Austin Reaves vs James Harden: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft James Harden in both formats: 42.4 fantasy points a game to 38.7 in points leagues, and 23rd against 24th 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
- #36
- 38.7 FP/G, slot 3.12, $24
- 9-cat leagues
- #24
- +2.1 z, slot 2.12, $27
- Points leagues
- #18
- 42.4 FP/G, slot 2.06, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #23
- +2.5 z, slot 2.11, $29
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft James Harden. 42.4 fantasy points per game against 38.7, 18th on our board to 36th.
9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +2.5 in summed z-scores against +2.1 (23rd to 24th).
Category by category, Austin Reaves is ahead in 2 (FG% and TO) and James Harden in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, James Harden produces more: 43.8 fantasy points to 40.3, on 34.8 minutes a night against 34.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Austin Reaves: 116.0 projected fantasy points to 84.8 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Austin Reaves | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.7 | 42.4 |
| Minutes | 34.5 | 34.8 |
| PointsPTS | 23.3 | 23.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.7 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 8.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 3.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 43.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.1% | 88.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 51 | 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 | Austin Reaves | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.3 | 43.8 |
| Points | 24.3 | 24.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 5.0 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 8.2 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 3.6 |
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 | Austin Reaves | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.2 | +1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.9 | +2.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -1.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.6 | +1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.4 | -2.1 |
| Total | +2.1 | +2.5 |
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 assists and threes flips the 9-cat answer to Austin Reaves.
| Punt | Austin Reaves | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.9 (#36) | +1.2 (#32) |
| REB | +2.6 (#20) | +3.1 (#17) |
| AST | +1.1 (#35) | +0.3 (#53) |
| STL | +1.8 (#25) | +2.2 (#22) |
| BLK | +2.8 (#21) | +3.2 (#16) |
| 3PM | +1.3 (#35) | +0.9 (#40) |
| FG% | +2.2 (#28) | +4.3 (#12) |
| FT% | +0.3 (#53) | +0.4 (#52) |
| TO | +3.5 (#20) | +4.7 (#14) |
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)
- Austin Reaves: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
- James Harden: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Austin Reaves: 35.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 38.7 on the board.
- James Harden: 37.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 42.4 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 Austin Reaves or James Harden in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft James Harden. 42.4 fantasy points per game against 38.7, 18th on our board to 36th. 9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +2.5 in summed z-scores against +2.1 (23rd to 24th).
Who wins more categories, Austin Reaves or James Harden?
Category by category, Austin Reaves is ahead in 2 (FG% and TO) and James Harden in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Austin Reaves or James Harden?
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Austin Reaves: 116.0 projected fantasy points to 84.8 for James Harden.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number