Evan Mobley vs Onyeka Okongwu: who to start in Week 1
Evan Mobley plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Onyeka Okongwu 3. For that week alone, start Onyeka Okongwu: 99.2 projected fantasy points to 79.9 for Evan Mobley. Over the season, Evan Mobley leads in both formats: 39.9 fantasy points a game to 33.1, and 39th against 40th 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, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #28
- 39.9 FP/G, slot 3.04, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #39
- +1.0 z, slot 4.03, $21
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #61
- 33.1 FP/G, slot 6.01, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #40
- +0.9 z, slot 4.04, $20
The call
Points leagues: Evan Mobley. 39.9 fantasy points per game against 33.1, 28th on our board to 61st.
9-cat leagues: Evan Mobley again, +1.0 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (39th to 40th).
Category by category, Evan Mobley is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and FG%) and Onyeka Okongwu in 4 (STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Evan Mobley produces more: 45.0 fantasy points to 38.5, on 31.9 minutes a night against 30.9. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Evan Mobley plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Onyeka Okongwu 3. For that week alone, start Onyeka Okongwu: 99.2 projected fantasy points to 79.9 for Evan Mobley.
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 | Evan Mobley | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.9 | 33.1 |
| Minutes | 31.9 | 30.9 |
| PointsPTS | 18.2 | 14.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 9.0 | 7.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.6 | 3.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 54.6% | 47.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.6% | 76.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 65 | 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 | Evan Mobley | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.0 | 38.5 |
| Points | 20.5 | 17.2 |
| Rebounds | 10.2 | 8.7 |
| Assists | 4.1 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 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 | Evan Mobley | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.5 | +0.7 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.2 | +0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | +0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.3 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -2.7 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.0 | +0.2 |
| Total | +1.0 | +0.9 |
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, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Onyeka Okongwu.
| Punt | Evan Mobley | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.6 (#43) | +1.1 (#31) |
| REB | -1.0 (#91) | +0.1 (#55) |
| AST | +0.9 (#37) | +1.0 (#35) |
| STL | +1.6 (#27) | +0.8 (#41) |
| BLK | -1.6 (#112) | +0.1 (#58) |
| 3PM | +1.7 (#30) | +0.7 (#43) |
| FG% | -1.2 (#94) | +1.0 (#41) |
| FT% | +3.6 (#10) | +1.1 (#36) |
| TO | +1.0 (#49) | +0.7 (#52) |
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)
- Evan Mobley: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
- Onyeka Okongwu: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Evan Mobley: 36.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 39.9 on the board.
- Onyeka Okongwu: 22.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 33.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Evan Mobley playing tonight? · Is Onyeka Okongwu playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Onyeka Okongwu
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Evan Mobley or Onyeka Okongwu?
Points leagues: Evan Mobley. 39.9 fantasy points per game against 33.1, 28th on our board to 61st. 9-cat leagues: Evan Mobley again, +1.0 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (39th to 40th).
Who wins more categories, Evan Mobley or Onyeka Okongwu?
Category by category, Evan Mobley is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and FG%) and Onyeka Okongwu in 4 (STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Evan Mobley or Onyeka Okongwu?
Evan Mobley plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Onyeka Okongwu 3. For that week alone, start Onyeka Okongwu: 99.2 projected fantasy points to 79.9 for Evan Mobley.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number