Anthony Black vs Saddiq Bey: who to start in Week 1
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Saddiq Bey 3. For that week alone, start Saddiq Bey: 88.4 projected fantasy points to 88.2 for Anthony Black. Over the season, Saddiq Bey leads in both formats: 29.5 fantasy points a game to 29.4, and 82nd against 123rd 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 22, 2:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #91
- 29.4 FP/G, slot 8.07, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #123
- -1.8 z, slot 11.03, $6
Day to day (Ankle)
- Points leagues
- #90
- 29.5 FP/G, slot 8.06, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #82
- -0.8 z, slot 7.10, $11
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Saddiq Bey. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 29.4, 90th on our board to 91st.
9-cat leagues: Saddiq Bey again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (82nd to 123rd).
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and BLK) and Saddiq Bey in 5 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Anthony Black produces more: 35.5 fantasy points to 34.5, on 29.8 minutes a night against 30.7. 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), Saddiq Bey 3. For that week alone, start Saddiq Bey: 88.4 projected fantasy points to 88.2 for Anthony Black.
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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Anthony Black | Saddiq Bey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.4 | 29.5 |
| Minutes | 29.8 | 30.7 |
| PointsPTS | 15.0 | 17.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 5.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.7% | 45.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.2% | 84.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 72 |
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 | Saddiq Bey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.5 | 34.5 |
| Points | 18.1 | 20.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 6.5 |
| Assists | 4.4 | 2.8 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 1.2 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Anthony Black | Saddiq Bey |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.3 | +0.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | +0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.7 | +0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.3 | +1.1 |
| Total | -1.8 | -0.8 |
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 free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Anthony Black.
| Punt | Anthony Black | Saddiq Bey |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#137) | -1.0 (#106) |
| REB | -1.2 (#99) | -0.8 (#81) |
| AST | -1.9 (#148) | -0.3 (#68) |
| STL | -3.1 (#189) | -0.5 (#76) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#133) | +0.3 (#53) |
| 3PM | -1.8 (#126) | -1.4 (#109) |
| FG% | -1.4 (#97) | -0.1 (#62) |
| FT% | -1.1 (#97) | -1.5 (#117) |
| TO | -1.6 (#97) | -1.9 (#109) |
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)
- Anthony Black: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK), listed DTD.
- Saddiq Bey: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 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.
- Saddiq Bey: 32.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.5 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Anthony Black playing tonight? · Is Saddiq Bey playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Anthony Black
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Black or Saddiq Bey?
Points leagues: Saddiq Bey. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 29.4, 90th on our board to 91st. 9-cat leagues: Saddiq Bey again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (82nd to 123rd).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Black or Saddiq Bey?
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and BLK) and Saddiq Bey in 5 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Black or Saddiq Bey?
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Saddiq Bey 3. For that week alone, start Saddiq Bey: 88.4 projected fantasy points to 88.2 for Anthony Black.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 2:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number