Alex Sarr vs Jaden McDaniels: who to start in Week 3
Alex Sarr plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jaden McDaniels 4. For that week alone, start Alex Sarr: 129.9 projected fantasy points to 119.0 for Jaden McDaniels. Over the season, Alex Sarr leads in points leagues (32.5 fantasy points a game to 29.7) and Jaden McDaniels in 9-cat leagues (63rd against 64th). 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, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #71
- 32.5 FP/G, slot 6.11, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #64
- -0.1 z, slot 6.04, $15
Day to day (Knee)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #95
- 29.7 FP/G, slot 8.11, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #63
- -0.1 z, slot 6.03, $15
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Alex Sarr. 32.5 fantasy points per game against 29.7, 71st on our board to 95th.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, -0.1 in summed z-scores against -0.1 (63rd to 64th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Alex Sarr is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and TO) and Jaden McDaniels in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Alex Sarr produces more: 43.8 fantasy points to 33.4, on 26.7 minutes a night against 32.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Alex Sarr plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jaden McDaniels 4. For that week alone, start Alex Sarr: 129.9 projected fantasy points to 119.0 for Jaden McDaniels.
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 Sarr | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.5 | 29.7 |
| Minutes | 26.7 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 14.3 | 15.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 3.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 52.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 69.9% | 79.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 48 | 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 Sarr | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 43.8 | 33.4 |
| Points | 19.3 | 17.4 |
| Rebounds | 9.3 | 5.4 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 2.0 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Alex Sarr | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.4 | -0.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | -0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.1 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.8 | -0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | +0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | -0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | +0.2 |
| Total | -0.1 | -0.1 |
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 points, assists, steals, threes, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Alex Sarr.
| Punt | Alex Sarr | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.3 (#50) | +0.1 (#56) |
| REB | -0.8 (#91) | +0.2 (#55) |
| AST | +0.5 (#41) | +0.2 (#54) |
| STL | +0.3 (#51) | +0.0 (#52) |
| BLK | -2.4 (#149) | -0.7 (#87) |
| 3PM | +0.6 (#44) | +0.1 (#53) |
| FG% | -0.6 (#79) | -1.0 (#90) |
| FT% | +0.8 (#41) | -0.1 (#62) |
| TO | -0.7 (#78) | -0.4 (#71) |
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 438 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Alex Sarr: 4 games (Mon @ORL, Wed ATL, Fri @ATL, Sat @OKC), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Jaden McDaniels: 4 games (Mon MIL, Wed @HOU, Fri @NOP, Sun UTA).
Recent games
- Alex Sarr: 23.8 fantasy points a game over his last 6 of 2026-27, against 32.5 on the board.
- Jaden McDaniels: 31.9 fantasy points a game over his last 8 of 2026-27, against 29.7 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Alex Sarr playing tonight? · Is Jaden McDaniels playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Alex Sarr
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Alex Sarr or Jaden McDaniels?
Points leagues: Alex Sarr. 32.5 fantasy points per game against 29.7, 71st on our board to 95th. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, -0.1 in summed z-scores against -0.1 (63rd to 64th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Alex Sarr or Jaden McDaniels?
Category by category, Alex Sarr is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and TO) and Jaden McDaniels in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Alex Sarr or Jaden McDaniels?
Alex Sarr plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jaden McDaniels 4. For that week alone, start Alex Sarr: 129.9 projected fantasy points to 119.0 for Jaden McDaniels.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number