Alperen Şengün vs James Harden: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Alperen Şengün in points leagues (43.9 fantasy points a game to 42.4) and James Harden in 9-cat leagues (23rd against 42nd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #15
- 43.9 FP/G, slot 2.03, $32
- 9-cat leagues
- #42
- +0.9 z, slot 4.06, $20
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #18
- 42.4 FP/G, slot 2.06, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #23
- +2.5 z, slot 2.11, $29
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Alperen Şengün. 43.9 fantasy points per game against 42.4, 15th on our board to 18th.
9-cat leagues: James Harden instead, +2.5 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (23rd to 42nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Alperen Şengün is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Alperen Şengün produces more: 47.4 fantasy points to 43.8, on 33.3 minutes a night against 34.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Alperen Şengün plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Alperen Şengün: 131.7 projected fantasy points to 84.8 for James Harden.
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 | Alperen Şengün | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 43.9 | 42.4 |
| Minutes | 33.3 | 34.8 |
| PointsPTS | 20.4 | 23.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.9 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 6.2 | 8.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.6 | 3.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.9% | 43.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 69.1% | 88.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 70 |
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 | Alperen Şengün | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 47.4 | 43.8 |
| Points | 22.0 | 24.4 |
| Rebounds | 9.6 | 5.0 |
| Assists | 6.7 | 8.2 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.6 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 3.4 | 3.6 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Alperen Şengün | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | +1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.4 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.2 | +2.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.8 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -1.1 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.8 | -1.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.7 | +1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.6 | -2.1 |
| Total | +0.9 | +2.5 |
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 threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Alperen Şengün.
| Punt | Alperen Şengün | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.1 (#61) | +1.2 (#32) |
| REB | -1.0 (#86) | +3.1 (#17) |
| AST | -0.6 (#75) | +0.3 (#53) |
| STL | +0.3 (#54) | +2.2 (#22) |
| BLK | -0.3 (#70) | +3.2 (#16) |
| 3PM | +1.9 (#27) | +0.9 (#40) |
| FG% | -0.9 (#86) | +4.3 (#12) |
| FT% | +2.5 (#20) | +0.4 (#52) |
| TO | +2.4 (#29) | +4.7 (#14) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Alperen Şengün: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- James Harden: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Alperen Şengün: 43.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 43.9 on the board.
- James Harden: 37.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 42.4 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Alperen Şengün or James Harden in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Alperen Şengün. 43.9 fantasy points per game against 42.4, 15th on our board to 18th. 9-cat leagues: James Harden instead, +2.5 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (23rd to 42nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Alperen Şengün or James Harden?
Category by category, Alperen Şengün is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Alperen Şengün or James Harden?
Alperen Şengün plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Alperen Şengün: 131.7 projected fantasy points to 84.8 for James Harden.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number