Kevin Durant or Lauri Markkanen? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 3rd and 6th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 41.6
- 9-cat
- #15
- Last 10 FP
- 45.3
Day to day (Not Injury Related)
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Kevin Durant. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 41.6 fantasy points to 41.2.
9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen instead, 12.5 category value for the week to 9.7, because his category mix is worth more there.
Kevin Durant has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Kevin Durant played 36.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 36.4 on the board.
Lauri Markkanen's minutes are down: 25.5 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 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.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Kevin Durant | Lauri Markkanen |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 36.0 (last 5) | 25.5 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 36.4 | 34.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 17.0 | 23.7 |
| Injury | Day to day (Not Injury Related) | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 124.9 | 123.5 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 9.7 | 12.5 |
Schedule: Kevin Durant Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL. Lauri Markkanen Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Kevin Durant | Lauri Markkanen |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 77.9 | 80.2 |
| Rebounds | 16.4 | 20.6 |
| Assists | 14.3 | 6.4 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 3.0 |
| Blocks | 2.7 | 1.5 |
| Threes | 7.2 | 8.2 |
| Turnovers | 9.5 | 4.5 |
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: Kevin Durant, 41.6 fantasy points per game to 41.2.
9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen instead, 8th overall against 15th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Kevin Durant | Lauri Markkanen |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 41.6 | 41.2 |
| Minutes | 36.4 | 34.4 |
| PointsPTS | 26.0 | 26.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.5 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 4.8 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.4 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.0% | 47.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.4% | 89.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.2 | 1.5 |
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 Kevin Durant or Lauri Markkanen in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Kevin Durant. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 41.6 fantasy points to 41.2. 9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen instead, 12.5 category value for the week to 9.7, because his category mix is worth more there. Kevin Durant has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Kevin Durant played 36.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 36.4 on the board. Lauri Markkanen's minutes are down: 25.5 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 34.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Kevin Durant or Lauri Markkanen?
Points leagues: Kevin Durant, 41.6 fantasy points per game to 41.2. 9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen instead, 8th overall against 15th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Kevin Durant or Lauri Markkanen?
Kevin Durant is ahead in 3 (assists, blocks, field goal percentage); Lauri Markkanen in 6 (points, rebounds, steals, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number