Anthony Davis vs James Harden: who to start in Week 1
Anthony Davis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 129.6 projected fantasy points to 81.6 for James Harden. Over the season, Anthony Davis leads in both formats: 43.2 fantasy points a game to 40.8, and 28th against 30th 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, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- 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 and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #21
- 40.8 FP/G, slot 2.09, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #30
- +1.7 z, slot 3.06, $25
The call
Points leagues: Anthony Davis. 43.2 fantasy points per game against 40.8, 15th on our board to 21st.
9-cat leagues: Anthony Davis again, +2.1 in summed z-scores against +1.7 (28th to 30th).
Category by category, Anthony Davis is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Anthony Davis produces more: 49.4 fantasy points to 42.5, on 31.5 minutes a night against 34.6. 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), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 129.6 projected fantasy points to 81.6 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Anthony Davis | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 43.2 | 40.8 |
| Minutes | 31.5 | 34.6 |
| PointsPTS | 20.4 | 22.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.7 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.8 | 7.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.5 | 2.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 42.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.1% | 87.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 3.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 20 | 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 | Anthony Davis | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 49.4 | 42.5 |
| Points | 23.3 | 23.4 |
| Rebounds | 12.2 | 5.1 |
| Assists | 3.2 | 8.0 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.8 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 0.5 | 3.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 3.8 |
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 | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.7 | +1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.2 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | +2.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.8 | -0.4 |
| Threes3PM | -1.2 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -1.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.0 | +1.8 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | -2.3 |
| Total | +2.1 | +1.7 |
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 rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to James Harden.
| Punt | Anthony Davis | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.3 (#30) | +0.6 (#40) |
| REB | -0.4 (#70) | +2.2 (#22) |
| AST | +2.4 (#20) | -0.4 (#67) |
| STL | +1.7 (#27) | +1.6 (#28) |
| BLK | +0.0 (#58) | +2.2 (#24) |
| 3PM | +3.2 (#13) | +0.3 (#54) |
| FG% | +1.3 (#37) | +3.7 (#17) |
| FT% | +3.0 (#14) | -0.2 (#68) |
| TO | +2.5 (#32) | +4.0 (#16) |
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.
- James Harden: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Anthony Davis: 39.1 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 43.2 on the board.
- James Harden: 29.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 40.8 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 James Harden playing tonight?
Rookie cards: James Harden
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Davis or James Harden?
Points leagues: Anthony Davis. 43.2 fantasy points per game against 40.8, 15th on our board to 21st. 9-cat leagues: Anthony Davis again, +2.1 in summed z-scores against +1.7 (28th to 30th).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Davis or James Harden?
Category by category, Anthony Davis 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, Anthony Davis or James Harden?
Anthony Davis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 129.6 projected fantasy points to 81.6 for James Harden.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number