Amen Thompson vs Anthony Davis: who to start in Week 1
Amen Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Anthony Davis 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 129.6 projected fantasy points to 119.5 for Amen Thompson. Over the season, Anthony Davis leads in points leagues (43.2 fantasy points a game to 39.8) and Amen Thompson in 9-cat leagues (26th against 28th). 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #28
- 39.8 FP/G, slot 3.04, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #26
- +2.3 z, slot 3.02, $29
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #15
- 43.2 FP/G, slot 2.03, $32
- 9-cat leagues
- #28
- +2.1 z, slot 3.04, $27
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Anthony Davis. 43.2 fantasy points per game against 39.8, 15th on our board to 28th.
9-cat leagues: Amen Thompson instead, +2.3 in summed z-scores against +2.1 (26th to 28th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Amen Thompson is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Anthony Davis in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Anthony Davis produces more: 49.4 fantasy points to 38.5, on 31.5 minutes a night against 37.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Amen Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Anthony Davis 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 129.6 projected fantasy points to 119.5 for Amen Thompson.
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 | Amen Thompson | Anthony Davis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.8 | 43.2 |
| Minutes | 37.2 | 31.5 |
| PointsPTS | 18.2 | 20.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.2 | 10.7 |
| AssistsAST | 5.2 | 2.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 1.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.6% | 49.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.4% | 73.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 79 | 20 |
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 | Amen Thompson | Anthony Davis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.5 | 49.4 |
| Points | 17.6 | 23.3 |
| Rebounds | 7.9 | 12.2 |
| Assists | 5.0 | 3.2 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 1.8 |
| Threes | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 2.6 |
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 | Amen Thompson | Anthony Davis |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.1 | +2.2 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | +1.2 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.1 | +1.8 |
| Threes3PM | -1.3 | -1.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.9 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| Total | +2.3 | +2.1 |
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, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Anthony Davis.
| Punt | Amen Thompson | Anthony Davis |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.9 (#18) | +1.3 (#30) |
| REB | +1.1 (#37) | -0.4 (#70) |
| AST | +1.5 (#29) | +2.4 (#20) |
| STL | +1.1 (#32) | +1.7 (#27) |
| BLK | +2.3 (#23) | +0.0 (#58) |
| 3PM | +3.5 (#12) | +3.2 (#13) |
| FG% | +1.0 (#41) | +1.3 (#37) |
| FT% | +2.4 (#20) | +3.0 (#14) |
| TO | +2.8 (#26) | +2.5 (#32) |
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)
- Amen Thompson: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
- Anthony Davis: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Amen Thompson: 41.4 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 39.8 on the board.
- Anthony Davis: 39.1 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 43.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Amen Thompson playing tonight? · Is Anthony Davis playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Amen Thompson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Amen Thompson or Anthony Davis?
Points leagues: Anthony Davis. 43.2 fantasy points per game against 39.8, 15th on our board to 28th. 9-cat leagues: Amen Thompson instead, +2.3 in summed z-scores against +2.1 (26th to 28th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Amen Thompson or Anthony Davis?
Category by category, Amen Thompson is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Anthony Davis in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Amen Thompson or Anthony Davis?
Amen Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Anthony Davis 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 129.6 projected fantasy points to 119.5 for Amen Thompson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number