Anthony Edwards vs Kawhi Leonard: who to start in Week 1
Anthony Edwards plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kawhi Leonard 3. For that week alone, start Kawhi Leonard: 137.7 projected fantasy points to 136.1 for Anthony Edwards. Over the season, Kawhi Leonard leads in both formats: 45.9 fantasy points a game to 45.4, and 4th against 8th 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, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #10
- 45.4 FP/G, slot 1.10, $34
- 9-cat leagues
- #8
- +4.4 z, slot 1.08, $39
- Points leagues
- #9
- 45.9 FP/G, slot 1.09, $35
- 9-cat leagues
- #4
- +7.7 z, slot 1.04, $57
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Kawhi Leonard. 45.9 fantasy points per game against 45.4, 9th on our board to 10th.
9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, +7.7 in summed z-scores against +4.4 (4th to 8th).
Category by category, Anthony Edwards is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, BLK, 3PM and FG%) and Kawhi Leonard in 4 (REB, STL, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Kawhi Leonard produces more: 52.3 fantasy points to 46.8, on 31.6 minutes a night against 34.9. 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), Kawhi Leonard 3. For that week alone, start Kawhi Leonard: 137.7 projected fantasy points to 136.1 for Anthony Edwards.
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 Edwards | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 45.4 | 45.9 |
| Minutes | 34.9 | 31.6 |
| PointsPTS | 29.8 | 27.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 6.3 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 3.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 2.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 3.7 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.5% | 49.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.7% | 90.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 61 | 65 |
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 | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.8 | 52.3 |
| Points | 30.8 | 31.5 |
| Rebounds | 5.4 | 7.2 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 2.3 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 3.8 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.0 | 2.2 |
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 | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +2.3 | +1.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | +0.2 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | +2.8 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.3 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | +2.1 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | +2.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.4 | -0.1 |
| Total | +4.4 | +7.7 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Kawhi Leonard stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Anthony Edwards | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.0 (#18) | +5.6 (#4) |
| REB | +4.7 (#10) | +7.7 (#4) |
| AST | +4.2 (#8) | +7.5 (#2) |
| STL | +3.2 (#13) | +4.8 (#4) |
| BLK | +4.3 (#9) | +8.3 (#3) |
| 3PM | +2.1 (#23) | +6.3 (#4) |
| FG% | +4.3 (#12) | +7.9 (#4) |
| FT% | +4.2 (#9) | +5.3 (#6) |
| TO | +5.9 (#7) | +7.9 (#6) |
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 Edwards: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
- Kawhi Leonard: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- Anthony Edwards: 66.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 45.4 on the board.
- Kawhi Leonard: 48.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 45.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Anthony Edwards playing tonight? · Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Edwards or Kawhi Leonard?
Points leagues: Kawhi Leonard. 45.9 fantasy points per game against 45.4, 9th on our board to 10th. 9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, +7.7 in summed z-scores against +4.4 (4th to 8th).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Edwards or Kawhi Leonard?
Category by category, Anthony Edwards is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, BLK, 3PM and FG%) and Kawhi Leonard in 4 (REB, STL, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Edwards or Kawhi Leonard?
Anthony Edwards plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kawhi Leonard 3. For that week alone, start Kawhi Leonard: 137.7 projected fantasy points to 136.1 for Anthony Edwards.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number