De'Andre Hunter vs Jordan Poole: who to start in Week 1
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jordan Poole 3. For that week alone, start Jordan Poole: 63.7 projected fantasy points to 63.5 for De'Andre Hunter. Over the season, Jordan Poole leads in both formats: 21.2 fantasy points a game to 21.2, and 248th against 264th 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #187
- 21.2 FP/G, slot 16.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #264
- -5.2 z, slot 22.12
- Points leagues
- #185
- 21.2 FP/G, slot 16.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #248
- -4.7 z, slot 21.08
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jordan Poole. 21.2 fantasy points per game against 21.2, 185th on our board to 187th.
9-cat leagues: Jordan Poole again, -4.7 in summed z-scores against -5.2 (248th to 264th).
Category by category, De'Andre Hunter is ahead in 3 (REB, FG% and TO) and Jordan Poole in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jordan Poole produces more: 33.1 fantasy points to 29.7, on 23.1 minutes a night against 25.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jordan Poole 3. For that week alone, start Jordan Poole: 63.7 projected fantasy points to 63.5 for De'Andre Hunter.
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'Andre Hunter | Jordan Poole |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.2 | 21.2 |
| Minutes | 25.7 | 23.1 |
| PointsPTS | 12.6 | 12.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 2.0 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 3.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 2.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.7% | 35.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.0% | 87.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 39 |
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'Andre Hunter | Jordan Poole |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 29.7 | 33.1 |
| Points | 17.7 | 19.9 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 3.1 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 2.5 |
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'Andre Hunter | Jordan Poole |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -1.7 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.0 | +0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | -2.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | +0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | +0.3 |
| Total | -5.2 | -4.7 |
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 assists, blocks, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to De'Andre Hunter.
| Punt | De'Andre Hunter | Jordan Poole |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -4.6 (#301) | -4.1 (#281) |
| REB | -4.7 (#287) | -3.1 (#198) |
| AST | -4.4 (#263) | -4.4 (#267) |
| STL | -4.1 (#244) | -3.9 (#229) |
| BLK | -4.3 (#245) | -4.3 (#246) |
| 3PM | -5.2 (#289) | -5.4 (#301) |
| FG% | -4.4 (#225) | -2.3 (#137) |
| FT% | -5.3 (#271) | -5.6 (#290) |
| TO | -5.8 (#245) | -5.1 (#216) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- De'Andre Hunter: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM).
- Jordan Poole: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Andre Hunter: 12.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.2 on the board.
- Jordan Poole: 19.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is De'Andre Hunter playing tonight? · Is Jordan Poole playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jordan Poole
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Andre Hunter or Jordan Poole?
Points leagues: Jordan Poole. 21.2 fantasy points per game against 21.2, 185th on our board to 187th. 9-cat leagues: Jordan Poole again, -4.7 in summed z-scores against -5.2 (248th to 264th).
Who wins more categories, De'Andre Hunter or Jordan Poole?
Category by category, De'Andre Hunter is ahead in 3 (REB, FG% and TO) and Jordan Poole in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Andre Hunter or Jordan Poole?
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jordan Poole 3. For that week alone, start Jordan Poole: 63.7 projected fantasy points to 63.5 for De'Andre Hunter.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number