Luke Kennard vs Sam Hauser: who to start in Week 1
Luke Kennard plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Hauser 2. For that week alone, start Sam Hauser: 35.0 projected fantasy points to 32.3 for Luke Kennard. Over the season, Sam Hauser leads in both formats: 17.5 fantasy points a game to 16.2, and 195th against 198th 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #265
- 16.2 FP/G, slot 23.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #198
- -3.7 z, slot 17.06
Game-time decision (Knee)
- Points leagues
- #236
- 17.5 FP/G, slot 20.08
- 9-cat leagues
- #195
- -3.7 z, slot 17.03
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Sam Hauser. 17.5 fantasy points per game against 16.2, 236th on our board to 265th.
9-cat leagues: Sam Hauser again, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (195th to 198th).
Category by category, Luke Kennard is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Sam Hauser in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Luke Kennard produces more: 27.0 fantasy points to 25.9, on 21.6 minutes a night against 24.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Luke Kennard plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Hauser 2. For that week alone, start Sam Hauser: 35.0 projected fantasy points to 32.3 for Luke Kennard.
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 | Luke Kennard | Sam Hauser |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 16.2 | 17.5 |
| Minutes | 21.6 | 24.3 |
| PointsPTS | 8.4 | 9.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.3 | 3.7 |
| AssistsAST | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 53.3% | 42.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 91.3% | 85.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 78 | 78 |
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 | Luke Kennard | Sam Hauser |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 27.0 | 25.9 |
| Points | 14.0 | 13.5 |
| Rebounds | 3.9 | 5.6 |
| Assists | 3.7 | 2.2 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 0.6 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 3.8 |
| Turnovers | 1.3 | 0.6 |
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 | Luke Kennard | Sam Hauser |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.7 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.4 | +1.8 |
| Total | -3.7 | -3.7 |
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 points, rebounds, blocks, threes and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Luke Kennard.
| Punt | Luke Kennard | Sam Hauser |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.3 (#191) | -2.4 (#194) |
| REB | -2.2 (#143) | -2.8 (#181) |
| AST | -3.0 (#198) | -2.6 (#181) |
| STL | -2.9 (#184) | -2.2 (#151) |
| BLK | -2.6 (#152) | -3.0 (#168) |
| 3PM | -3.6 (#213) | -4.6 (#260) |
| FG% | -4.3 (#218) | -2.9 (#154) |
| FT% | -4.0 (#220) | -3.7 (#210) |
| TO | -5.2 (#219) | -5.6 (#235) |
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)
- Luke Kennard: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW), listed GTD.
- Sam Hauser: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Luke Kennard: 22.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 16.2 on the board.
- Sam Hauser: 14.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 17.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Luke Kennard playing tonight? · Is Sam Hauser playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Luke Kennard or Sam Hauser?
Points leagues: Sam Hauser. 17.5 fantasy points per game against 16.2, 236th on our board to 265th. 9-cat leagues: Sam Hauser again, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (195th to 198th).
Who wins more categories, Luke Kennard or Sam Hauser?
Category by category, Luke Kennard is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Sam Hauser in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Luke Kennard or Sam Hauser?
Luke Kennard plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Hauser 2. For that week alone, start Sam Hauser: 35.0 projected fantasy points to 32.3 for Luke Kennard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number