Anthony Davis vs Paul George: who to start in Week 1
Anthony Davis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 135.1 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Paul George. Over the season, Anthony Davis leads in both formats: 45.0 fantasy points a game to 35.3, and 13th against 20th 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, 4:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #11
- 45.0 FP/G, slot 1.11, $34
- 9-cat leagues
- #13
- +3.5 z, slot 2.01, $34
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #45
- 35.3 FP/G, slot 4.09, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #20
- +2.8 z, slot 2.08, $31
The call
Points leagues: Anthony Davis. 45.0 fantasy points per game against 35.3, 11th on our board to 45th.
9-cat leagues: Anthony Davis again, +3.5 in summed z-scores against +2.8 (13th to 20th).
Category by category, Anthony Davis is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%) and Paul George in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Anthony Davis produces more: 51.5 fantasy points to 41.5, on 31.5 minutes a night against 30.7. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Anthony Davis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 135.1 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Paul George.
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 | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 45.0 | 35.3 |
| Minutes | 31.5 | 30.7 |
| PointsPTS | 21.2 | 18.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 11.1 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.9 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.5 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.9% | 45.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.9% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 20 | 37 |
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 | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 51.5 | 41.5 |
| Points | 24.3 | 21.8 |
| Rebounds | 12.7 | 6.2 |
| Assists | 3.3 | 4.2 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 1.8 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 0.6 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 2.1 |
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 | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.8 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.4 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | +2.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.9 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -1.1 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.6 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.3 | +0.1 |
| Total | +3.5 | +2.8 |
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 rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Paul George.
| Punt | Anthony Davis | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.6 (#9) | +2.3 (#14) |
| REB | +0.8 (#40) | +3.1 (#19) |
| AST | +3.8 (#10) | +2.7 (#16) |
| STL | +3.0 (#15) | +0.3 (#54) |
| BLK | +1.3 (#34) | +3.4 (#14) |
| 3PM | +4.5 (#6) | +1.3 (#34) |
| FG% | +2.4 (#25) | +3.8 (#15) |
| FT% | +4.3 (#8) | +2.4 (#20) |
| TO | +3.8 (#18) | +2.8 (#23) |
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 Davis: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Paul George: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Anthony Davis: 60.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 45.0 on the board.
- Paul George: 60.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 35.3 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 Paul George playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Paul George
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Davis or Paul George?
Points leagues: Anthony Davis. 45.0 fantasy points per game against 35.3, 11th on our board to 45th. 9-cat leagues: Anthony Davis again, +3.5 in summed z-scores against +2.8 (13th to 20th).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Davis or Paul George?
Category by category, Anthony Davis is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%) and Paul George in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Davis or Paul George?
Anthony Davis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Davis: 135.1 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Paul George.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 4:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number