Cooper Flagg's Sophomore Leap Is the Only Mavs Hope That Pays in Fantasy
Flagg posted 39.8 fantasy points per game across 70 rookie contests last season. A healthy Kyrie and a deep rebuild make Dallas a fantasy watch, not a contender.
Our #34 overall with a clear path to a sophomore usage spike.
- Flagg: 21 pts, 6.7 reb, 4.5 ast in 70 games (2025-26)
- Flagg ranked #34 overall, #13 at position
- Flagg form: +3.8 FPTS vs season avg last 5
- Lively II: just 7 games, 18.7 FPTS/G (2025-26)
- Mavs roster average age under 25
Dallas isn't selling you a title this year, and that's actually the point. The Mavericks are a sub-25-years-old roster in full rebuild mode, 838 days removed from the Finals and a chaotic season that cost GM Nico Harrison his job. For fantasy purposes, the only story that matters is whether Cooper Flagg takes the second-year leap — and the early signals say yes.
Flagg's rookie line was already plenty useful: 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists across 70 games, good for 39.8 fantasy points per game last season (2025-26) and our rank of #34 overall, #13 at his position. Encouragingly, he closed hot, averaging 3.8 fantasy points above his season mark over his final five games. He's 19, he reportedly added an inch of height, and the usage runway in front of him is wide open.
What Flagg Needs to Pop
The path to a real fantasy breakout is specific. Flagg needs to become an above-average three-point shooter, take on more creation duties as a secondary playmaker, and keep anchoring the defense with stocks. Any two of those three and his assist, three and steal/block categories all tick up at once — the kind of across-the-board growth that turns a top-35 guy into a top-20 one.
The supporting cast is where the hope gets riskier. A healthy Kyrie Irving changes everything: management openly leaned on his star value this offseason, and when Kyrie's right, he's a nightly must-watch. But Dallas is also running out reclamation swings — Zaccharie Risacher, Max Christie, Marcus Sasser, Jett Howard and a handful of youngsters. Howard sits at our rank #375 after a 9.5 fantasy points per game season (2025-26); he's deep-league dart material at best.
The Lively Trap
Then there's Dereck Lively II, the contract-year center fans remember from the Finals run. The problem is availability: he played just seven games last season (2025-26) and mustered 18.7 fantasy points per game before injuries wrecked him again. He's unranked in our model for a reason. Great talent, zero floor until he strings healthy games together.
For fantasy managers, the move is clear. Flagg is a buy-low this preseason — his price hasn't fully caught up to a likely usage jump, and his #34 ranking probably undersells the ceiling. Grab Kyrie if his health holds and monitor Christie and Sasser in deeper formats. Lively is a wait-and-see stash only, and everyone else on this roster is streaming fodder until the rebuild sorts itself out.
