Aaron Gordon vs Derik Queen: who to start in Week 1
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Derik Queen 3. For that week alone, start Derik Queen: 87.5 projected fantasy points to 58.2 for Aaron Gordon. Over the season, Derik Queen leads in points leagues (29.2 fantasy points a game to 29.1) and Aaron Gordon in 9-cat leagues (95th against 113th). 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 23, 3:53 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #94
- 29.1 FP/G, slot 8.10, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #95
- -1.1 z, slot 8.11, $9
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #93
- 29.2 FP/G, slot 8.09, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #113
- -1.5 z, slot 10.05, $7
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Derik Queen. 29.2 fantasy points per game against 29.1, 93rd on our board to 94th.
9-cat leagues: Aaron Gordon instead, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (95th to 113th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Derik Queen in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Derik Queen produces more: 42.8 fantasy points to 37.4, on 24.5 minutes a night against 28.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Derik Queen 3. For that week alone, start Derik Queen: 87.5 projected fantasy points to 58.2 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 | Derik Queen |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.1 | 29.2 |
| Minutes | 28.0 | 24.5 |
| PointsPTS | 16.4 | 11.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 7.2 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 3.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 0.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.6% | 47.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.2% | 81.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 81 |
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 | Derik Queen |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.4 | 42.8 |
| Points | 21.1 | 17.0 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 10.6 |
| Assists | 3.3 | 5.2 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 0.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 3.3 |
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 | Derik Queen |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.0 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | +0.7 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | +0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | -0.5 |
| Total | -1.1 | -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 points, threes, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Derik Queen.
| Punt | Aaron Gordon | Derik Queen |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#119) | -0.7 (#93) |
| REB | -1.4 (#112) | -2.4 (#159) |
| AST | -0.7 (#83) | -1.5 (#121) |
| STL | -0.3 (#71) | -1.8 (#128) |
| BLK | -0.6 (#76) | -2.2 (#137) |
| 3PM | -1.4 (#107) | -0.2 (#69) |
| FG% | -1.9 (#114) | -1.7 (#109) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#90) | -1.7 (#126) |
| TO | -2.2 (#118) | -1.1 (#88) |
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).
- Derik Queen: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Aaron Gordon: 35.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 29.1 on the board.
- Derik Queen: 28.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 29.2 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 Derik Queen playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Aaron Gordon, Derik Queen
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Aaron Gordon or Derik Queen?
Points leagues: Derik Queen. 29.2 fantasy points per game against 29.1, 93rd on our board to 94th. 9-cat leagues: Aaron Gordon instead, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (95th to 113th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or Derik Queen?
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Derik Queen in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Gordon or Derik Queen?
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Derik Queen 3. For that week alone, start Derik Queen: 87.5 projected fantasy points to 58.2 for Aaron Gordon.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 3:53 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number