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Week 1 recap · 2026-27

Week 1 fantasy basketball recap: the best games, who ran hot and cold, and what’s ahead in Week 2

Luka Doncic’s 52-point game at UTA topped an opening week in which 7 teams stayed unbeaten and 7 are still looking for a first win. Here is the week for fantasy players: the best games, who ran hot and cold, who missed time, the rookies and the Week 2 schedule.

By 9cat ·

All games from Tuesday 20 to Sunday 25 October. Box scores from ESPN’s player game logs; team results are added up from them. Heat is the heat check from 9cat’s weekly recaps: each player’s week, per game across the nine categories, as a 0–100 percentile of every player in the league. Ranks are 9cat.app Projections (All categories, per game). Green and red tiles show where a line was clearly above or below the week’s average game across every player with 15+ minutes.

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The week in brief

Around the leagueTeam results

7 teams came through the week unbeaten and 7 teams without a win. The biggest win was the Atlanta Hawks’ 128-81 result against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday 23 October.

Unbeaten

Still looking for a win

Record, with the point differential for the week.

Biggest wins

The best gamesTop 5 across the nine categories

The games that did the most for a 9-cat team, not just the biggest scoring nights.

  1. 1Luka Doncic

    LAL @ UTA · Sun 25 Oct · 38 min · Helped PTS, 3PM, AST · Hurt TO, BLK

    Helped in 7 of 9 categories
    FG%56.7%FT%90.9%3PM8PTS52REB8AST10STL2BLK0TO4

  2. 2Nikola Jokic

    DEN vs NOP · Sat 24 Oct · 44 min · Helped REB, AST, PTS · Hurt TO

    Helped in 8 of 9 categories
    FG%52.2%FT%100.0%3PM3PTS35REB15AST10STL2BLK3TO6

  3. 3Anthony Edwards

    MIN @ MIA · Wed 21 Oct · 33 min · Helped 3PM, PTS, FG% · Hurt TO

    Helped in 5 of 9 categories
    FG%55.2%FT%80.0%3PM9PTS45REB10AST3STL2BLK1TO4

  4. 4Ty Jerome

    MEM vs UTA · Wed 21 Oct · 32 min · Helped PTS, FG%, 3PM · Hurt STL

    Helped in 6 of 9 categories
    FG%68.0%FT%85.7%3PM5PTS45REB7AST6STL0BLK1TO1

  5. 5Paul George

    BOS @ DET · Tue 20 Oct · 31 min · Helped 3PM, STL, PTS · Hurt TO, BLK

    Helped in 5 of 9 categories
    FG%57.1%FT%87.5%3PM7PTS38REB5AST3STL5BLK0TO3

Running hotHighest heat this week

The heat check rates each player’s week per game across the nine categories against every player in the league, from 0 to 100, as in 9cat’s weekly recaps. A star’s normal week is still a hot week. Two games or more.

