Ace Bailey or Bilal Coulibaly? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 23rd and 25th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 3:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 26.7
- 9-cat
- #101
- Last 1 FP
- 32.9
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Bilal Coulibaly. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 26.7 fantasy points to 25.0.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, -2.5 category value for the week to -5.4.
Bilal Coulibaly has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Ace Bailey's minutes are down: 24.3 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 27.4 on the board.
Bilal Coulibaly's minutes are up: 29.0 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 26.4 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
Ace Bailey rookie cardsBilal Coulibaly rookie cards
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Ace Bailey | Bilal Coulibaly |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 24.3 (last 1) | 29.0 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 27.4 | 26.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 16.3 | 7.5 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 50.0 | 53.4 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -5.4 | -2.5 |
Schedule: Ace Bailey Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL. Bilal Coulibaly Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Ace Bailey | Bilal Coulibaly |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 27.4 | 23.4 |
| Rebounds | 8.5 | 8.4 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 5.0 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 3.0 |
| Blocks | 1.7 | 2.1 |
| Threes | 3.8 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 2.7 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 1 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Bilal Coulibaly, 26.7 fantasy points per game to 25.0.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, 101st overall against 159th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Ace Bailey | Bilal Coulibaly |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.0 | 26.7 |
| Minutes | 27.4 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 13.7 | 11.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.3% | 43.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.0% | 74.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.4 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Ace Bailey playing tonight? · Is Bilal Coulibaly playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Ace Bailey or Bilal Coulibaly in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Bilal Coulibaly. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 26.7 fantasy points to 25.0. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, -2.5 category value for the week to -5.4. Bilal Coulibaly has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Ace Bailey's minutes are down: 24.3 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 27.4 on the board. Bilal Coulibaly's minutes are up: 29.0 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 26.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Ace Bailey or Bilal Coulibaly?
Points leagues: Bilal Coulibaly, 26.7 fantasy points per game to 25.0. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, 101st overall against 159th.
Who wins more categories, Ace Bailey or Bilal Coulibaly?
Ace Bailey is ahead in 3 (points, threes, free throw percentage); Bilal Coulibaly in 5 (assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 3:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number