Aaron Gordon vs Bilal Coulibaly: who to start in Week 1
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Bilal Coulibaly 3. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 77.4 projected fantasy points to 57.6 for Aaron Gordon. Over the season, Aaron Gordon leads in points leagues (28.8 fantasy points a game to 25.8) and Bilal Coulibaly in 9-cat leagues (105th against 106th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #96
- 28.8 FP/G, slot 8.12, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #106
- -1.5 z, slot 9.10, $7
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #126
- 25.8 FP/G, slot 11.06, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #105
- -1.5 z, slot 9.09, $7
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon. 28.8 fantasy points per game against 25.8, 96th on our board to 126th.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly instead, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (105th to 106th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Bilal Coulibaly in 3 (STL, BLK and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Aaron Gordon produces more: 36.4 fantasy points to 35.2, on 28.5 minutes a night against 26.3. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Bilal Coulibaly 3. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 77.4 projected fantasy points to 57.6 for Aaron Gordon.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Aaron Gordon | Bilal Coulibaly |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.8 | 25.8 |
| Minutes | 28.5 | 26.3 |
| PointsPTS | 15.9 | 11.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 4.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.2% | 43.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.8% | 76.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 56 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Aaron Gordon | Bilal Coulibaly |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.4 | 35.2 |
| Points | 20.0 | 15.6 |
| Rebounds | 7.3 | 5.9 |
| Assists | 3.3 | 3.0 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 2.0 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.8 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Aaron Gordon | Bilal Coulibaly |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | -0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | +1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.5 | -1.5 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
Punting steals, blocks and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Aaron Gordon.
| Punt | Aaron Gordon | Bilal Coulibaly |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#133) | -0.7 (#90) |
| REB | -1.7 (#125) | -1.0 (#94) |
| AST | -1.1 (#107) | -0.9 (#92) |
| STL | -0.8 (#88) | -2.7 (#173) |
| BLK | -1.0 (#88) | -2.4 (#150) |
| 3PM | -1.6 (#123) | -0.9 (#92) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#125) | -1.0 (#88) |
| FT% | -1.0 (#93) | -1.2 (#102) |
| TO | -2.5 (#124) | -2.3 (#117) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Aaron Gordon: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- Bilal Coulibaly: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Aaron Gordon: 29.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 28.8 on the board.
- Bilal Coulibaly: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 25.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Aaron Gordon playing tonight? · Is Bilal Coulibaly playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Aaron Gordon, Bilal Coulibaly
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Aaron Gordon or Bilal Coulibaly?
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon. 28.8 fantasy points per game against 25.8, 96th on our board to 126th. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly instead, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (105th to 106th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or Bilal Coulibaly?
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Bilal Coulibaly in 3 (STL, BLK and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Gordon or Bilal Coulibaly?
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Bilal Coulibaly 3. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 77.4 projected fantasy points to 57.6 for Aaron Gordon.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number