Karl-Anthony Towns or Lauri Markkanen? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 6th and 7th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 24, 2:27 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Karl-Anthony Towns. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 40.1 fantasy points to 40.0.
9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen instead, 3.8 category value for the week to 2.6, because his category mix is worth more there.
Karl-Anthony Towns played 30.4 minutes a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, in line with his 30.9 on the board.
Lauri Markkanen played 35.2 minutes a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, in line with his 34.4 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.
Karl-Anthony Towns rookie cards
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Karl-Anthony Towns | Lauri Markkanen |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 1 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 30.4 (last 2) | 35.2 (last 2) |
| Minutes, board | 30.9 | 34.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 13.0 | 13.3 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 40.1 | 40.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 2.6 | 3.8 |
Schedule: Karl-Anthony Towns Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL. Lauri Markkanen Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Karl-Anthony Towns | Lauri Markkanen |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 20.1 | 25.6 |
| Rebounds | 11.8 | 7.0 |
| Assists | 2.9 | 2.2 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 2.7 | 1.6 |
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 2 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns, 40.1 fantasy points per game to 40.0.
9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen instead, 11th overall against 22nd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Karl-Anthony Towns vs Lauri Markkanen: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Karl-Anthony Towns | Lauri Markkanen |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.1 | 40.0 |
| Minutes | 30.9 | 34.4 |
| PointsPTS | 20.1 | 25.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 11.8 | 7.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.9 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.8% | 46.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.0% | 89.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.7 | 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 Karl-Anthony Towns playing tonight? · Is Lauri Markkanen playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Karl-Anthony Towns or Lauri Markkanen in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Karl-Anthony Towns. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 40.1 fantasy points to 40.0. 9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen instead, 3.8 category value for the week to 2.6, because his category mix is worth more there. Karl-Anthony Towns played 30.4 minutes a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, in line with his 30.9 on the board. Lauri Markkanen played 35.2 minutes a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, in line with his 34.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Karl-Anthony Towns or Lauri Markkanen?
Points leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns, 40.1 fantasy points per game to 40.0. 9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen instead, 11th overall against 22nd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Karl-Anthony Towns or Lauri Markkanen?
Karl-Anthony Towns is ahead in 4 (rebounds, assists, blocks, field goal percentage); Lauri Markkanen in 5 (points, steals, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 2:27 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number