Cooper Flagg vs Paul George: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Cooper Flagg in points leagues (39.8 fantasy points a game to 33.7) and Paul George in 9-cat leagues (33rd against 35th). 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 leagues.
- Points leagues
- #60
- 33.7 FP/G, slot 5.12, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #33
- +1.5 z, slot 3.09, $23
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Cooper Flagg. 39.8 fantasy points per game against 33.7, 32nd on our board to 60th.
9-cat leagues: Paul George instead, +1.5 in summed z-scores against +1.3 (33rd to 35th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Cooper Flagg is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Paul George in 3 (STL, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cooper Flagg produces more: 42.8 fantasy points to 39.5, on 33.5 minutes a night against 30.7. 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), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Cooper Flagg: 119.5 projected fantasy points to 67.3 for Paul George.
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 | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.8 | 33.7 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 30.7 |
| PointsPTS | 21.0 | 17.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.7 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 4.5 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.8% | 43.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 82.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 37 |
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 | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.8 | 39.5 |
| Points | 22.6 | 20.3 |
| Rebounds | 7.2 | 6.2 |
| Assists | 4.9 | 4.2 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 2.0 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 2.0 |
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 | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.8 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | -0.3 |
| AssistsAST | +0.4 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | +1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | +0.2 |
| Total | +1.3 | +1.5 |
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 steals, threes and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Cooper Flagg.
| Punt | Cooper Flagg | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.4 (#49) | +1.3 (#31) |
| REB | +0.7 (#41) | +1.7 (#27) |
| AST | +0.7 (#42) | +1.4 (#29) |
| STL | +0.7 (#42) | -0.4 (#73) |
| BLK | +0.6 (#45) | +2.0 (#25) |
| 3PM | +1.7 (#28) | +0.3 (#53) |
| FG% | +1.6 (#35) | +2.7 (#22) |
| FT% | +0.7 (#42) | +1.2 (#35) |
| TO | +1.8 (#36) | +1.4 (#43) |
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.
- Paul George: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Cooper Flagg: 45.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 39.8 on the board.
- Paul George: 38.3 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 Paul George in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Cooper Flagg. 39.8 fantasy points per game against 33.7, 32nd on our board to 60th. 9-cat leagues: Paul George instead, +1.5 in summed z-scores against +1.3 (33rd to 35th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Cooper Flagg or Paul George?
Category by category, Cooper Flagg is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Paul George in 3 (STL, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cooper Flagg or Paul George?
Cooper Flagg plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Cooper Flagg: 119.5 projected fantasy points to 67.3 for Paul George.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number