Cade Cunningham vs Jayson Tatum: who to start in Week 3
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jayson Tatum 4. For that week alone, start Jayson Tatum: 179.0 projected fantasy points to 142.6 for Cade Cunningham. Over the season, Cade Cunningham leads in both formats: 47.5 fantasy points a game to 44.7, and 13th against 26th 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 Nov 3, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #7
- 47.5 FP/G, slot 1.07, $37
- 9-cat leagues
- #13
- +3.2 z, slot 2.01, $34
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #12
- 44.7 FP/G, slot 1.12, $33
- 9-cat leagues
- #26
- +2.1 z, slot 3.02, $27
The call
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham. 47.5 fantasy points per game against 44.7, 7th on our board to 12th.
9-cat leagues: Cade Cunningham again, +3.2 in summed z-scores against +2.1 (13th to 26th).
Category by category, Cade Cunningham is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Jayson Tatum in 4 (REB, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cade Cunningham produces more: 51.1 fantasy points to 48.2, on 33.5 minutes a night against 33.4. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jayson Tatum 4. For that week alone, start Jayson Tatum: 179.0 projected fantasy points to 142.6 for Cade Cunningham.
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 | Cade Cunningham | Jayson Tatum |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 47.5 | 44.7 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 33.4 |
| PointsPTS | 23.9 | 23.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.5 | 8.7 |
| AssistsAST | 9.0 | 6.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.1 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.8% | 41.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.7% | 84.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.7 | 2.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 16 |
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 | Cade Cunningham | Jayson Tatum |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 51.1 | 48.2 |
| Points | 25.7 | 25.2 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 9.4 |
| Assists | 9.7 | 6.6 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 4.0 | 2.8 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Cade Cunningham | Jayson Tatum |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.3 | +1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | +1.2 |
| AssistsAST | +2.6 | +1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +0.4 | +0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -1.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.2 | -0.8 |
| Total | +3.2 | +2.1 |
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, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jayson Tatum.
| Punt | Cade Cunningham | Jayson Tatum |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.8 (#18) | +0.8 (#36) |
| REB | +3.3 (#13) | +0.8 (#34) |
| AST | +0.3 (#47) | +0.8 (#37) |
| STL | +2.0 (#24) | +1.8 (#27) |
| BLK | +2.7 (#18) | +2.8 (#17) |
| 3PM | +2.6 (#16) | +1.1 (#39) |
| FG% | +3.4 (#14) | +4.1 (#9) |
| FT% | +3.1 (#14) | +1.0 (#37) |
| TO | +5.5 (#8) | +3.0 (#21) |
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 438 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Cade Cunningham: 3 games (Mon @CHA, Wed PHI, Sun LAL).
- Jayson Tatum: 4 games (Mon @HOU, Wed MIL, Fri @CHA, Sun @MIL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Cade Cunningham: 45.2 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 47.5 on the board.
- Jayson Tatum: 46.4 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 44.7 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Cade Cunningham playing tonight? · Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Cade Cunningham
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cade Cunningham or Jayson Tatum?
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham. 47.5 fantasy points per game against 44.7, 7th on our board to 12th. 9-cat leagues: Cade Cunningham again, +3.2 in summed z-scores against +2.1 (13th to 26th).
Who wins more categories, Cade Cunningham or Jayson Tatum?
Category by category, Cade Cunningham is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Jayson Tatum in 4 (REB, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 3, Cade Cunningham or Jayson Tatum?
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jayson Tatum 4. For that week alone, start Jayson Tatum: 179.0 projected fantasy points to 142.6 for Cade Cunningham.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number