Cade Cunningham vs Jimmy Butler III: who to start in Week 1
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler III 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 144.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler III. Over the season, Cade Cunningham leads in both formats: 48.0 fantasy points a game to 37.4, and 17th against 18th 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, 4:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #7
- 48.0 FP/G, slot 1.07, $38
- 9-cat leagues
- #17
- +3.1 z, slot 2.05, $32
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #40
- 37.4 FP/G, slot 4.04, $22
- 9-cat leagues
- #18
- +3.1 z, slot 2.06, $32
Out (Knee)
The call
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham. 48.0 fantasy points per game against 37.4, 7th on our board to 40th.
9-cat leagues: Cade Cunningham again, +3.1 in summed z-scores against +3.1 (17th to 18th).
Category by category, Cade Cunningham is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, BLK and 3PM) and Jimmy Butler III in 4 (STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cade Cunningham produces more: 50.9 fantasy points to 43.2, on 34.0 minutes a night against 31.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler III 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 144.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler III.
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 | Cade Cunningham | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 48.0 | 37.4 |
| Minutes | 34.0 | 31.1 |
| PointsPTS | 23.8 | 20.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.5 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 9.8 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.0% | 51.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.1% | 86.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.8 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 38 |
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 | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 50.9 | 43.2 |
| Points | 25.2 | 23.1 |
| Rebounds | 5.8 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 10.4 | 5.6 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Turnovers | 4.0 | 1.8 |
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 | Cade Cunningham | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.3 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +3.1 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | +1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | -0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +1.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.4 | +0.4 |
| Total | +3.1 | +3.1 |
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 points, assists, blocks and threes flips the 9-cat answer to Jimmy Butler III.
| Punt | Cade Cunningham | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.7 (#22) | +2.4 (#11) |
| REB | +3.2 (#17) | +3.1 (#18) |
| AST | -0.2 (#64) | +2.4 (#18) |
| STL | +1.9 (#24) | +1.8 (#25) |
| BLK | +2.7 (#20) | +4.0 (#12) |
| 3PM | +2.6 (#16) | +3.7 (#11) |
| FG% | +3.9 (#14) | +2.3 (#26) |
| FT% | +2.5 (#17) | +1.5 (#32) |
| TO | +5.6 (#9) | +2.7 (#26) |
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)
- Cade Cunningham: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
- Jimmy Butler III: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- Cade Cunningham: 39.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 48.0 on the board.
- Jimmy Butler III: 38.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 37.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Cade Cunningham playing tonight? · Is Jimmy Butler III playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Cade Cunningham
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cade Cunningham or Jimmy Butler III?
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham. 48.0 fantasy points per game against 37.4, 7th on our board to 40th. 9-cat leagues: Cade Cunningham again, +3.1 in summed z-scores against +3.1 (17th to 18th).
Who wins more categories, Cade Cunningham or Jimmy Butler III?
Category by category, Cade Cunningham is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, BLK and 3PM) and Jimmy Butler III in 4 (STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cade Cunningham or Jimmy Butler III?
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler III 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 144.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler III.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 4:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number