Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg Crack the Top 50 — What It Means for Fantasy
Irving lands at No. 29 despite an 18-month layoff, while rookie sensation Flagg checks in at No. 34 after a 21-point debut season.
Post-surgery discount on a guy who averaged 40.6 FPTS/G in 2024-25.
- Irving ranks #29 overall in our latest top-100
- Flagg lands at #34, #13 at his position
- Irving: 24.7 PPG, 40.6 FPTS/G in 2024-25 (50 games)
- Flagg: 21 PPG, 39.8 FPTS/G across 70 games in 2025-26
- Knueppel sits 51 spots behind Flagg at #85
Kyrie Irving hasn't played an NBA game in more than a year and a half, and our latest top-100 still slots him at No. 29 overall. That's a 14-spot drop from where he sat two seasons ago — a remarkably soft fall for a guard coming off major knee surgery. The vote of confidence tracks with the numbers: before the injury, Irving was pumping out 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists across 50 games in 2024-25, good for 40.6 fantasy points per game.
His new Dallas teammate Cooper Flagg comes in right behind at No. 34, which reads as low only if you ignore how loud the Rookie of the Year debate got. Flagg won the award, put up 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 games last season (2025-26), and posted 39.8 fantasy points per game. By our math, he's already the 13th-best player at his position — and he's a teenager.
The Knueppel Gap
Kon Knueppel lost the Rookie of the Year vote by just 12 ballots, yet he sits at No. 85 in these rankings — a full 51 spots behind Flagg. That's a big number for a race that was supposedly close. Knueppel's 30.7 fantasy points per game in 2025-26 (18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists over 81 games) are solid, but his last five games ran 9.6 fantasy points below his season average, so the arrow isn't pointing up right now.
The read here is simple: the people who watch every Mavericks game grade Flagg like a top-25 player, and the online noise about Knueppel hasn't moved that needle. Flagg's recent form backs it — his last five games came in 3.8 fantasy points above his season average, and that's before whatever Year 2 leap is coming.
The Fantasy Fallout
For Irving, the discount is the opportunity. A guy who was a top-30 asset by production is being priced with injury caution baked in, and camp reports out of Dallas have been positive. If you're in a league with roster flexibility, he's a classic buy-low — just budget for a possible slow ramp early.
Flagg, meanwhile, is a straight hold-and-cheer. A 39.8 fantasy-points-per-game rookie season with an upward form trend means he's only getting more expensive. If you drafted him, congratulations; if you didn't, you're paying a premium to pry him loose. Knueppel is the wait-and-see name of the group — talented, but the recent dip means there's no rush.
