Alex Sarr vs Franz Wagner: who to start in Week 1
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Franz Wagner 3. For that week alone, start Franz Wagner: 101.4 projected fantasy points to 101.1 for Alex Sarr. Over the season, Franz Wagner leads in points leagues (33.8 fantasy points a game to 33.7) and Alex Sarr in 9-cat leagues (49th against 96th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #56
- 33.7 FP/G, slot 5.08, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #49
- +0.4 z, slot 5.01, $18
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #55
- 33.8 FP/G, slot 5.07, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #96
- -1.2 z, slot 8.12, $8
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Franz Wagner. 33.8 fantasy points per game against 33.7, 55th on our board to 56th.
9-cat leagues: Alex Sarr instead, +0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (49th to 96th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Alex Sarr is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Franz Wagner in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Alex Sarr produces more: 45.5 fantasy points to 40.4, on 26.7 minutes a night against 30.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Franz Wagner 3. For that week alone, start Franz Wagner: 101.4 projected fantasy points to 101.1 for Alex Sarr.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Alex Sarr | Franz Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.7 | 33.8 |
| Minutes | 26.7 | 30.1 |
| PointsPTS | 14.9 | 20.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.0 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.8 | 3.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.8 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.3% | 48.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 70.5% | 79.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 2.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 48 | 34 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Alex Sarr | Franz Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.5 | 40.4 |
| Points | 20.1 | 24.5 |
| Rebounds | 9.4 | 6.3 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 4.2 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 2.5 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 2.4 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Alex Sarr | Franz Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.6 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.4 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.0 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | -0.2 |
| Total | +0.4 | -1.2 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
Punting blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Franz Wagner.
| Punt | Alex Sarr | Franz Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.6 (#42) | -2.0 (#167) |
| REB | -0.4 (#67) | -1.2 (#109) |
| AST | +0.7 (#41) | -1.3 (#115) |
| STL | +0.9 (#35) | -1.1 (#101) |
| BLK | -2.2 (#145) | -0.6 (#77) |
| 3PM | +1.1 (#38) | -1.1 (#99) |
| FG% | +0.0 (#60) | -1.5 (#103) |
| FT% | +1.2 (#36) | -1.2 (#105) |
| TO | -0.0 (#61) | -1.1 (#82) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Alex Sarr: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Franz Wagner: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Recent games
- Alex Sarr: 22.7 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 33.7 on the board.
- Franz Wagner: 33.2 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 33.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Alex Sarr playing tonight? · Is Franz Wagner playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Alex Sarr, Franz Wagner
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Alex Sarr or Franz Wagner?
Points leagues: Franz Wagner. 33.8 fantasy points per game against 33.7, 55th on our board to 56th. 9-cat leagues: Alex Sarr instead, +0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (49th to 96th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Alex Sarr or Franz Wagner?
Category by category, Alex Sarr is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Franz Wagner in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Alex Sarr or Franz Wagner?
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Franz Wagner 3. For that week alone, start Franz Wagner: 101.4 projected fantasy points to 101.1 for Alex Sarr.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number