Jakob Poeltl vs Jusuf Nurkić: who to start in Week 1
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Jakob Poeltl: 75.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić. Over the season, Jusuf Nurkić leads in points leagues (33.5 fantasy points a game to 25.0) and Jakob Poeltl in 9-cat leagues (115th against 117th). 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 24, 2:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #133
- 25.0 FP/G, slot 12.01, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #115
- -1.6 z, slot 10.07, $6
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #58
- 33.5 FP/G, slot 5.10, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #117
- -1.6 z, slot 10.09, $6
Out (Foot)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jusuf Nurkić. 33.5 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 58th on our board to 133rd.
9-cat leagues: Jakob Poeltl instead, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (115th to 117th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jakob Poeltl is ahead in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Jusuf Nurkić in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Jusuf Nurkić produces more: 45.6 fantasy points to 36.2, on 26.4 minutes a night against 24.9. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Jakob Poeltl: 75.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić.
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 | Jakob Poeltl | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.0 | 33.5 |
| Minutes | 24.9 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 10.0 | 10.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.1 | 10.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 4.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 70.2% | 50.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.2% | 54.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 2.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 46 | 41 |
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 | Jakob Poeltl | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.2 | 45.6 |
| Points | 14.4 | 14.9 |
| Rebounds | 10.2 | 14.1 |
| Assists | 2.7 | 6.5 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 3.4 |
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 | Jakob Poeltl | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.6 | +2.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | +0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.2 | +0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.3 | -2.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | -0.8 |
| Total | -1.6 | -1.6 |
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 blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jusuf Nurkić.
| Punt | Jakob Poeltl | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#80) | -0.7 (#91) |
| REB | -2.5 (#161) | -4.1 (#255) |
| AST | -0.7 (#83) | -2.2 (#164) |
| STL | -1.2 (#107) | -2.3 (#154) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#128) | -1.7 (#117) |
| 3PM | +0.2 (#54) | -0.5 (#78) |
| FG% | -4.5 (#237) | -2.7 (#149) |
| FT% | -0.2 (#68) | +0.6 (#47) |
| TO | -2.6 (#129) | -0.9 (#77) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jakob Poeltl: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
- Jusuf Nurkić: 3 games (Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL), listed Out.
Recent games
- Jakob Poeltl: 20.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 25.0 on the board.
- Jusuf Nurkić: 39.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 33.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jakob Poeltl playing tonight? · Is Jusuf Nurkić playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jusuf Nurkić
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jakob Poeltl or Jusuf Nurkić?
Points leagues: Jusuf Nurkić. 33.5 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 58th on our board to 133rd. 9-cat leagues: Jakob Poeltl instead, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (115th to 117th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jakob Poeltl or Jusuf Nurkić?
Category by category, Jakob Poeltl is ahead in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Jusuf Nurkić in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jakob Poeltl or Jusuf Nurkić?
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Jakob Poeltl: 75.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 2:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number