De'Aaron Fox vs Stephon Castle: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Stephon Castle in points leagues (35.2 fantasy points a game to 34.5) and De'Aaron Fox in 9-cat leagues (71st against 149th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #51
- 34.5 FP/G, slot 5.03, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #71
- -0.4 z, slot 6.11, $13
Day to day (Undisclosed)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #48
- 35.2 FP/G, slot 4.12, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #149
- -2.5 z, slot 13.05, $2
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Stephon Castle. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 48th on our board to 51st.
9-cat leagues: De'Aaron Fox instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (71st to 149th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 6 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Stephon Castle in 2 (REB and AST).
Per 36 minutes, Stephon Castle produces more: 42.3 fantasy points to 40.1, on 30.0 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), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 105.6 projected fantasy points to 103.6 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | De'Aaron Fox | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.5 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 30.0 |
| PointsPTS | 18.6 | 16.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 6.2 | 7.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.6% | 47.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.0% | 73.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 3.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 68 |
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 | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.1 | 42.3 |
| Points | 21.6 | 20.0 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 7.2 | 8.9 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 3.8 |
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 | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | -0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | +1.2 | +1.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.0 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | -1.7 |
| Total | -0.4 | -2.5 |
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
No punt changes the answer: De'Aaron Fox stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | De'Aaron Fox | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.9 (#101) | -2.6 (#194) |
| REB | +0.4 (#52) | -2.6 (#167) |
| AST | -1.8 (#137) | -4.5 (#268) |
| STL | -1.1 (#101) | -3.0 (#183) |
| BLK | +0.4 (#53) | -1.9 (#124) |
| 3PM | -0.7 (#88) | -2.0 (#138) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#80) | -3.0 (#158) |
| FT% | -0.1 (#66) | -1.4 (#112) |
| TO | +0.1 (#59) | -0.8 (#78) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- De'Aaron Fox: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Stephon Castle: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- De'Aaron Fox: 31.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 34.5 on the board.
- Stephon Castle: 37.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft De'Aaron Fox or Stephon Castle in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Stephon Castle. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 48th on our board to 51st. 9-cat leagues: De'Aaron Fox instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (71st to 149th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Aaron Fox or Stephon Castle?
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 6 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Stephon Castle in 2 (REB and AST).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Aaron Fox or Stephon Castle?
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 105.6 projected fantasy points to 103.6 for De'Aaron Fox.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number