The Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Flagg, the 6-foot-9 phenom from Maine, has been tabbed by scouts as the top player of the 2025 draft class for a long time — a two-way talent with a refined game well beyond his years. And now, he’s landing on a Mavericks roster that needs — and fits — his skill set, but is structured to unleash him from Day 1.
From a fantasy perspective, this isn’t your typical “rookie wait-and-see” scenario. Flagg is walking into a featured role with a green light to contribute across the stat sheet. With elite tools, an NBA-ready body and the intangibles that coaches love, he’s primed to make an impact in both points and category leagues right away.
The question isn’t if Flagg will be drafted in standard leagues — it’s how early you’ll have to reach. Let’s dive in.
Why Cooper Flagg is fantasy-ready
Flagg arrives in Dallas with a polished skill set rare for an 18‑year‑old: dominant scoring and defensive instincts, elite athleticism, advanced court vision and plus rebounding from the wing that will fit perfectly in Jason Kidd’s system.
That versatility translates directly to fantasy, too. In Flagg’s only collegiate season at Duke, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 3s, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, with 48/39/84 shooting splits. He was one of two D1 players to lead his team in the five main statistical categories (PTS, REBS, ASTS, STLS, BLKS/G). A special player who has the tools to wreak havoc from day one.
How Cooper Flagg stacks up with history
It’s never easy performing under the pressure of being the No. 1 overall pick. In the past decade, the only No. 1 overall picks to finish inside the top 100 in fantasy in their rookie seasons were Victor Wembanyama, Karl-Anthony Towns and Deandre Ayton.
I project Flagg to be a top-60 player, with the upside for more. His defensive prowess and Kyrie Irving’s early-season absence could initially expand his role, opening up more playmaking potential for the rookie.
Where to draft Cooper Flagg in fantasy basketball next season
The Mavericks have a clear path to giving him 30+ minutes a night from the outset. He’ll be in the starting unit and when factoring in his all-around production, I project he’ll score at least 34 fantasy points per game.
In 9-category leagues, Flagg doesn’t have many holes in his game. While I don’t expect him to have a 30% usage rate, as he did at Duke, I’m encouraged by his 16.3% turnover rate, which is relatively low for a player projected to be a second- or third-scoring option. The area of opportunity is 3-point shooting. Over the final 18 games of his collegiate career, he shot 44% from 3-point range, compared to 22% through his first 10 games. It’s always nice to see improvements throughout the season. With that, I’d expect Flagg to be a multi-category asset with dual position eligibility at small forward and power forward.
Final verdict: I hate drafting rookies early in fantasy (full disclosure). However, Flagg will be a force, driven by his scoring volume, usage, efficiency and stock potential. I’d feel comfortable drafting him in the fifth round in either points or category leagues, but fantasy managers will likely see him dominate the Vegas Summer League and he’ll end up with an ADP well into the third or fourth rounds by the preseason.
The Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Flagg, the 6-foot-9 phenom from Maine, has been tabbed by scouts as the top player of the 2025 draft class for a long time — a two-way talent with a refined game well beyond his years. And now, he’s landing on a Mavericks roster that needs — and fits — his skill set, but is structured to unleash him from Day 1.
From a fantasy perspective, this isn’t your typical “rookie wait-and-see” scenario. Flagg is walking into a featured role with a green light to contribute across the stat sheet. With elite tools, an NBA-ready body and the intangibles that coaches love, he’s primed to make an impact in both points and category leagues right away.
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The question isn’t if Flagg will be drafted in standard leagues — it’s how early you’ll have to reach. Let’s dive in.
Flagg arrives in Dallas with a polished skill set rare for an 18‑year‑old: dominant scoring and defensive instincts, elite athleticism, advanced court vision and plus rebounding from the wing that will fit perfectly in Jason Kidd’s system.
That versatility translates directly to fantasy, too. In Flagg’s only collegiate season at Duke, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 3s, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, with 48/39/84 shooting splits. He was one of two D1 players to lead his team in the five main statistical categories (PTS, REBS, ASTS, STLS, BLKS/G). A special player who has the tools to wreak havoc from day one.
It’s never easy performing under the pressure of being the No. 1 overall pick. In the past decade, the only No. 1 overall picks to finish inside the top 100 in fantasy in their rookie seasons were Victor Wembanyama, Karl-Anthony Towns and Deandre Ayton.
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I project Flagg to be a top-60 player, with the upside for more. His defensive prowess and Kyrie Irving’s early-season absence could initially expand his role, opening up more playmaking potential for the rookie.
The Mavericks have a clear path to giving him 30+ minutes a night from the outset. He’ll be in the starting unit and when factoring in his all-around production, I project he’ll score at least 34 fantasy points per game.
In 9-category leagues, Flagg doesn’t have many holes in his game. While I don’t expect him to have a 30% usage rate, as he did at Duke, I’m encouraged by his 16.3% turnover rate, which is relatively low for a player projected to be a second- or third-scoring option. The area of opportunity is 3-point shooting. Over the final 18 games of his collegiate career, he shot 44% from 3-point range, compared to 22% through his first 10 games. It’s always nice to see improvements throughout the season. With that, I’d expect Flagg to be a multi-category asset with dual position eligibility at small forward and power forward.
Final verdict: I hate drafting rookies early in fantasy (full disclosure). However, Flagg will be a force, driven by his scoring volume, usage, efficiency and stock potential. I’d feel comfortable drafting him in the fifth round in either points or category leagues, but fantasy managers will likely see him dominate the Vegas Summer League and he’ll end up with an ADP well into the third or fourth rounds by the preseason.
