Cooper Flagg or Lauri Markkanen? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 3rd and 7th 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
- 40.7
- 9-cat
- #11
- Last 1 FP
- 33.3
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Lauri Markkanen. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 40.7 fantasy points to 40.4.
9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen again, 7.5 category value for the week to 3.7.
Cooper Flagg has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Cooper Flagg played 32.9 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 33.5 on the board.
Lauri Markkanen played 36.3 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 34.5 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Cooper Flagg | Lauri Markkanen |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 32.9 (last 1) | 36.3 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 33.5 | 34.5 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 18.6 | 12.9 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 80.8 | 81.4 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 3.7 | 7.5 |
Schedule: Cooper Flagg Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS. Lauri Markkanen Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Cooper Flagg | Lauri Markkanen |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 43.5 | 52.4 |
| Rebounds | 13.1 | 14.0 |
| Assists | 8.7 | 4.3 |
| Steals | 2.6 | 1.9 |
| Blocks | 1.8 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 5.3 |
| Turnovers | 4.8 | 3.2 |
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: Lauri Markkanen, 40.7 fantasy points per game to 40.4.
9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen again, 11th overall against 28th.
Cooper Flagg vs Lauri Markkanen: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Cooper Flagg | Lauri Markkanen |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.4 | 40.7 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 34.5 |
| PointsPTS | 21.7 | 26.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.6 | 7.0 |
| AssistsAST | 4.4 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.6% | 47.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.0% | 89.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.6 |
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 Cooper Flagg playing tonight? · Is Lauri Markkanen playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Cooper Flagg or Lauri Markkanen in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Lauri Markkanen. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 40.7 fantasy points to 40.4. 9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen again, 7.5 category value for the week to 3.7. Cooper Flagg has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Cooper Flagg played 32.9 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 33.5 on the board. Lauri Markkanen played 36.3 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 34.5 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Cooper Flagg or Lauri Markkanen?
Points leagues: Lauri Markkanen, 40.7 fantasy points per game to 40.4. 9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen again, 11th overall against 28th.
Who wins more categories, Cooper Flagg or Lauri Markkanen?
Cooper Flagg is ahead in 4 (assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage); Lauri Markkanen in 5 (points, rebounds, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 3:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number