Alex Sarr vs Jusuf Nurkić: who to start in Week 1
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Alex Sarr: 101.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić. Over the season, Alex Sarr leads in both formats: 33.7 fantasy points a game to 33.5, and 49th against 118th in 9-cat. 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, 2:29 PM 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 points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #57
- 33.5 FP/G, slot 5.09, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #118
- -1.7 z, slot 10.10, $6
Out (Foot)
The call
Points leagues: Alex Sarr. 33.7 fantasy points per game against 33.5, 56th on our board to 57th.
9-cat leagues: Alex Sarr again, +0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (49th to 118th).
Category by category, Alex Sarr is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jusuf Nurkić in 4 (REB, AST, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Jusuf Nurkić produces more: 45.6 fantasy points to 45.5, on 26.4 minutes a night against 26.7. 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), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Alex Sarr: 101.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić.
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 | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.7 | 33.5 |
| Minutes | 26.7 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 14.9 | 10.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.0 | 10.4 |
| AssistsAST | 2.8 | 4.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.8 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.3% | 50.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 70.5% | 54.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 2.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 48 | 41 |
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 | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.5 | 45.6 |
| Points | 20.1 | 14.9 |
| Rebounds | 9.4 | 14.1 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 6.5 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 2.5 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.4 |
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 | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.6 | +2.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | +0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.4 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | -1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.0 | +0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.8 | -2.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | -0.7 |
| Total | +0.4 | -1.7 |
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 Jusuf Nurkić.
| Punt | Alex Sarr | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.6 (#42) | -0.7 (#95) |
| REB | -0.4 (#67) | -4.1 (#256) |
| AST | +0.7 (#41) | -2.3 (#167) |
| STL | +0.9 (#35) | -2.3 (#152) |
| BLK | -2.2 (#145) | -1.7 (#118) |
| 3PM | +1.1 (#38) | -0.5 (#77) |
| FG% | +0.0 (#60) | -2.9 (#153) |
| FT% | +1.2 (#36) | +0.6 (#45) |
| TO | -0.0 (#61) | -1.0 (#79) |
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.
- Jusuf Nurkić: 3 games (Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL), listed Out.
Recent games
- Alex Sarr: 22.7 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 33.7 on the board.
- Jusuf Nurkić: 39.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 33.5 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 Jusuf Nurkić playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Alex Sarr, Jusuf Nurkić
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Alex Sarr or Jusuf Nurkić?
Points leagues: Alex Sarr. 33.7 fantasy points per game against 33.5, 56th on our board to 57th. 9-cat leagues: Alex Sarr again, +0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (49th to 118th).
Who wins more categories, Alex Sarr or Jusuf Nurkić?
Category by category, Alex Sarr is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jusuf Nurkić in 4 (REB, AST, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Alex Sarr or Jusuf Nurkić?
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Alex Sarr: 101.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number