Ivica Zubac or Jusuf Nurkić? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 14th and 16th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 33.5
- 9-cat
- #117
- Last 10 FP
- 39.8
Out (Foot)
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Jusuf Nurkić is listed Out (Foot) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands.
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Ivica Zubac. Ivica Zubac has 2 games counted to 0 for Jusuf Nurkić, for 64.8 projected fantasy points against 0.0.
9-cat leagues: Jusuf Nurkić instead, 0.0 category value for the week to -1.9, because his category mix is worth more there.
Ivica Zubac's minutes are up: 33.6 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 30.4 on the board.
Jusuf Nurkić played 26.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Ivica Zubac | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 0 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 33.6 (last 1) | 26.0 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 30.4 | 26.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 12.8 | 9.7 |
| Injury | None listed | Out (Foot) |
| Projected fantasy points | 64.8 | 0.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -1.9 | 0.0 |
Schedule: Ivica Zubac Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN. Jusuf Nurkić Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Ivica Zubac | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 28.4 | 0.0 |
| Rebounds | 21.8 | 0.0 |
| Assists | 4.1 | 0.0 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Blocks | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 0.0 |
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 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Jusuf Nurkić, 33.5 fantasy points per game to 32.4.
9-cat leagues: Ivica Zubac instead, 85th overall against 117th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Ivica Zubac | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.4 | 33.5 |
| Minutes | 30.4 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 14.2 | 10.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.9 | 10.4 |
| AssistsAST | 2.1 | 4.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.4 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 59.6% | 50.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 69.4% | 54.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 2.5 |
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 Ivica Zubac playing tonight? · Is Jusuf Nurkić playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Ivica Zubac or Jusuf Nurkić in Week 1?
Jusuf Nurkić is listed Out (Foot) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands. Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Ivica Zubac. Ivica Zubac has 2 games counted to 0 for Jusuf Nurkić, for 64.8 projected fantasy points against 0.0. 9-cat leagues: Jusuf Nurkić instead, 0.0 category value for the week to -1.9, because his category mix is worth more there. Ivica Zubac's minutes are up: 33.6 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 30.4 on the board. Jusuf Nurkić played 26.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 26.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Ivica Zubac or Jusuf Nurkić?
Points leagues: Jusuf Nurkić, 33.5 fantasy points per game to 32.4. 9-cat leagues: Ivica Zubac instead, 85th overall against 117th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Ivica Zubac or Jusuf Nurkić?
Ivica Zubac is ahead in 6 (points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Jusuf Nurkić in 3 (assists, steals, threes), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number