Anthony Black vs P.J. Washington: who to start in Week 1
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), P.J. Washington 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 88.2 projected fantasy points to 87.5 for P.J. Washington. Over the season, Anthony Black leads in both formats: 29.4 fantasy points a game to 29.2, and 121st against 161st in 9-cat. 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, 10:29 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #88
- 29.4 FP/G, slot 8.04, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #121
- -1.8 z, slot 11.01, $5
Game-time decision (Ankle)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #90
- 29.2 FP/G, slot 8.06, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #161
- -2.5 z, slot 14.05
The call
Points leagues: Anthony Black. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 29.2, 88th on our board to 90th.
9-cat leagues: Anthony Black again, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (121st to 161st).
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and P.J. Washington in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Anthony Black produces more: 35.5 fantasy points to 33.4, on 29.8 minutes a night against 31.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), P.J. Washington 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 88.2 projected fantasy points to 87.5 for P.J. Washington.
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 | Anthony Black | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.4 | 29.2 |
| Minutes | 29.8 | 31.4 |
| PointsPTS | 15.0 | 14.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 7.0 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 1.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.7% | 45.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.2% | 66.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 56 |
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 | Anthony Black | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.5 | 33.4 |
| Points | 18.1 | 16.2 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 8.1 |
| Assists | 4.4 | 1.9 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 2.0 |
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 | Anthony Black | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -1.0 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | -0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.0 | +0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.8 | -1.4 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.2 | +0.2 |
| Total | -1.8 | -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 assists, steals and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to P.J. Washington.
| Punt | Anthony Black | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#142) | -2.2 (#175) |
| REB | -1.1 (#104) | -3.5 (#221) |
| AST | -2.0 (#149) | -1.6 (#129) |
| STL | -2.9 (#181) | -2.0 (#144) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#136) | -3.8 (#209) |
| 3PM | -1.8 (#129) | -2.2 (#151) |
| FG% | -1.4 (#99) | -2.6 (#146) |
| FT% | -1.1 (#97) | -1.1 (#96) |
| TO | -1.6 (#99) | -2.8 (#134) |
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)
- Anthony Black: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK), listed GTD.
- P.J. Washington: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Anthony Black: 19.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.4 on the board.
- P.J. Washington: 26.4 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 29.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Anthony Black playing tonight? · Is P.J. Washington playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Anthony Black
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Black or P.J. Washington?
Points leagues: Anthony Black. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 29.2, 88th on our board to 90th. 9-cat leagues: Anthony Black again, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (121st to 161st).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Black or P.J. Washington?
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and P.J. Washington in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Black or P.J. Washington?
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), P.J. Washington 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 88.2 projected fantasy points to 87.5 for P.J. Washington.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 10:29 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number