De'Andre Hunter vs Obi Toppin: who to start in Week 1
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Obi Toppin 3. For that week alone, start De'Andre Hunter: 64.9 projected fantasy points to 64.4 for Obi Toppin. Over the season, De'Andre Hunter leads in points leagues (21.6 fantasy points a game to 21.5) and Obi Toppin in 9-cat leagues (162nd against 268th). 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
- #182
- 21.6 FP/G, slot 16.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #268
- -5.3 z, slot 23.04
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #184
- 21.5 FP/G, slot 16.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #162
- -2.7 z, slot 14.06
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: De'Andre Hunter. 21.6 fantasy points per game against 21.5, 182nd on our board to 184th.
9-cat leagues: Obi Toppin instead, -2.7 in summed z-scores against -5.3 (162nd to 268th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Andre Hunter is ahead in 3 (PTS, STL and BLK) and Obi Toppin in 5 (REB, AST, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Obi Toppin produces more: 42.6 fantasy points to 30.2, on 18.1 minutes a night against 25.8. 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), Obi Toppin 3. For that week alone, start De'Andre Hunter: 64.9 projected fantasy points to 64.4 for Obi Toppin.
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 | Obi Toppin |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.6 | 21.5 |
| Minutes | 25.8 | 18.1 |
| PointsPTS | 13.2 | 12.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.5% | 51.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.0% | 89.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 24 |
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 | Obi Toppin |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 30.2 | 42.6 |
| Points | 18.4 | 24.1 |
| Rebounds | 5.7 | 8.6 |
| Assists | 2.7 | 4.4 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 3.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 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'Andre Hunter | Obi Toppin |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -0.7 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -1.1 | -1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -1.3 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.3 | +0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | +0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.4 | +1.0 |
| Total | -5.3 | -2.7 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Obi Toppin stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | De'Andre Hunter | Obi Toppin |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -4.7 (#310) | -2.0 (#165) |
| REB | -4.7 (#284) | -2.1 (#137) |
| AST | -4.5 (#269) | -2.1 (#151) |
| STL | -4.3 (#259) | -1.6 (#124) |
| BLK | -4.4 (#244) | -1.5 (#109) |
| 3PM | -5.4 (#297) | -2.9 (#177) |
| FG% | -4.3 (#224) | -3.1 (#163) |
| FT% | -5.4 (#273) | -3.4 (#188) |
| TO | -5.8 (#241) | -3.8 (#169) |
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'Andre Hunter: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM).
- Obi Toppin: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
Recent games
- De'Andre Hunter: 11.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 21.6 on the board.
- Obi Toppin: 31.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 21.5 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 Obi Toppin playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Andre Hunter or Obi Toppin?
Points leagues: De'Andre Hunter. 21.6 fantasy points per game against 21.5, 182nd on our board to 184th. 9-cat leagues: Obi Toppin instead, -2.7 in summed z-scores against -5.3 (162nd to 268th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Andre Hunter or Obi Toppin?
Category by category, De'Andre Hunter is ahead in 3 (PTS, STL and BLK) and Obi Toppin in 5 (REB, AST, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Andre Hunter or Obi Toppin?
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Obi Toppin 3. For that week alone, start De'Andre Hunter: 64.9 projected fantasy points to 64.4 for Obi Toppin.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number