Darius Acuff Jr. vs James Harden: who to start in Week 3
Darius Acuff Jr. plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), James Harden 4. For that week alone, start James Harden: 156.1 projected fantasy points to 155.1 for Darius Acuff Jr.. Over the season, James Harden leads in both formats: 39.0 fantasy points a game to 38.8, and 37th against 173rd 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
- #32
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.08, $24
- 9-cat leagues
- #173
- -2.9 z, slot 15.05
- Points leagues
- #30
- 39.0 FP/G, slot 3.06, $24
- 9-cat leagues
- #37
- +1.1 z, slot 4.01, $21
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: James Harden. 39.0 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 30th on our board to 32nd.
9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.1 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (37th to 173rd).
Category by category, Darius Acuff Jr. is ahead in 2 (PTS and 3PM) and James Harden in 7 (REB, AST, STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, James Harden produces more: 40.8 fantasy points to 38.2, on 34.4 minutes a night against 36.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Darius Acuff Jr. plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), James Harden 4. For that week alone, start James Harden: 156.1 projected fantasy points to 155.1 for Darius Acuff Jr..
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 | Darius Acuff Jr. | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.8 | 39.0 |
| Minutes | 36.6 | 34.4 |
| PointsPTS | 26.1 | 21.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 6.3 | 7.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 3.0 | 2.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.6% | 42.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.8% | 86.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.6 | 3.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 0 | 70 |
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 | Darius Acuff Jr. | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.2 | 40.8 |
| Points | 25.7 | 22.2 |
| Rebounds | 3.8 | 5.0 |
| Assists | 6.2 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 0.6 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 3.5 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Darius Acuff Jr. | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.7 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.3 | +1.8 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +1.3 | +1.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -2.7 | -1.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | +1.4 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.0 | -1.7 |
| Total | -2.9 | +1.1 |
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
No punt changes the answer: James Harden stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Darius Acuff Jr. | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -4.7 (#334) | +0.2 (#54) |
| REB | -2.0 (#136) | +1.5 (#26) |
| AST | -4.4 (#277) | -0.9 (#90) |
| STL | -1.7 (#131) | +1.1 (#36) |
| BLK | -1.9 (#128) | +1.7 (#26) |
| 3PM | -4.5 (#265) | -0.3 (#70) |
| FG% | -0.1 (#61) | +2.6 (#22) |
| FT% | -3.9 (#218) | -0.5 (#73) |
| TO | -0.8 (#81) | +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 438 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Darius Acuff Jr.: 4 games (Mon @DAL, Wed LAL, Fri SAS, Sun MIA).
- James Harden: 4 games (Mon OKC, Wed @OKC, Fri PHI, Sat NYK), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Darius Acuff Jr.: 38.8 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 38.8 on the board.
- James Harden: 31.8 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 39.0 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Darius Acuff Jr. playing tonight? · Is James Harden playing tonight?
Rookie cards: James Harden
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Darius Acuff Jr. or James Harden?
Points leagues: James Harden. 39.0 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 30th on our board to 32nd. 9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.1 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (37th to 173rd).
Who wins more categories, Darius Acuff Jr. or James Harden?
Category by category, Darius Acuff Jr. is ahead in 2 (PTS and 3PM) and James Harden in 7 (REB, AST, STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 3, Darius Acuff Jr. or James Harden?
Darius Acuff Jr. plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), James Harden 4. For that week alone, start James Harden: 156.1 projected fantasy points to 155.1 for Darius Acuff Jr..
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number