Luke Kennard vs Zaccharie Risacher: who to start in Week 1
Luke Kennard plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zaccharie Risacher 3. For that week alone, start Zaccharie Risacher: 59.1 projected fantasy points to 32.3 for Luke Kennard. Over the season, Zaccharie Risacher leads in both formats: 19.7 fantasy points a game to 16.2, and 197th against 200th 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, 7:55 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #267
- 16.2 FP/G, slot 23.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #200
- -3.8 z, slot 17.08
Day to day (Knee)
- Points leagues
- #209
- 19.7 FP/G, slot 18.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #197
- -3.7 z, slot 17.05
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Zaccharie Risacher. 19.7 fantasy points per game against 16.2, 209th on our board to 267th.
9-cat leagues: Zaccharie Risacher again, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.8 (197th to 200th).
Category by category, Luke Kennard is ahead in 5 (AST, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Zaccharie Risacher in 4 (PTS, REB, STL and BLK).
Per 36 minutes, Zaccharie Risacher produces more: 31.2 fantasy points to 27.0, on 22.7 minutes a night against 21.6. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Luke Kennard plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zaccharie Risacher 3. For that week alone, start Zaccharie Risacher: 59.1 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 | Zaccharie Risacher |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 16.2 | 19.7 |
| Minutes | 21.6 | 22.7 |
| PointsPTS | 8.4 | 9.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.3 | 4.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.2 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 53.3% | 44.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 91.3% | 64.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 78 | 67 |
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 | Zaccharie Risacher |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 27.0 | 31.2 |
| Points | 14.0 | 14.6 |
| Rebounds | 3.9 | 6.3 |
| Assists | 3.7 | 1.9 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.8 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.3 | 1.6 |
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 | Zaccharie Risacher |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | -0.8 |
| AssistsAST | -0.7 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -0.4 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.4 | +1.1 |
| Total | -3.8 | -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, steals and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Luke Kennard.
| Punt | Luke Kennard | Zaccharie Risacher |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.4 (#189) | -2.5 (#193) |
| REB | -2.2 (#146) | -3.1 (#200) |
| AST | -3.1 (#203) | -2.5 (#177) |
| STL | -3.0 (#184) | -4.1 (#245) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#160) | -3.6 (#199) |
| 3PM | -3.7 (#215) | -3.4 (#203) |
| FG% | -4.3 (#226) | -3.5 (#182) |
| FT% | -4.1 (#225) | -3.1 (#176) |
| TO | -5.3 (#221) | -4.9 (#209) |
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)
- Luke Kennard: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW), listed DTD.
- Zaccharie Risacher: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Luke Kennard: 22.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 16.2 on the board.
- Zaccharie Risacher: 26.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 19.7 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 Zaccharie Risacher playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Zaccharie Risacher
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Luke Kennard or Zaccharie Risacher?
Points leagues: Zaccharie Risacher. 19.7 fantasy points per game against 16.2, 209th on our board to 267th. 9-cat leagues: Zaccharie Risacher again, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.8 (197th to 200th).
Who wins more categories, Luke Kennard or Zaccharie Risacher?
Category by category, Luke Kennard is ahead in 5 (AST, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Zaccharie Risacher in 4 (PTS, REB, STL and BLK).
Who should I start in Week 1, Luke Kennard or Zaccharie Risacher?
Luke Kennard plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zaccharie Risacher 3. For that week alone, start Zaccharie Risacher: 59.1 projected fantasy points to 32.3 for Luke Kennard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 7:55 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number