Cooper Flagg vs Desmond Bane: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Cooper Flagg in both formats: 39.8 fantasy points a game to 33.7 in points leagues, and 35th against 37th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #32
- 39.8 FP/G, slot 3.08, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #35
- +1.3 z, slot 3.11, $22
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #58
- 33.7 FP/G, slot 5.10, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #37
- +1.2 z, slot 4.01, $22
Game-time decision (Rest)
The call
Points leagues: draft Cooper Flagg. 39.8 fantasy points per game against 33.7, 32nd on our board to 58th.
9-cat leagues: Cooper Flagg again, +1.3 in summed z-scores against +1.2 (35th to 37th).
Category by category, Cooper Flagg is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and BLK) and Desmond Bane in 4 (3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cooper Flagg produces more: 42.8 fantasy points to 36.1, on 33.5 minutes a night against 33.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Cooper Flagg plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Desmond Bane 3. For that week alone, start Cooper Flagg: 119.5 projected fantasy points to 101.1 for Desmond Bane.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Cooper Flagg | Desmond Bane |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.8 | 33.7 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 33.6 |
| PointsPTS | 21.0 | 20.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.7 | 4.1 |
| AssistsAST | 4.5 | 4.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.8% | 48.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 90.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 82 |
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 | Cooper Flagg | Desmond Bane |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.8 | 36.1 |
| Points | 22.6 | 21.5 |
| Rebounds | 7.2 | 4.4 |
| Assists | 4.9 | 4.4 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 2.2 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 2.1 |
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 | Cooper Flagg | Desmond Bane |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.8 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | -0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | +0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +1.4 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | -0.2 |
| Total | +1.3 | +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 points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Desmond Bane.
| Punt | Cooper Flagg | Desmond Bane |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.4 (#49) | +0.5 (#42) |
| REB | +0.7 (#41) | +2.0 (#23) |
| AST | +0.7 (#42) | +0.9 (#38) |
| STL | +0.7 (#42) | +1.1 (#34) |
| BLK | +0.6 (#45) | +1.7 (#30) |
| 3PM | +1.7 (#28) | +0.6 (#46) |
| FG% | +1.6 (#35) | +1.5 (#36) |
| FT% | +0.7 (#42) | -0.3 (#73) |
| TO | +1.8 (#36) | +1.4 (#44) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Cooper Flagg: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Desmond Bane: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK), listed GTD.
Recent games
- Cooper Flagg: 45.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 39.8 on the board.
- Desmond Bane: 30.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 33.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Cooper Flagg or Desmond Bane in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Cooper Flagg. 39.8 fantasy points per game against 33.7, 32nd on our board to 58th. 9-cat leagues: Cooper Flagg again, +1.3 in summed z-scores against +1.2 (35th to 37th).
Who wins more categories, Cooper Flagg or Desmond Bane?
Category by category, Cooper Flagg is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and BLK) and Desmond Bane in 4 (3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cooper Flagg or Desmond Bane?
Cooper Flagg plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Desmond Bane 3. For that week alone, start Cooper Flagg: 119.5 projected fantasy points to 101.1 for Desmond Bane.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number