Franz Wagner vs Norman Powell: who to start in Week 1
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Norman Powell 3. For that week alone, start Franz Wagner: 102.2 projected fantasy points to 94.5 for Norman Powell. Over the season, Franz Wagner leads in both formats: 34.1 fantasy points a game to 31.5, and 78th against 79th 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
- #54
- 34.1 FP/G, slot 5.06, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #78
- -0.7 z, slot 7.06, $11
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #72
- 31.5 FP/G, slot 6.12, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #79
- -0.7 z, slot 7.07, $11
The call
Points leagues: Franz Wagner. 34.1 fantasy points per game against 31.5, 54th on our board to 72nd.
9-cat leagues: Franz Wagner again, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (78th to 79th).
Category by category, Franz Wagner is ahead in 6 (REB, AST, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Norman Powell in 3 (PTS, STL and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Franz Wagner produces more: 41.0 fantasy points to 38.9, on 29.9 minutes a night against 29.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Norman Powell 3. For that week alone, start Franz Wagner: 102.2 projected fantasy points to 94.5 for Norman Powell.
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 | Franz Wagner | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.1 | 31.5 |
| Minutes | 29.9 | 29.1 |
| PointsPTS | 20.6 | 21.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 3.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.4 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.9% | 46.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.9% | 80.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 34 | 58 |
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 | Franz Wagner | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.0 | 38.9 |
| Points | 24.9 | 26.3 |
| Rebounds | 6.3 | 4.4 |
| Assists | 4.1 | 2.9 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 1.7 | 3.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 2.3 |
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 | Franz Wagner | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.7 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | +0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | -0.0 |
| Total | -0.7 | -0.7 |
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, assists, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Norman Powell.
| Punt | Franz Wagner | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#128) | -1.6 (#139) |
| REB | -0.6 (#75) | +0.1 (#54) |
| AST | -0.7 (#81) | -0.2 (#66) |
| STL | -0.6 (#81) | -1.2 (#106) |
| BLK | -0.1 (#62) | +0.1 (#55) |
| 3PM | -0.7 (#82) | -1.9 (#133) |
| FG% | -0.8 (#82) | -0.3 (#69) |
| FT% | -1.0 (#93) | -1.0 (#92) |
| TO | -0.8 (#76) | -0.7 (#74) |
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)
- Franz Wagner: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
- Norman Powell: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Franz Wagner: 36.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 34.1 on the board.
- Norman Powell: 27.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 31.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Franz Wagner playing tonight? · Is Norman Powell playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Franz Wagner
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Franz Wagner or Norman Powell?
Points leagues: Franz Wagner. 34.1 fantasy points per game against 31.5, 54th on our board to 72nd. 9-cat leagues: Franz Wagner again, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (78th to 79th).
Who wins more categories, Franz Wagner or Norman Powell?
Category by category, Franz Wagner is ahead in 6 (REB, AST, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Norman Powell in 3 (PTS, STL and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Franz Wagner or Norman Powell?
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Norman Powell 3. For that week alone, start Franz Wagner: 102.2 projected fantasy points to 94.5 for Norman Powell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number