Bilal Coulibaly or Cedric Coward? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 23rd and 24th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 26.3
- 9-cat
- #129
- Last 10 FP
- 30.3
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Cedric Coward. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 26.3 fantasy points to 26.3.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly instead, -6.1 category value for the week to -7.2, because his category mix is worth more there.
Bilal Coulibaly has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Bilal Coulibaly's minutes are down: 22.9 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 26.2 on the board.
Cedric Coward's minutes are down: 23.8 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 25.8 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.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Bilal Coulibaly | Cedric Coward |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 22.9 (last 5) | 23.8 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 26.2 | 25.8 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.8 | 15.8 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 78.9 | 79.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -6.1 | -7.2 |
Schedule: Bilal Coulibaly Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI. Cedric Coward Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Bilal Coulibaly | Cedric Coward |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 35.2 | 40.8 |
| Rebounds | 13.0 | 17.6 |
| Assists | 7.8 | 8.3 |
| Steals | 4.0 | 1.9 |
| Blocks | 2.9 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Turnovers | 4.3 | 5.1 |
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 5 games of 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Cedric Coward, 26.3 fantasy points per game to 26.3.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly instead, 129th overall against 145th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Bilal Coulibaly vs Cedric Coward: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Bilal Coulibaly | Cedric Coward |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.3 | 26.3 |
| Minutes | 26.2 | 25.8 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 13.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.3 | 5.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 2.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.5% | 47.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.6% | 84.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.7 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
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Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Common questions
Should I start Bilal Coulibaly or Cedric Coward in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Cedric Coward. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 26.3 fantasy points to 26.3. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly instead, -6.1 category value for the week to -7.2, because his category mix is worth more there. Bilal Coulibaly has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Bilal Coulibaly's minutes are down: 22.9 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 26.2 on the board. Cedric Coward's minutes are down: 23.8 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 25.8 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Bilal Coulibaly or Cedric Coward?
Points leagues: Cedric Coward, 26.3 fantasy points per game to 26.3. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly instead, 129th overall against 145th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Bilal Coulibaly or Cedric Coward?
Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 3 (steals, blocks, turnovers); Cedric Coward in 6 (points, rebounds, assists, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 8:41 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number