attempting three or more per game and for only being 5-8 she ranks second among guards in total blocks so far this season (5). She's been an absolute steal for Indiana and could be in the running for Rookie of the Year when this season is over.

4. Crystal Dangerfield -- G, Minnesota Lynx

Stats: 12.5 PPG, 3.0 APG, 2 RPG

It's actually ridiculous that Dangerfield dropped to the second round of the WNBA Draft because she's been putting on an absolute show so far this season. In her last five games, she's averaging over 16 points and four assists, while shooting 39 percent from deep and 48 percent from the field. She's clearly out here to prove everyone wrong, and her 29-point performance against the juggernaut L.A. Sparks only amplified that. She's incredibly undersized at 5-5, but she makes up for it with her speed. She can stop on a dime, and the smallest hesitation will make you pay. It's ridiculous, and she's hard to keep track of when she's off the ball because of her quickness. She's small, but she's strong when driving to the rim, can launch 3s at will and her touted leadership dating back to her time at UConn has helped her running point for the Lynx. 

5. Tyasha Harris -- G, Dallas Wings

Stats: 8.0 PPG, 3.4 APG, 43.5 FG3%

Harris is playing off the bench for the Wings and is shining in her role so far. She's got incredible poise for a rookie guard, never doing too much and always making the smart play. She can orchestrate the offense with the ball in her hands, but also works well off the ball, especially since she's sinking spot-up 3s at a 43 percent clip. Against the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, her and Arike Ogunbowale were running a great 1-2 punch in the second quarter. 

On one possession, Harris fed it to Ogunbowale in the low post, and instead of just standing still on the 3-point line she slipped into the corner where the defender lost sight of her and was able to get the ball back for an open 3-pointer. A couple plays later, Ogunbowale used a high screen to give the ball up to Harris in the corner, and a lapse in judgment by the defense left the South Carolina product open to get off a mid-range jumper. She doesn't play like a rookie point guard, and when she doesn't have the ball in her hands she's constantly moving around the floor to create open looks for herself or her teammates. It's only a matter of time before head coach Brian Agler realizes that Harris deserves to be getting more than the 18 minutes a game she's been playing.