Anthony Edwards vs Deni Avdija: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Anthony Edwards in both formats: 43.9 fantasy points a game to 42.9 in points leagues, and 13th against 67th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #14
- 43.9 FP/G, slot 2.02, $32
- 9-cat leagues
- #13
- +3.4 z, slot 2.01, $34
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #17
- 42.9 FP/G, slot 2.05, $30
- 9-cat leagues
- #67
- -0.4 z, slot 6.07, $13
The call
Points leagues: draft Anthony Edwards. 43.9 fantasy points per game against 42.9, 14th on our board to 17th.
9-cat leagues: Anthony Edwards again, +3.4 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (13th to 67th).
Category by category, Anthony Edwards is ahead in 6 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Deni Avdija in 3 (REB, AST and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Deni Avdija produces more: 46.3 fantasy points to 45.2, on 33.3 minutes a night against 35.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Anthony Edwards plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deni Avdija 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Edwards: 131.8 projected fantasy points to 85.7 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Anthony Edwards | Deni Avdija |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 43.9 | 42.9 |
| Minutes | 35.0 | 33.3 |
| PointsPTS | 28.8 | 24.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.0 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 6.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 3.4 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 46.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.6% | 80.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 3.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 61 | 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 Edwards | Deni Avdija |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.2 | 46.3 |
| Points | 29.6 | 26.2 |
| Rebounds | 5.1 | 7.4 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 7.2 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 3.5 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 4.1 |
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 Edwards | Deni Avdija |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +2.1 | +1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | +1.5 |
| StealsSTL | +1.0 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | -0.1 |
| Threes3PM | +1.7 | +0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | -2.5 |
| Total | +3.4 | -0.4 |
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 Edwards stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Anthony Edwards | Deni Avdija |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.2 (#34) | -1.8 (#145) |
| REB | +3.7 (#12) | -1.1 (#95) |
| AST | +3.2 (#12) | -2.0 (#146) |
| STL | +2.3 (#21) | +0.2 (#55) |
| BLK | +3.2 (#15) | -0.4 (#72) |
| 3PM | +1.5 (#32) | -0.7 (#87) |
| FG% | +3.3 (#17) | -0.1 (#66) |
| FT% | +3.3 (#11) | -0.6 (#82) |
| TO | +4.8 (#12) | +2.1 (#35) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Anthony Edwards: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
- Deni Avdija: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
Recent games
- Anthony Edwards: 38.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 43.9 on the board.
- Deni Avdija: 42.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 42.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Anthony Edwards or Deni Avdija in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Anthony Edwards. 43.9 fantasy points per game against 42.9, 14th on our board to 17th. 9-cat leagues: Anthony Edwards again, +3.4 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (13th to 67th).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Edwards or Deni Avdija?
Category by category, Anthony Edwards is ahead in 6 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Deni Avdija in 3 (REB, AST and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Edwards or Deni Avdija?
Anthony Edwards plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deni Avdija 2. For that week alone, start Anthony Edwards: 131.8 projected fantasy points to 85.7 for Deni Avdija.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number