Anthony Davis vs Jayson Tatum: who to start in Week 3
Anthony Davis plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jayson Tatum 4. For that week alone, start Jayson Tatum: 180.3 projected fantasy points to 172.9 for Anthony Davis. Over the season, Jayson Tatum leads in points leagues (45.1 fantasy points a game to 43.2) and Anthony Davis in 9-cat leagues (22nd against 24th). 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #14
- 43.2 FP/G, slot 2.02, $31
- 9-cat leagues
- #22
- +2.4 z, slot 2.10, $29
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #10
- 45.1 FP/G, slot 1.10, $34
- 9-cat leagues
- #24
- +2.2 z, slot 2.12, $28
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jayson Tatum. 45.1 fantasy points per game against 43.2, 10th on our board to 14th.
9-cat leagues: Anthony Davis instead, +2.4 in summed z-scores against +2.2 (22nd to 24th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Anthony Davis is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Jayson Tatum in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Anthony Davis produces more: 48.8 fantasy points to 48.5, on 31.9 minutes a night against 33.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Anthony Davis plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jayson Tatum 4. For that week alone, start Jayson Tatum: 180.3 projected fantasy points to 172.9 for Anthony Davis.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Anthony Davis | Jayson Tatum |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 43.2 | 45.1 |
| Minutes | 31.9 | 33.5 |
| PointsPTS | 20.9 | 23.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.5 | 8.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 6.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.6 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.8% | 41.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.0% | 83.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.0 | 2.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 20 | 16 |
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 | Jayson Tatum |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 48.8 | 48.5 |
| Points | 23.6 | 25.4 |
| Rebounds | 11.9 | 9.5 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 6.4 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.7 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 0.7 | 2.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 2.7 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Anthony Davis | Jayson Tatum |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.8 | +1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.0 | +1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | +1.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.6 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -1.1 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | -1.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | +0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.0 | -0.7 |
| Total | +2.4 | +2.2 |
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 Jayson Tatum.
| Punt | Anthony Davis | Jayson Tatum |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.6 (#21) | +1.0 (#32) |
| REB | +0.1 (#57) | +0.9 (#33) |
| AST | +2.8 (#14) | +1.0 (#32) |
| STL | +2.1 (#19) | +2.0 (#23) |
| BLK | +0.5 (#45) | +3.0 (#14) |
| 3PM | +3.3 (#12) | +1.2 (#37) |
| FG% | +1.8 (#34) | +4.1 (#9) |
| FT% | +2.9 (#12) | +1.4 (#34) |
| TO | +2.4 (#28) | +3.0 (#22) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Anthony Davis: 4 games (Mon @ORL, Wed ATL, Fri @ATL, Sat @OKC), 1 back-to-back.
- Jayson Tatum: 4 games (Mon @HOU, Wed MIL, Fri @CHA, Sun @MIL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Anthony Davis: 41.8 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 43.2 on the board.
- Jayson Tatum: 46.4 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 45.1 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Anthony Davis playing tonight? · Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Davis or Jayson Tatum?
Points leagues: Jayson Tatum. 45.1 fantasy points per game against 43.2, 10th on our board to 14th. 9-cat leagues: Anthony Davis instead, +2.4 in summed z-scores against +2.2 (22nd to 24th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Anthony Davis or Jayson Tatum?
Category by category, Anthony Davis is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Jayson Tatum in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Anthony Davis or Jayson Tatum?
Anthony Davis plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jayson Tatum 4. For that week alone, start Jayson Tatum: 180.3 projected fantasy points to 172.9 for Anthony Davis.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number