Chet Holmgren vs Paul George: who to start in Week 1
Chet Holmgren plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Chet Holmgren: 109.0 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Paul George. Over the season, Chet Holmgren leads in both formats: 36.3 fantasy points a game to 35.3, and 14th against 20th 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, 2:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #42
- 36.3 FP/G, slot 4.06, $21
- 9-cat leagues
- #14
- +3.4 z, slot 2.02, $34
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #45
- 35.3 FP/G, slot 4.09, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #20
- +2.8 z, slot 2.08, $31
The call
Points leagues: Chet Holmgren. 36.3 fantasy points per game against 35.3, 42nd on our board to 45th.
9-cat leagues: Chet Holmgren again, +3.4 in summed z-scores against +2.8 (14th to 20th).
Category by category, Chet Holmgren is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Paul George in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Chet Holmgren produces more: 45.0 fantasy points to 41.5, on 29.1 minutes a night against 30.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Chet Holmgren plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Chet Holmgren: 109.0 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Paul George.
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 | Chet Holmgren | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 36.3 | 35.3 |
| Minutes | 29.1 | 30.7 |
| PointsPTS | 16.9 | 18.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.8 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.7 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 54.9% | 45.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.6% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 37 |
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 | Chet Holmgren | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.0 | 41.5 |
| Points | 21.0 | 21.8 |
| Rebounds | 10.9 | 6.2 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 4.2 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 2.5 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.5 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 2.1 |
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 | Chet Holmgren | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.4 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.0 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | +2.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.8 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.4 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.1 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.4 | +0.1 |
| Total | +3.4 | +2.8 |
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 rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Paul George.
| Punt | Chet Holmgren | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +3.2 (#7) | +2.3 (#14) |
| REB | +1.9 (#25) | +3.1 (#19) |
| AST | +4.3 (#7) | +2.7 (#16) |
| STL | +4.5 (#6) | +0.3 (#54) |
| BLK | +0.4 (#50) | +3.4 (#14) |
| 3PM | +3.7 (#10) | +1.3 (#34) |
| FG% | +2.1 (#28) | +3.8 (#15) |
| FT% | +3.1 (#12) | +2.4 (#20) |
| TO | +2.8 (#24) | +2.8 (#23) |
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)
- Chet Holmgren: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC).
- Paul George: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Chet Holmgren: 36.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 36.3 on the board.
- Paul George: 60.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 35.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Chet Holmgren playing tonight? · Is Paul George playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Chet Holmgren, Paul George
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Chet Holmgren or Paul George?
Points leagues: Chet Holmgren. 36.3 fantasy points per game against 35.3, 42nd on our board to 45th. 9-cat leagues: Chet Holmgren again, +3.4 in summed z-scores against +2.8 (14th to 20th).
Who wins more categories, Chet Holmgren or Paul George?
Category by category, Chet Holmgren is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Paul George in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Chet Holmgren or Paul George?
Chet Holmgren plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Chet Holmgren: 109.0 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Paul George.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 2:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number