De'Aaron Fox vs Derrick White: who to start in Week 1
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Derrick White 2. For that week alone, start De'Aaron Fox: 103.5 projected fantasy points to 69.9 for Derrick White. Over the season, Derrick White leads in both formats: 34.9 fantasy points a game to 34.5, and 32nd against 64th 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, 3:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #52
- 34.5 FP/G, slot 5.04, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #64
- -0.3 z, slot 6.04, $14
- Points leagues
- #48
- 34.9 FP/G, slot 4.12, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #32
- +1.5 z, slot 3.08, $24
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Derrick White. 34.9 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 48th on our board to 52nd.
9-cat leagues: Derrick White again, +1.5 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (32nd to 64th).
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FG%) and Derrick White in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, De'Aaron Fox produces more: 40.0 fantasy points to 36.8, on 31.0 minutes a night against 34.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Derrick White 2. For that week alone, start De'Aaron Fox: 103.5 projected fantasy points to 69.9 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 game | De'Aaron Fox | Derrick White |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.5 | 34.9 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 34.2 |
| PointsPTS | 18.3 | 16.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| AssistsAST | 6.2 | 5.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.3% | 40.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.5% | 90.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 77 |
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Derrick White |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.0 | 36.8 |
| Points | 21.2 | 17.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| Assists | 7.2 | 5.8 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 2.0 |
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Derrick White |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | +0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -0.7 |
| AssistsAST | +1.3 | +1.0 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +1.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -2.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | +0.8 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | -0.0 |
| Total | -0.3 | +1.5 |
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 blocks flips the 9-cat answer to De'Aaron Fox.
| Punt | De'Aaron Fox | Derrick White |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#89) | +1.4 (#25) |
| REB | +0.4 (#49) | +2.3 (#21) |
| AST | -1.7 (#133) | +0.5 (#45) |
| STL | -1.0 (#92) | +1.1 (#30) |
| BLK | +0.5 (#45) | +0.5 (#48) |
| 3PM | -0.5 (#76) | +0.3 (#55) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#77) | +3.8 (#16) |
| FT% | +0.0 (#62) | +0.6 (#44) |
| TO | +0.2 (#59) | +1.5 (#39) |
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)
- De'Aaron Fox: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
- Derrick White: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- De'Aaron Fox: 33.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 34.5 on the board.
- Derrick White: 29.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 34.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is De'Aaron Fox playing tonight? · Is Derrick White playing tonight?
Rookie cards: De'Aaron Fox
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Aaron Fox or Derrick White?
Points leagues: Derrick White. 34.9 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 48th on our board to 52nd. 9-cat leagues: Derrick White again, +1.5 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (32nd to 64th).
Who wins more categories, De'Aaron Fox or Derrick White?
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FG%) and Derrick White in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Aaron Fox or Derrick White?
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Derrick White 2. For that week alone, start De'Aaron Fox: 103.5 projected fantasy points to 69.9 for Derrick White.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 3:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number