Cooper Flagg vs Jalen Brunson: who to start in Week 1
Cooper Flagg plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Cooper Flagg: 121.3 projected fantasy points to 119.5 for Jalen Brunson. Over the season, Cooper Flagg leads in both formats: 40.4 fantasy points a game to 39.8, and 28th against 52nd 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, 4:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #26
- 40.4 FP/G, slot 3.02, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #28
- +1.8 z, slot 3.04, $25
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #30
- 39.8 FP/G, slot 3.06, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #52
- +0.4 z, slot 5.04, $17
The call
Points leagues: Cooper Flagg. 40.4 fantasy points per game against 39.8, 26th on our board to 30th.
9-cat leagues: Cooper Flagg again, +1.8 in summed z-scores against +0.4 (28th to 52nd).
Category by category, Cooper Flagg is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Jalen Brunson in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cooper Flagg produces more: 43.5 fantasy points to 41.0, on 33.5 minutes a night against 34.9. 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), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Cooper Flagg: 121.3 projected fantasy points to 119.5 for Jalen Brunson.
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 | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.4 | 39.8 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 34.9 |
| PointsPTS | 21.7 | 25.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.6 | 3.4 |
| AssistsAST | 4.4 | 6.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.6% | 45.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.0% | 85.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 2.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 74 |
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 | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 43.5 | 41.0 |
| Points | 23.4 | 26.5 |
| Rebounds | 7.1 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 6.8 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 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 | Cooper Flagg | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.9 | +1.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.3 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.4 | +1.5 |
| StealsSTL | +0.8 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -1.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | +1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | -0.6 |
| Total | +1.8 | +0.4 |
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 rebounds, steals and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Brunson.
| Punt | Cooper Flagg | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.9 (#38) | -1.3 (#121) |
| REB | +1.4 (#32) | +1.5 (#30) |
| AST | +1.4 (#29) | -1.3 (#115) |
| STL | +1.0 (#33) | +1.1 (#31) |
| BLK | +1.2 (#35) | +1.6 (#30) |
| 3PM | +2.3 (#21) | -0.8 (#90) |
| FG% | +2.0 (#31) | +1.4 (#38) |
| FT% | +1.2 (#34) | -0.9 (#90) |
| TO | +2.6 (#30) | +1.0 (#48) |
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.
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
Recent games
- Cooper Flagg: 49.0 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 40.4 on the board.
- Jalen Brunson: 29.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 39.8 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 Jalen Brunson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Cooper Flagg, Jalen Brunson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cooper Flagg or Jalen Brunson?
Points leagues: Cooper Flagg. 40.4 fantasy points per game against 39.8, 26th on our board to 30th. 9-cat leagues: Cooper Flagg again, +1.8 in summed z-scores against +0.4 (28th to 52nd).
Who wins more categories, Cooper Flagg or Jalen Brunson?
Category by category, Cooper Flagg is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Jalen Brunson in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cooper Flagg or Jalen Brunson?
Cooper Flagg plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Cooper Flagg: 121.3 projected fantasy points to 119.5 for Jalen Brunson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 4:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number