De'Aaron Fox vs Trae Young: who to start in Week 3
De'Aaron Fox plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Trae Young 4. For that week alone, start Trae Young: 140.4 projected fantasy points to 139.4 for De'Aaron Fox. Over the season, Trae Young leads in points leagues (35.1 fantasy points a game to 34.9) and De'Aaron Fox in 9-cat leagues (56th against 89th). 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, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #57
- 34.9 FP/G, slot 5.09, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #56
- +0.2 z, slot 5.08, $16
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #55
- 35.1 FP/G, slot 5.07, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #89
- -0.9 z, slot 8.05, $10
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Trae Young. 35.1 fantasy points per game against 34.9, 55th on our board to 57th.
9-cat leagues: De'Aaron Fox instead, +0.2 in summed z-scores against -0.9 (56th to 89th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Trae Young in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Trae Young produces more: 44.1 fantasy points to 40.1, on 28.7 minutes a night against 31.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Aaron Fox plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Trae Young 4. For that week alone, start Trae Young: 140.4 projected fantasy points to 139.4 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 | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.9 | 35.1 |
| Minutes | 31.3 | 28.7 |
| PointsPTS | 18.0 | 18.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.1 | 2.5 |
| AssistsAST | 6.4 | 8.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.5% | 43.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.5% | 83.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.5 | 2.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 15 |
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 | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.1 | 44.1 |
| Points | 20.7 | 23.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.7 | 3.1 |
| Assists | 7.4 | 10.8 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 3.3 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | De'Aaron Fox | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.2 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | +1.3 | +2.4 |
| StealsSTL | +0.7 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.0 | +0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | +0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | -0.9 |
| Total | +0.2 | -0.9 |
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 steals and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Trae Young.
| Punt | De'Aaron Fox | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.2 (#66) | -1.3 (#124) |
| REB | +0.8 (#34) | +0.5 (#46) |
| AST | -1.3 (#120) | -3.4 (#214) |
| STL | -0.6 (#76) | -0.5 (#71) |
| BLK | +0.8 (#40) | +0.2 (#55) |
| 3PM | +0.1 (#54) | -1.1 (#99) |
| FG% | -0.5 (#77) | -0.1 (#59) |
| FT% | +0.4 (#46) | -1.9 (#136) |
| TO | +0.9 (#50) | +0.0 (#65) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- De'Aaron Fox: 4 games (Mon UTA, Wed DAL, Fri @SAC, Sat @POR), 1 back-to-back.
- Trae Young: 4 games (Mon @ORL, Wed ATL, Fri @ATL, Sat @OKC), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Aaron Fox: 33.5 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 34.9 on the board.
- Trae Young: 39.7 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 35.1 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is De'Aaron Fox playing tonight? · Is Trae Young playing tonight?
Rookie cards: De'Aaron Fox
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Aaron Fox or Trae Young?
Points leagues: Trae Young. 35.1 fantasy points per game against 34.9, 55th on our board to 57th. 9-cat leagues: De'Aaron Fox instead, +0.2 in summed z-scores against -0.9 (56th to 89th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Aaron Fox or Trae Young?
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Trae Young in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 3, De'Aaron Fox or Trae Young?
De'Aaron Fox plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Trae Young 4. For that week alone, start Trae Young: 140.4 projected fantasy points to 139.4 for De'Aaron Fox.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number