De'Aaron Fox vs Nikola Vučević: who to start in Week 1
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nikola Vučević 3. For that week alone, start De'Aaron Fox: 103.5 projected fantasy points to 92.1 for Nikola Vučević. Over the season, De'Aaron Fox leads in points leagues (34.5 fantasy points a game to 30.7) and Nikola Vučević in 9-cat leagues (62nd against 64th). 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
- #52
- 34.5 FP/G, slot 5.04, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #64
- -0.3 z, slot 6.04, $14
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #78
- 30.7 FP/G, slot 7.06, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #62
- -0.2 z, slot 6.02, $14
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: De'Aaron Fox. 34.5 fantasy points per game against 30.7, 52nd on our board to 78th.
9-cat leagues: Nikola Vučević instead, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (62nd to 64th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM) and Nikola Vučević in 4 (REB, BLK, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Nikola Vučević produces more: 41.0 fantasy points to 40.0, on 26.9 minutes a night against 31.0. 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), Nikola Vučević 3. For that week alone, start De'Aaron Fox: 103.5 projected fantasy points to 92.1 for Nikola Vučević.
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 | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.5 | 30.7 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 26.9 |
| PointsPTS | 18.3 | 14.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.0 | 7.9 |
| AssistsAST | 6.2 | 3.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.3% | 49.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.5% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 64 |
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 | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.0 | 41.0 |
| Points | 21.2 | 18.9 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 10.6 |
| Assists | 7.2 | 4.3 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 1.7 |
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 | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | +1.0 |
| AssistsAST | +1.3 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | -1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | +0.8 |
| Total | -0.3 | -0.2 |
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, blocks, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to De'Aaron Fox.
| Punt | De'Aaron Fox | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#89) | +0.1 (#54) |
| REB | +0.4 (#49) | -1.2 (#105) |
| AST | -1.7 (#133) | -0.1 (#55) |
| STL | -1.0 (#92) | +1.0 (#32) |
| BLK | +0.5 (#45) | -0.2 (#66) |
| 3PM | -0.5 (#76) | -0.2 (#69) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#77) | -0.5 (#72) |
| FT% | +0.0 (#62) | -0.4 (#76) |
| TO | +0.2 (#59) | -1.1 (#85) |
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.
- Nikola Vučević: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @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.
- Nikola Vučević: 2.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 30.7 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 Nikola Vučević playing tonight?
Rookie cards: De'Aaron Fox
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Aaron Fox or Nikola Vučević?
Points leagues: De'Aaron Fox. 34.5 fantasy points per game against 30.7, 52nd on our board to 78th. 9-cat leagues: Nikola Vučević instead, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (62nd to 64th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Aaron Fox or Nikola Vučević?
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM) and Nikola Vučević in 4 (REB, BLK, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Aaron Fox or Nikola Vučević?
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nikola Vučević 3. For that week alone, start De'Aaron Fox: 103.5 projected fantasy points to 92.1 for Nikola Vučević.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number