Malik Monk vs Max Christie: who to start in Week 1
Malik Monk plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Max Christie 3. For that week alone, start Malik Monk: 62.0 projected fantasy points to 60.1 for Max Christie. Over the season, Malik Monk leads in points leagues (20.7 fantasy points a game to 20.0) and Max Christie in 9-cat leagues (201st against 218th). 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, 5:55 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #199
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #218
- -4.1 z, slot 19.02
Day to day (Ankle)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #206
- 20.0 FP/G, slot 18.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #201
- -3.8 z, slot 17.09
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Malik Monk. 20.7 fantasy points per game against 20.0, 199th on our board to 206th.
9-cat leagues: Max Christie instead, -3.8 in summed z-scores against -4.1 (201st to 218th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Malik Monk is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and BLK) and Max Christie in 4 (REB, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Malik Monk produces more: 33.8 fantasy points to 24.8, on 22.0 minutes a night against 29.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Malik Monk plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Max Christie 3. For that week alone, start Malik Monk: 62.0 projected fantasy points to 60.1 for Max Christie.
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 | Malik Monk | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.7 | 20.0 |
| Minutes | 22.0 | 29.1 |
| PointsPTS | 12.5 | 11.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 1.9 | 3.2 |
| AssistsAST | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 2.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.8% | 43.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.9% | 89.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 62 | 77 |
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 | Malik Monk | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.8 | 24.8 |
| Points | 20.4 | 14.6 |
| Rebounds | 3.1 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 4.9 | 2.4 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.3 | 2.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 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 | Malik Monk | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.8 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.3 | -0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | -1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.4 | +0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | +0.7 |
| Total | -4.1 | -3.8 |
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 flips the 9-cat answer to Malik Monk.
| Punt | Malik Monk | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.4 (#245) | -3.0 (#217) |
| REB | -2.4 (#152) | -2.6 (#174) |
| AST | -3.9 (#238) | -3.0 (#201) |
| STL | -3.0 (#188) | -2.6 (#169) |
| BLK | -3.6 (#203) | -3.2 (#180) |
| 3PM | -4.5 (#254) | -4.5 (#248) |
| FG% | -3.3 (#173) | -2.9 (#157) |
| FT% | -4.6 (#249) | -4.4 (#238) |
| TO | -4.7 (#202) | -4.6 (#195) |
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)
- Malik Monk: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM), listed DTD.
- Max Christie: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Malik Monk: 21.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.7 on the board.
- Max Christie: 9.6 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Malik Monk playing tonight? · Is Max Christie playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Malik Monk or Max Christie?
Points leagues: Malik Monk. 20.7 fantasy points per game against 20.0, 199th on our board to 206th. 9-cat leagues: Max Christie instead, -3.8 in summed z-scores against -4.1 (201st to 218th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Malik Monk or Max Christie?
Category by category, Malik Monk is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and BLK) and Max Christie in 4 (REB, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Malik Monk or Max Christie?
Malik Monk plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Max Christie 3. For that week alone, start Malik Monk: 62.0 projected fantasy points to 60.1 for Max Christie.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 5:55 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number