Derrick White vs James Harden: who to start in Week 1
Derrick White plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start James Harden: 81.6 projected fantasy points to 69.0 for Derrick White. Over the season, James Harden leads in both formats: 40.8 fantasy points a game to 34.5, and 30th against 31st 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #51
- 34.5 FP/G, slot 5.03, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #31
- +1.5 z, slot 3.07, $24
- Points leagues
- #21
- 40.8 FP/G, slot 2.09, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #30
- +1.7 z, slot 3.06, $25
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: James Harden. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 21st on our board to 51st.
9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.7 in summed z-scores against +1.5 (30th to 31st).
Category by category, Derrick White is ahead in 3 (STL, BLK and TO) and James Harden in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, James Harden produces more: 42.5 fantasy points to 36.4, on 34.6 minutes a night against 34.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Derrick White plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start James Harden: 81.6 projected fantasy points to 69.0 for Derrick White.
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 | Derrick White | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.5 | 40.8 |
| Minutes | 34.1 | 34.6 |
| PointsPTS | 16.2 | 22.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 5.6 | 7.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 2.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.5% | 42.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 90.2% | 87.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 3.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 70 |
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 | Derrick White | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.4 | 42.5 |
| Points | 17.1 | 23.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 5.1 |
| Assists | 5.9 | 8.0 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 3.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 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 | Derrick White | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.0 | +1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | +1.0 | +2.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.9 | -0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.9 | -1.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.8 | +1.8 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.0 | -2.3 |
| Total | +1.5 | +1.7 |
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 points, assists, threes, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Derrick White.
| Punt | Derrick White | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.4 (#29) | +0.6 (#40) |
| REB | +2.2 (#23) | +2.2 (#22) |
| AST | +0.4 (#43) | -0.4 (#67) |
| STL | +1.1 (#33) | +1.6 (#28) |
| BLK | +0.5 (#47) | +2.2 (#24) |
| 3PM | +0.3 (#53) | +0.3 (#54) |
| FG% | +3.7 (#16) | +3.7 (#17) |
| FT% | +0.6 (#46) | -0.2 (#68) |
| TO | +1.4 (#40) | +4.0 (#16) |
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)
- Derrick White: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
- James Harden: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Derrick White: 28.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 34.5 on the board.
- James Harden: 29.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 40.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Derrick White playing tonight? · Is James Harden playing tonight?
Rookie cards: James Harden
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Derrick White or James Harden?
Points leagues: James Harden. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 21st on our board to 51st. 9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.7 in summed z-scores against +1.5 (30th to 31st).
Who wins more categories, Derrick White or James Harden?
Category by category, Derrick White is ahead in 3 (STL, BLK and TO) and James Harden in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Derrick White or James Harden?
Derrick White plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start James Harden: 81.6 projected fantasy points to 69.0 for Derrick White.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number