CJ McCollum vs Josh Hart: who to start in Week 1
CJ McCollum plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Hart 3. For that week alone, start Josh Hart: 91.0 projected fantasy points to 90.4 for CJ McCollum. Over the season, Josh Hart leads in both formats: 30.3 fantasy points a game to 30.1, and 68th against 111th 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, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #85
- 30.1 FP/G, slot 8.01, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #111
- -1.5 z, slot 10.03, $7
- Points leagues
- #83
- 30.3 FP/G, slot 7.11, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #68
- -0.4 z, slot 6.08, $13
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Josh Hart. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 30.1, 83rd on our board to 85th.
9-cat leagues: Josh Hart again, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (68th to 111th).
Category by category, CJ McCollum is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Josh Hart in 4 (REB, AST, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, CJ McCollum produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 36.1, on 29.5 minutes a night against 30.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
CJ McCollum plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Hart 3. For that week alone, start Josh Hart: 91.0 projected fantasy points to 90.4 for CJ McCollum.
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 | CJ McCollum | Josh Hart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.1 | 30.3 |
| Minutes | 29.5 | 30.2 |
| PointsPTS | 18.8 | 12.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 7.3 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 4.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.6 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.7% | 50.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.7% | 71.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 76 | 66 |
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 | CJ McCollum | Josh Hart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.8 | 36.1 |
| Points | 22.9 | 14.5 |
| Rebounds | 3.9 | 8.8 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 5.6 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.2 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 2.3 |
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 | CJ McCollum | Josh Hart |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | +0.7 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | +0.5 |
| StealsSTL | -0.6 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +1.0 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | +0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | -0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.0 | -0.1 |
| Total | -1.5 | -0.4 |
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 flips the 9-cat answer to CJ McCollum.
| Punt | CJ McCollum | Josh Hart |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#164) | +0.3 (#50) |
| REB | -0.4 (#69) | -1.2 (#104) |
| AST | -1.8 (#134) | -1.0 (#97) |
| STL | -1.0 (#93) | -0.7 (#83) |
| BLK | -1.1 (#90) | +0.2 (#54) |
| 3PM | -2.6 (#168) | -0.3 (#70) |
| FG% | -1.1 (#93) | -1.0 (#88) |
| FT% | -1.5 (#116) | +0.1 (#59) |
| TO | -1.6 (#98) | -0.3 (#66) |
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)
- CJ McCollum: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back.
- Josh Hart: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
Recent games
- CJ McCollum: 22.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 30.1 on the board.
- Josh Hart: 30.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 30.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is CJ McCollum playing tonight? · Is Josh Hart playing tonight?
Rookie cards: CJ McCollum
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, CJ McCollum or Josh Hart?
Points leagues: Josh Hart. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 30.1, 83rd on our board to 85th. 9-cat leagues: Josh Hart again, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (68th to 111th).
Who wins more categories, CJ McCollum or Josh Hart?
Category by category, CJ McCollum is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Josh Hart in 4 (REB, AST, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, CJ McCollum or Josh Hart?
CJ McCollum plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Hart 3. For that week alone, start Josh Hart: 91.0 projected fantasy points to 90.4 for CJ McCollum.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number