Alex Sarr vs Stephon Castle: who to start in Week 1
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 104.8 projected fantasy points to 104.7 for Alex Sarr. Over the season, Stephon Castle leads in points leagues (34.9 fantasy points a game to 34.9) and Alex Sarr in 9-cat leagues (53rd against 145th). 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 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #49
- 34.9 FP/G, slot 5.01, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #53
- +0.3 z, slot 5.05, $17
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #47
- 34.9 FP/G, slot 4.11, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #145
- -2.4 z, slot 13.01, $3
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Stephon Castle. 34.9 fantasy points per game against 34.9, 47th on our board to 49th.
9-cat leagues: Alex Sarr instead, +0.3 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (53rd to 145th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Alex Sarr is ahead in 5 (REB, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Stephon Castle in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Alex Sarr produces more: 46.6 fantasy points to 42.1, on 27.0 minutes a night against 29.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 104.8 projected fantasy points to 104.7 for Alex Sarr.
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 | Alex Sarr | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.9 | 34.9 |
| Minutes | 27.0 | 29.8 |
| PointsPTS | 15.7 | 17.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.5 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 7.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.9 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.5% | 46.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 69.2% | 73.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 3.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 48 | 68 |
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 | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.6 | 42.1 |
| Points | 20.9 | 20.6 |
| Rebounds | 10.0 | 6.5 |
| Assists | 3.6 | 8.4 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 2.5 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.8 |
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 | Alex Sarr | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.4 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | -1.7 |
| Total | +0.3 | -2.4 |
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 blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Stephon Castle.
| Punt | Alex Sarr | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.4 (#49) | -2.5 (#198) |
| REB | -0.7 (#80) | -2.6 (#171) |
| AST | +0.7 (#40) | -4.2 (#253) |
| STL | +0.9 (#35) | -2.6 (#170) |
| BLK | -2.4 (#146) | -1.7 (#121) |
| 3PM | +0.9 (#40) | -2.2 (#146) |
| FG% | +0.2 (#58) | -2.6 (#142) |
| FT% | +1.2 (#35) | -1.5 (#115) |
| TO | -0.1 (#62) | -0.7 (#73) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Alex Sarr: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Stephon Castle: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Alex Sarr: 19.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 34.9 on the board.
- Stephon Castle: 30.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 34.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Alex Sarr playing tonight? · Is Stephon Castle playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Alex Sarr, Stephon Castle
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Alex Sarr or Stephon Castle?
Points leagues: Stephon Castle. 34.9 fantasy points per game against 34.9, 47th on our board to 49th. 9-cat leagues: Alex Sarr instead, +0.3 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (53rd to 145th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Alex Sarr or Stephon Castle?
Category by category, Alex Sarr is ahead in 5 (REB, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Stephon Castle in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Alex Sarr or Stephon Castle?
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 104.8 projected fantasy points to 104.7 for Alex Sarr.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number