De'Aaron Fox vs Nickeil Alexander-Walker: who to start in Week 1
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nickeil Alexander-Walker 3. For that week alone, start Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 103.7 projected fantasy points to 103.5 for De'Aaron Fox. Over the season, Nickeil Alexander-Walker leads in both formats: 34.6 fantasy points a game to 34.5, and 25th 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, 9:54 AM 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
- #51
- 34.6 FP/G, slot 5.03, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #25
- +2.3 z, slot 3.01, $28
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Nickeil Alexander-Walker. 34.6 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 51st on our board to 52nd.
9-cat leagues: Nickeil Alexander-Walker again, +2.3 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (25th to 64th).
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and FG%) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in 6 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, De'Aaron Fox produces more: 40.0 fantasy points to 37.5, on 31.0 minutes a night against 33.2. 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), Nickeil Alexander-Walker 3. For that week alone, start Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 103.7 projected fantasy points to 103.5 for De'Aaron Fox.
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 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.5 | 34.6 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 18.3 | 21.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| AssistsAST | 6.2 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 3.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.3% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.5% | 87.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 78 |
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 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.0 | 37.5 |
| Points | 21.2 | 23.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| Assists | 7.2 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 3.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 2.2 |
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 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | +0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -1.0 |
| AssistsAST | +1.3 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | +1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | -0.3 |
| Total | -0.3 | +2.3 |
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: Nickeil Alexander-Walker stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | De'Aaron Fox | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#89) | +1.3 (#29) |
| REB | +0.4 (#49) | +3.5 (#13) |
| AST | -1.7 (#133) | +2.1 (#23) |
| STL | -1.0 (#92) | +1.4 (#29) |
| BLK | +0.5 (#45) | +2.6 (#21) |
| 3PM | -0.5 (#76) | +0.4 (#52) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#77) | +3.2 (#18) |
| FT% | +0.0 (#62) | +1.0 (#39) |
| TO | +0.2 (#59) | +2.6 (#29) |
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.
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back.
De'Aaron Fox or Nickeil Alexander-Walker: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- De'Aaron Fox: 33.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 34.5 on the board.
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 44.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 34.6 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 Nickeil Alexander-Walker playing tonight?
Rookie cards: De'Aaron Fox, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Aaron Fox or Nickeil Alexander-Walker?
Points leagues: Nickeil Alexander-Walker. 34.6 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 51st on our board to 52nd. 9-cat leagues: Nickeil Alexander-Walker again, +2.3 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (25th to 64th).
Who wins more categories, De'Aaron Fox or Nickeil Alexander-Walker?
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and FG%) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in 6 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Aaron Fox or Nickeil Alexander-Walker?
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nickeil Alexander-Walker 3. For that week alone, start Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 103.7 projected fantasy points to 103.5 for De'Aaron Fox.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number