Brook Lopez vs Stephon Castle: who to start in Week 1
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 104.5 projected fantasy points to 63.2 for Brook Lopez. Over the season, Stephon Castle leads in points leagues (34.8 fantasy points a game to 21.1) and Brook Lopez in 9-cat leagues (145th against 146th). 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #190
- 21.1 FP/G, slot 16.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #145
- -2.2 z, slot 13.01, $2
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #50
- 34.8 FP/G, slot 5.02, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #146
- -2.2 z, slot 13.02, $2
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Stephon Castle. 34.8 fantasy points per game against 21.1, 50th on our board to 190th.
9-cat leagues: Brook Lopez instead, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (145th to 146th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Brook Lopez is ahead in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Stephon Castle in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL).
Per 36 minutes, Stephon Castle produces more: 41.7 fantasy points to 34.5, on 30.0 minutes a night against 22.0. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 104.5 projected fantasy points to 63.2 for Brook Lopez.
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 | Brook Lopez | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.1 | 34.8 |
| Minutes | 22.0 | 30.0 |
| PointsPTS | 9.8 | 17.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.1 | 5.5 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 6.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.4% | 46.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.9% | 72.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 3.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 68 |
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 | Brook Lopez | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.5 | 41.7 |
| Points | 16.0 | 20.4 |
| Rebounds | 6.7 | 6.6 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 8.2 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 2.1 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 3.7 |
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 | Brook Lopez | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.2 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | -1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | -1.5 |
| Total | -2.2 | -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 blocks, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Stephon Castle.
| Punt | Brook Lopez | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.1 (#115) | -2.4 (#193) |
| REB | -1.6 (#124) | -2.5 (#162) |
| AST | -1.1 (#106) | -4.0 (#242) |
| STL | -1.2 (#106) | -2.4 (#160) |
| BLK | -3.7 (#207) | -1.6 (#112) |
| 3PM | -2.1 (#144) | -2.2 (#148) |
| FG% | -2.3 (#134) | -2.4 (#141) |
| FT% | -2.2 (#147) | -1.2 (#105) |
| TO | -3.5 (#157) | -0.8 (#72) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Brook Lopez: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Stephon Castle: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brook Lopez: 34.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.1 on the board.
- Stephon Castle: 31.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 34.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Brook Lopez playing tonight? · Is Stephon Castle playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Stephon Castle
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brook Lopez or Stephon Castle?
Points leagues: Stephon Castle. 34.8 fantasy points per game against 21.1, 50th on our board to 190th. 9-cat leagues: Brook Lopez instead, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (145th to 146th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Brook Lopez or Stephon Castle?
Category by category, Brook Lopez is ahead in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Stephon Castle in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brook Lopez or Stephon Castle?
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 104.5 projected fantasy points to 63.2 for Brook Lopez.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number