Aaron Nesmith vs Coby White: who to start in Week 1
Aaron Nesmith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Coby White 3. For that week alone, start Coby White: 80.0 projected fantasy points to 68.8 for Aaron Nesmith. Over the season, Coby White leads in points leagues (26.7 fantasy points a game to 22.9) and Aaron Nesmith in 9-cat leagues (207th against 209th). 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #154
- 22.9 FP/G, slot 13.10, $1
- 9-cat leagues
- #207
- -3.9 z, slot 18.03
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #116
- 26.7 FP/G, slot 10.08, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #209
- -4.0 z, slot 18.05
Game-time decision (Calf)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Coby White. 26.7 fantasy points per game against 22.9, 116th on our board to 154th.
9-cat leagues: Aaron Nesmith instead, -3.9 in summed z-scores against -4.0 (207th to 209th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Aaron Nesmith is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Coby White in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Coby White produces more: 38.4 fantasy points to 28.4, on 25.0 minutes a night against 29.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Aaron Nesmith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Coby White 3. For that week alone, start Coby White: 80.0 projected fantasy points to 68.8 for Aaron Nesmith.
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 Nesmith | Coby White |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.9 | 26.7 |
| Minutes | 29.1 | 25.0 |
| PointsPTS | 13.5 | 17.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.1 | 3.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 4.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.9% | 44.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.6% | 81.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 2.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 50 |
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 Nesmith | Coby White |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.4 | 38.4 |
| Points | 16.7 | 25.0 |
| Rebounds | 5.1 | 4.9 |
| Assists | 2.3 | 5.8 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 3.7 |
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 Nesmith | Coby White |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | +0.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +0.2 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.4 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.4 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | -0.9 |
| Total | -3.9 | -4.0 |
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 rebounds, steals, blocks and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Coby White.
| Punt | Aaron Nesmith | Coby White |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.4 (#241) | -4.2 (#287) |
| REB | -3.3 (#213) | -3.0 (#193) |
| AST | -3.1 (#199) | -4.2 (#254) |
| STL | -2.7 (#172) | -2.6 (#171) |
| BLK | -3.7 (#209) | -2.9 (#167) |
| 3PM | -4.6 (#256) | -4.7 (#262) |
| FG% | -2.6 (#145) | -3.3 (#170) |
| FT% | -4.0 (#218) | -4.4 (#232) |
| TO | -4.6 (#193) | -3.1 (#145) |
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 Nesmith: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
- Coby White: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back, listed GTD.
Recent games
- Aaron Nesmith: 14.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 22.9 on the board.
- Coby White: 21.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 26.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Aaron Nesmith playing tonight? · Is Coby White playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Aaron Nesmith or Coby White?
Points leagues: Coby White. 26.7 fantasy points per game against 22.9, 116th on our board to 154th. 9-cat leagues: Aaron Nesmith instead, -3.9 in summed z-scores against -4.0 (207th to 209th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Nesmith or Coby White?
Category by category, Aaron Nesmith is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Coby White in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Nesmith or Coby White?
Aaron Nesmith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Coby White 3. For that week alone, start Coby White: 80.0 projected fantasy points to 68.8 for Aaron Nesmith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number