Kelly Oubre Jr. or Zach LaVine? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PFs ranked 21st and 23rd 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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The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Zach LaVine. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 27.4 fantasy points to 26.0.
9-cat leagues: Kelly Oubre Jr. instead, -2.9 category value for the week to -4.1, because his category mix is worth more there.
Kelly Oubre Jr.'s minutes are down: 27.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 31.3 on the board.
Zach LaVine's minutes are up: 34.2 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 31.5 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 | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 27.7 (last 1) | 34.2 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 31.3 | 31.5 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 6.5 | 20.0 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 52.0 | 54.9 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -2.9 | -4.1 |
Schedule: Kelly Oubre Jr. Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN. Zach LaVine Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 26.9 | 39.5 |
| Rebounds | 9.7 | 5.7 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 4.8 |
| Steals | 2.7 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 3.2 | 5.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.7 | 4.1 |
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 1 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Zach LaVine, 27.4 fantasy points per game to 26.0.
9-cat leagues: Kelly Oubre Jr. instead, 106th overall against 128th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Kelly Oubre Jr. vs Zach LaVine: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.0 | 27.4 |
| Minutes | 31.3 | 31.5 |
| PointsPTS | 13.5 | 19.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 2.8 |
| AssistsAST | 1.7 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.5% | 48.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.6% | 84.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 2.0 |
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 Kelly Oubre Jr. playing tonight? · Is Zach LaVine playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Kelly Oubre Jr. or Zach LaVine in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Zach LaVine. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 27.4 fantasy points to 26.0. 9-cat leagues: Kelly Oubre Jr. instead, -2.9 category value for the week to -4.1, because his category mix is worth more there. Kelly Oubre Jr.'s minutes are down: 27.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 31.3 on the board. Zach LaVine's minutes are up: 34.2 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 31.5 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Kelly Oubre Jr. or Zach LaVine?
Points leagues: Zach LaVine, 27.4 fantasy points per game to 26.0. 9-cat leagues: Kelly Oubre Jr. instead, 106th overall against 128th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Kelly Oubre Jr. or Zach LaVine?
Kelly Oubre Jr. is ahead in 4 (rebounds, steals, blocks, turnovers); Zach LaVine in 5 (points, assists, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number