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Damian Lillard vs Derrick White: who to start in Week 3

Damian Lillard plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Derrick White 4. For that week alone, start Damian Lillard: 127.5 projected fantasy points to 127.1 for Derrick White. Over the season, Damian Lillard leads in points leagues (31.9 fantasy points a game to 31.8) and Derrick White in 9-cat leagues (50th against 136th). 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.

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Damian Lillard
PGSGPORage 36
Points leagues
#75
31.9 FP/G, slot 7.03, $13
9-cat leagues
#136
-2.0 z, slot 12.04, $4

The pick in points leagues.

Derrick White
SGPGBOSage 32
Points leagues
#77
31.8 FP/G, slot 7.05, $13
9-cat leagues
#50
+0.3 z, slot 5.02, $17

The pick in 9-cat leagues.

The call

Points leagues: Damian Lillard. 31.9 fantasy points per game against 31.8, 75th on our board to 77th.

9-cat leagues: Derrick White instead, +0.3 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (50th to 136th), because the categories pay for a different mix.

Category by category, Damian Lillard is ahead in 3 (PTS, REB and 3PM) and Derrick White in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).

Per 36 minutes, Damian Lillard produces more: 39.3 fantasy points to 34.9, on 29.2 minutes a night against 32.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.

Damian Lillard plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Derrick White 4. For that week alone, start Damian Lillard: 127.5 projected fantasy points to 127.1 for Derrick White.

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 gameDamian LillardDerrick White
Fantasy points per game31.931.8
Minutes29.232.8
PointsPTS19.314.8
ReboundsREB4.34.0
AssistsAST4.05.2
StealsSTL1.01.2
BlocksBLK0.20.9
Threes3PM2.82.4
Field goal %FG%39.8%40.4%
Free throw %FT%80.5%91.7%
TurnoversTO2.22.0
Games, 2025-26077

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 36Damian LillardDerrick White
Fantasy points39.334.9
Points23.916.2
Rebounds5.34.4
Assists4.95.7
Steals1.21.4
Blocks0.21.0
Threes3.52.6
Turnovers2.72.3

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

CategoryDamian LillardDerrick White
PointsPTS+0.5-0.3
ReboundsREB-0.6-0.8
AssistsAST+0.1+0.7
StealsSTL-0.2+0.4
BlocksBLK-1.0+0.5
Threes3PM+1.2+0.7
Field goal percentageFG%-1.8-1.5
Free throw percentageFT%+0.1+0.8
TurnoversTO-0.3-0.1
Total-2.0+0.3

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

No punt changes the answer: Derrick White stays ahead whichever category you give up.

PuntDamian LillardDerrick White
PTS-2.6 (#196)+0.6 (#42)
REB-1.5 (#117)+1.1 (#30)
AST-2.3 (#164)-0.5 (#73)
STL-1.9 (#145)-0.2 (#63)
BLK-1.1 (#101)-0.2 (#67)
3PM-3.2 (#203)-0.5 (#76)
FG%-0.4 (#69)+2.1 (#29)
FT%-2.2 (#158)-0.5 (#75)
TO-1.8 (#105)+0.4 (#53)

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)

  • Damian Lillard: 4 games (Mon @DEN, Wed @PHX, Fri @LAL, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
  • Derrick White: 4 games (Mon @HOU, Wed MIL, Fri @CHA, Sun @MIL), 1 back-to-back.

Damian Lillard or Derrick White: the Week 3 start/sit call

Recent games

  • Damian Lillard: 31.9 fantasy points a game over his last 6 of 2026-27, against 31.9 on the board.
  • Derrick White: 24.2 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 31.8 on the board.

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Other picks at the same spot

NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers

Is Damian Lillard playing tonight? · Is Derrick White playing tonight?

Common questions

  • Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Damian Lillard or Derrick White?

    Points leagues: Damian Lillard. 31.9 fantasy points per game against 31.8, 75th on our board to 77th. 9-cat leagues: Derrick White instead, +0.3 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (50th to 136th), because the categories pay for a different mix.

  • Who wins more categories, Damian Lillard or Derrick White?

    Category by category, Damian Lillard is ahead in 3 (PTS, REB and 3PM) and Derrick White in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).

  • Who should I start in Week 3, Damian Lillard or Derrick White?

    Damian Lillard plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Derrick White 4. For that week alone, start Damian Lillard: 127.5 projected fantasy points to 127.1 for Derrick White.

By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number