Cooper Flagg vs Dyson Daniels: who to start in Week 1
Cooper Flagg plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dyson Daniels 3. For that week alone, start Cooper Flagg: 119.5 projected fantasy points to 102.8 for Dyson Daniels. Over the season, Cooper Flagg leads in both formats: 39.8 fantasy points a game to 34.3, and 34th against 36th 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 22, 12:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #30
- 39.8 FP/G, slot 3.06, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #34
- +1.3 z, slot 3.10, $23
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #53
- 34.3 FP/G, slot 5.05, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #36
- +1.3 z, slot 3.12, $22
The call
Points leagues: Cooper Flagg. 39.8 fantasy points per game against 34.3, 30th on our board to 53rd.
9-cat leagues: Cooper Flagg again, +1.3 in summed z-scores against +1.3 (34th to 36th).
Category by category, Cooper Flagg is ahead in 4 (PTS, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Dyson Daniels in 5 (REB, AST, STL, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cooper Flagg produces more: 42.8 fantasy points to 37.2, on 33.5 minutes a night against 33.2. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Cooper Flagg plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dyson Daniels 3. For that week alone, start Cooper Flagg: 119.5 projected fantasy points to 102.8 for Dyson Daniels.
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 | Cooper Flagg | Dyson Daniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.8 | 34.3 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 21.0 | 11.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.7 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 4.5 | 5.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 0.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.8% | 51.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 61.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 76 |
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 | Dyson Daniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.8 | 37.2 |
| Points | 22.6 | 12.9 |
| Rebounds | 7.2 | 7.4 |
| Assists | 4.9 | 6.4 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 0.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 1.9 |
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 | Dyson Daniels |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.8 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.4 | +1.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +2.8 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.6 | +0.1 |
| Total | +1.3 | +1.3 |
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, blocks, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Dyson Daniels.
| Punt | Cooper Flagg | Dyson Daniels |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.5 (#48) | +2.0 (#19) |
| REB | +0.8 (#40) | +0.5 (#48) |
| AST | +0.8 (#38) | -0.0 (#58) |
| STL | +0.7 (#41) | -1.6 (#122) |
| BLK | +0.7 (#43) | +1.6 (#29) |
| 3PM | +1.8 (#26) | +2.6 (#18) |
| FG% | +1.6 (#33) | +0.1 (#60) |
| FT% | +0.8 (#39) | +2.2 (#24) |
| TO | +1.9 (#39) | +1.1 (#46) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Cooper Flagg: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Dyson Daniels: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Cooper Flagg: 45.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 39.8 on the board.
- Dyson Daniels: 38.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 34.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Cooper Flagg playing tonight? · Is Dyson Daniels playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Cooper Flagg
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cooper Flagg or Dyson Daniels?
Points leagues: Cooper Flagg. 39.8 fantasy points per game against 34.3, 30th on our board to 53rd. 9-cat leagues: Cooper Flagg again, +1.3 in summed z-scores against +1.3 (34th to 36th).
Who wins more categories, Cooper Flagg or Dyson Daniels?
Category by category, Cooper Flagg is ahead in 4 (PTS, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Dyson Daniels in 5 (REB, AST, STL, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cooper Flagg or Dyson Daniels?
Cooper Flagg plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dyson Daniels 3. For that week alone, start Cooper Flagg: 119.5 projected fantasy points to 102.8 for Dyson Daniels.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 12:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number