  1. Paul George

    BOS · SF/PF · 2 games · 32.5 MPG · Helped 3PM, STL, PTS · Hurt BLK

    Hot · 100
    FG%50.0%FT%87.5%3PM5.0PTS26.5REB6.0AST2.5STL3.5BLK0.0TO2.0

  2. Ty Jerome

    MEM · SG/PG · 3 games · 32.0 MPG · Helped PTS, FG%, AST

    Hot · 100
    FG%56.3%FT%88.5%3PM3.0PTS34.7REB4.3AST6.0STL0.7BLK0.3TO2.0

  3. Luka Doncic

    LAL · PG · 3 games · 35.0 MPG · Helped PTS, 3PM, AST · Hurt TO

    Hot · 99
    FG%46.4%FT%88.9%3PM5.0PTS34.3REB7.3AST8.0STL1.7BLK0.3TO7.0

  4. Devin Booker

    PHX · PG/SG · 2 games · 32.5 MPG · Helped PTS, FG%, FT% · Hurt TO

    Hot · 99
    FG%63.2%FT%94.1%3PM1.0PTS33.0REB5.5AST4.5STL0.5BLK1.0TO3.0

  5. Austin Reaves

    LAL · SG/PG · 3 games · 35.3 MPG · Helped PTS, FT%, FG% · Hurt TO, REB

    Hot · 99
    FG%63.9%FT%89.7%3PM2.7PTS26.7REB2.3AST6.3STL1.7BLK1.0TO4.3

  6. Domantas Sabonis

    SAC · C/PF · 3 games · 36.0 MPG · Helped REB, FG%, AST · Hurt TO, 3PM

    Hot · 98
    FG%80.8%FT%86.7%3PM0.3PTS18.7REB17.3AST7.0STL1.0BLK0.0TO4.0

Running coldLowest heat among 9cat’s top 100

The established fantasy players with the quietest weeks against the rest of the league, on the same heat check. Two games or more. One week is a small sample; check the minutes and the shooting before reading much into it.

  1. Mikal Bridges

    NYK · SF/SG · 3 games · 30.0 MPG · Helped TO · Hurt FG%, PTS

    Cold · 17
    FG%21.7%FT%—3PM0.0PTS3.3REB3.0AST2.0STL0.3BLK0.7TO0.3

  2. Rudy Gobert

    MIN · C · 3 games · 31.3 MPG · Helped REB, FG% · Hurt FT%, 3PM

    Cold · 23
    FG%71.4%FT%43.8%3PM0.0PTS9.0REB12.3AST0.7STL0.0BLK0.3TO2.0

  3. Collin Gillespie

    PHX · PG · 2 games · 24.5 MPG · Helped STL, AST · Hurt FT%, FG%

    Lukewarm · 27
    FG%26.7%FT%25.0%3PM1.0PTS5.5REB2.5AST5.5STL3.0BLK0.0TO3.0

  4. Jakob Poeltl

    TOR · C · 3 games · 22.7 MPG · Helped TO · Hurt PTS, 3PM

    Lukewarm · 33
    FG%50.0%FT%60.0%3PM0.0PTS3.0REB5.3AST0.7STL0.7BLK0.7TO0.7

  5. Payton Pritchard

    BOS · PG/SG · 2 games · 29.0 MPG · Hurt STL, REB

    Lukewarm · 34
    FG%35.7%FT%80.0%3PM1.5PTS10.5REB2.5AST2.5STL0.0BLK0.0TO1.0

Missed timeInside 9cat’s top 100 per game

Players who sat out at least one of their team’s games. For status and expected return dates, see the NBA injury report.

Games missed, then games played of his team’s games this week. Red: missed every game.

Rookie watch40 rookies played

The rookies with the most minutes. Every rookie who played is in the Week 1 rookie report.

  1. Darius Acuff Jr.

    SAC · PG · 3 games · 36.0 MPG

    FG%32.9%FT%78.9%3PM1.3PTS22.3REB2.7AST4.7STL1.0BLK0.3TO2.7

  2. Caleb Wilson

    CHI · SF · 3 games · 34.3 MPG

    FG%40.7%FT%78.9%3PM1.3PTS22.3REB8.0AST1.3STL2.0BLK1.3TO4.0

  3. Yaxel Lendeborg

    GSW · SF/PF · 3 games · 34.0 MPG

    FG%43.9%FT%66.7%3PM2.7PTS18.7REB8.3AST4.3STL1.3BLK0.3TO2.7

  4. Cameron Boozer

    MEM · PF · 3 games · 33.7 MPG

    FG%27.1%FT%93.3%3PM2.0PTS15.3REB11.7AST5.0STL0.7BLK0.7TO2.7

  5. Darryn Peterson

    UTA · SG/PG · 3 games · 30.3 MPG

    FG%40.6%FT%83.3%3PM0.3PTS10.7REB3.3AST2.0STL1.0BLK0.3TO0.7

The week’s highsThe best single game in each category

FG% counts games with 10+ shots and FT% games with 6+ free throws, where more makes count for more; turnovers is the longest game without one.

Week 2 aheadMon 26 Oct to Sun 1 Nov

Games per team next week. More games means more chances to add counting stats; the schedule grid shows the light nights and back-to-backs.

Green: the most games next week. Red: the fewest.