Alex Caruso vs Precious Achiuwa: who to start in Week 3
Alex Caruso plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Precious Achiuwa 4. For that week alone, start Precious Achiuwa: 101.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Alex Caruso. Over the season, Precious Achiuwa leads in points leagues (25.3 fantasy points a game to 18.2) and Alex Caruso in 9-cat leagues (178th against 180th). 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #246
- 18.2 FP/G, slot 21.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #178
- -3.1 z, slot 15.10
Out (Ankle)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #145
- 25.3 FP/G, slot 13.01, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #180
- -3.1 z, slot 15.12
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Precious Achiuwa. 25.3 fantasy points per game against 18.2, 145th on our board to 246th.
9-cat leagues: Alex Caruso instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (178th to 180th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Alex Caruso is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Precious Achiuwa in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Precious Achiuwa produces more: 35.9 fantasy points to 35.6, on 25.3 minutes a night against 18.4. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Alex Caruso plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Precious Achiuwa 4. For that week alone, start Precious Achiuwa: 101.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Alex Caruso.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Alex Caruso | Precious Achiuwa |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 18.2 | 25.3 |
| Minutes | 18.4 | 25.3 |
| PointsPTS | 6.9 | 10.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 6.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.3 | 1.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 0.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.5% | 53.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.2% | 49.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 73 |
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 | Alex Caruso | Precious Achiuwa |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.6 | 35.9 |
| Points | 13.4 | 15.3 |
| Rebounds | 6.2 | 9.3 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 1.8 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 0.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.3 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Alex Caruso | Precious Achiuwa |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.7 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | +0.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.7 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | -1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | +0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | -2.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.5 | +1.3 |
| Total | -3.1 | -3.1 |
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 assists, steals, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Precious Achiuwa.
| Punt | Alex Caruso | Precious Achiuwa |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.4 (#134) | -2.1 (#178) |
| REB | -2.1 (#140) | -3.7 (#233) |
| AST | -2.5 (#174) | -2.1 (#153) |
| STL | -3.6 (#226) | -3.5 (#222) |
| BLK | -2.6 (#157) | -3.5 (#196) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#174) | -1.6 (#125) |
| FG% | -3.1 (#166) | -4.7 (#242) |
| FT% | -3.0 (#186) | -1.0 (#94) |
| TO | -4.8 (#210) | -4.6 (#198) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Alex Caruso: 4 games (Mon @CLE, Wed CLE, Fri @MEM, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
- Precious Achiuwa: 4 games (Mon @DAL, Wed LAL, Fri SAS, Sun MIA).
Recent games
- Alex Caruso: 24.8 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 18.2 on the board.
- Precious Achiuwa: 29.0 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 25.3 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Alex Caruso playing tonight? · Is Precious Achiuwa playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Alex Caruso or Precious Achiuwa?
Points leagues: Precious Achiuwa. 25.3 fantasy points per game against 18.2, 145th on our board to 246th. 9-cat leagues: Alex Caruso instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (178th to 180th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Alex Caruso or Precious Achiuwa?
Category by category, Alex Caruso is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Precious Achiuwa in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Alex Caruso or Precious Achiuwa?
Alex Caruso plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Precious Achiuwa 4. For that week alone, start Precious Achiuwa: 101.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Alex Caruso.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number