Aaron Gordon vs Julian Champagnie: who to start in Week 1
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Julian Champagnie 3. For that week alone, start Julian Champagnie: 70.4 projected fantasy points to 58.2 for Aaron Gordon. Over the season, Aaron Gordon leads in both formats: 29.1 fantasy points a game to 23.5, and 95th against 96th in 9-cat. 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.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- 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 points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #152
- 23.5 FP/G, slot 13.08, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #96
- -1.2 z, slot 8.12, $9
The call
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon. 29.1 fantasy points per game against 23.5, 94th on our board to 152nd.
9-cat leagues: Aaron Gordon again, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (95th to 96th).
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%) and Julian Champagnie in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Aaron Gordon produces more: 37.4 fantasy points to 30.4, on 28.0 minutes a night against 27.8. 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), Julian Champagnie 3. For that week alone, start Julian Champagnie: 70.4 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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Aaron Gordon | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.1 | 23.5 |
| Minutes | 28.0 | 27.8 |
| PointsPTS | 16.4 | 10.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.6% | 43.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.2% | 84.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 82 |
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 | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.4 | 30.4 |
| Points | 21.1 | 14.1 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 7.3 |
| Assists | 3.3 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 3.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.0 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Aaron Gordon | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.0 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -0.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +1.4 |
| Total | -1.1 | -1.2 |
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, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Julian Champagnie.
| Punt | Aaron Gordon | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#119) | -0.3 (#70) |
| REB | -1.4 (#112) | -1.1 (#95) |
| AST | -0.7 (#83) | -0.2 (#63) |
| STL | -0.3 (#71) | -0.7 (#84) |
| BLK | -0.6 (#76) | -1.2 (#96) |
| 3PM | -1.4 (#107) | -2.0 (#136) |
| FG% | -1.9 (#114) | -0.4 (#71) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#90) | -1.4 (#114) |
| TO | -2.2 (#118) | -2.7 (#129) |
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).
- Julian Champagnie: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 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.
- Julian Champagnie: 28.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.5 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Aaron Gordon playing tonight? · Is Julian Champagnie playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Aaron Gordon
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Aaron Gordon or Julian Champagnie?
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon. 29.1 fantasy points per game against 23.5, 94th on our board to 152nd. 9-cat leagues: Aaron Gordon again, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (95th to 96th).
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or Julian Champagnie?
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%) and Julian Champagnie in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Gordon or Julian Champagnie?
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Julian Champagnie 3. For that week alone, start Julian Champagnie: 70.4 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