Anthony Davis vs Deni Avdija: who to start in Week 1
Anthony Davis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deni Avdija 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 131.5 projected fantasy points to 85.4 for Deni Avdija. Over the season, Anthony Davis leads in both formats: 43.8 fantasy points a game to 42.7, and 20th against 62nd 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #14
- 43.8 FP/G, slot 2.02, $32
- 9-cat leagues
- #20
- +2.9 z, slot 2.08, $32
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #16
- 42.7 FP/G, slot 2.04, $31
- 9-cat leagues
- #62
- -0.1 z, slot 6.02, $15
The call
Points leagues: Anthony Davis. 43.8 fantasy points per game against 42.7, 14th on our board to 16th.
9-cat leagues: Anthony Davis again, +2.9 in summed z-scores against -0.1 (20th to 62nd).
Category by category, Anthony Davis is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Deni Avdija in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Anthony Davis produces more: 50.1 fantasy points to 46.6, on 31.5 minutes a night against 33.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Anthony Davis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deni Avdija 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 131.5 projected fantasy points to 85.4 for Deni Avdija.
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 Davis | Deni Avdija |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 43.8 | 42.7 |
| Minutes | 31.5 | 33.0 |
| PointsPTS | 20.5 | 24.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 11.0 | 7.1 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 6.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.6 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.5 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.8% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.0% | 79.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.2 | 3.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 20 | 66 |
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 Davis | Deni Avdija |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 50.1 | 46.6 |
| Points | 23.4 | 26.1 |
| Rebounds | 12.6 | 7.7 |
| Assists | 3.1 | 7.1 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 0.6 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 4.0 |
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 Davis | Deni Avdija |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.7 | +1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.4 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | +1.5 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.0 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -1.2 | +0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.3 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.8 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.4 | -2.2 |
| Total | +2.9 | -0.1 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Anthony Davis stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Anthony Davis | Deni Avdija |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.1 (#18) | -1.5 (#136) |
| REB | +0.3 (#49) | -1.0 (#95) |
| AST | +3.2 (#11) | -1.7 (#136) |
| STL | +2.5 (#21) | +0.3 (#52) |
| BLK | +0.6 (#47) | -0.1 (#61) |
| 3PM | +4.0 (#8) | -0.4 (#75) |
| FG% | +2.0 (#28) | -0.0 (#62) |
| FT% | +3.7 (#9) | -0.0 (#63) |
| TO | +3.3 (#21) | +2.1 (#36) |
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 Davis: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Deni Avdija: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
Recent games
- Anthony Davis: 42.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 43.8 on the board.
- Deni Avdija: 41.7 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 42.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Anthony Davis playing tonight? · Is Deni Avdija playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Deni Avdija
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Davis or Deni Avdija?
Points leagues: Anthony Davis. 43.8 fantasy points per game against 42.7, 14th on our board to 16th. 9-cat leagues: Anthony Davis again, +2.9 in summed z-scores against -0.1 (20th to 62nd).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Davis or Deni Avdija?
Category by category, Anthony Davis is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Deni Avdija in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Davis or Deni Avdija?
Anthony Davis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deni Avdija 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 131.5 projected fantasy points to 85.4 for Deni Avdija.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number