Kyle Kuzma vs Malik Monk: who to start in Week 1
Kyle Kuzma plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Malik Monk 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Kuzma: 71.5 projected fantasy points to 62.0 for Malik Monk. Over the season, Kyle Kuzma leads in both formats: 23.8 fantasy points a game to 20.7, and 213th against 215th 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 23, 3:53 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #147
- 23.8 FP/G, slot 13.03, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #213
- -4.0 z, slot 18.09
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #198
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #215
- -4.1 z, slot 18.11
Game-time decision (Ankle)
The call
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 147th on our board to 198th.
9-cat leagues: Kyle Kuzma again, -4.0 in summed z-scores against -4.1 (213th to 215th).
Category by category, Kyle Kuzma is ahead in 3 (REB, STL and FG%) and Malik Monk in 4 (AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Malik Monk produces more: 33.8 fantasy points to 32.7, on 22.0 minutes a night against 26.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Kyle Kuzma plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Malik Monk 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Kuzma: 71.5 projected fantasy points to 62.0 for Malik Monk.
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 | Kyle Kuzma | Malik Monk |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.8 | 20.7 |
| Minutes | 26.2 | 22.0 |
| PointsPTS | 12.5 | 12.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.6 | 1.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 3.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.7% | 43.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 72.6% | 87.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 62 |
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 | Kyle Kuzma | Malik Monk |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 32.7 | 33.8 |
| Points | 17.1 | 20.4 |
| Rebounds | 6.4 | 3.1 |
| Assists | 3.7 | 4.9 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 3.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 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 | Kyle Kuzma | Malik Monk |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -1.8 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | +0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +0.5 |
| Total | -4.0 | -4.1 |
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, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Malik Monk.
| Punt | Kyle Kuzma | Malik Monk |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.3 (#240) | -3.4 (#245) |
| REB | -3.7 (#238) | -2.3 (#151) |
| AST | -3.6 (#224) | -3.8 (#236) |
| STL | -3.5 (#209) | -3.0 (#188) |
| BLK | -3.6 (#205) | -3.6 (#202) |
| 3PM | -3.5 (#210) | -4.5 (#254) |
| FG% | -4.3 (#221) | -3.3 (#170) |
| FT% | -3.5 (#192) | -4.6 (#248) |
| TO | -4.2 (#180) | -4.7 (#199) |
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)
- Kyle Kuzma: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Malik Monk: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM), listed GTD.
Recent games
- Kyle Kuzma: 22.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.8 on the board.
- Malik Monk: 21.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Kyle Kuzma playing tonight? · Is Malik Monk playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Kyle Kuzma or Malik Monk?
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 147th on our board to 198th. 9-cat leagues: Kyle Kuzma again, -4.0 in summed z-scores against -4.1 (213th to 215th).
Who wins more categories, Kyle Kuzma or Malik Monk?
Category by category, Kyle Kuzma is ahead in 3 (REB, STL and FG%) and Malik Monk in 4 (AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Kyle Kuzma or Malik Monk?
Kyle Kuzma plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Malik Monk 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Kuzma: 71.5 projected fantasy points to 62.0 for Malik Monk.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 3:53 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number