Desmond Bane vs Rudy Gobert: who to start in Week 1
Desmond Bane plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Rudy Gobert 3. For that week alone, start Desmond Bane: 96.0 projected fantasy points to 95.2 for Rudy Gobert. Over the season, Desmond Bane leads in both formats: 32.0 fantasy points a game to 31.7, and 54th against 114th 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, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #67
- 32.0 FP/G, slot 6.07, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #54
- +0.2 z, slot 5.06, $17
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #69
- 31.7 FP/G, slot 6.09, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #114
- -1.6 z, slot 10.06, $6
The call
Points leagues: Desmond Bane. 32.0 fantasy points per game against 31.7, 67th on our board to 69th.
9-cat leagues: Desmond Bane again, +0.2 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (54th to 114th).
Category by category, Desmond Bane is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Rudy Gobert in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Rudy Gobert produces more: 36.5 fantasy points to 34.7, on 31.3 minutes a night against 33.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Desmond Bane plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Rudy Gobert 3. For that week alone, start Desmond Bane: 96.0 projected fantasy points to 95.2 for Rudy Gobert.
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 | Desmond Bane | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.0 | 31.7 |
| Minutes | 33.2 | 31.3 |
| PointsPTS | 19.1 | 10.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.0 | 11.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 1.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.1% | 67.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.8% | 53.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 76 |
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 | Desmond Bane | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.7 | 36.5 |
| Points | 20.7 | 12.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 13.3 |
| Assists | 4.1 | 1.8 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.7 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 1.8 |
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 | Desmond Bane | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | +2.6 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -1.0 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | +1.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.4 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | +2.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.2 | -3.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.2 | +0.4 |
| Total | +0.2 | -1.6 |
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 threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Rudy Gobert.
| Punt | Desmond Bane | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.3 (#73) | -0.7 (#91) |
| REB | +1.0 (#40) | -4.9 (#289) |
| AST | +0.0 (#55) | -0.7 (#81) |
| STL | -0.1 (#61) | -0.7 (#80) |
| BLK | +0.7 (#41) | -3.7 (#207) |
| 3PM | -0.4 (#72) | +0.2 (#56) |
| FG% | +0.9 (#43) | -5.1 (#251) |
| FT% | -1.1 (#98) | +2.0 (#25) |
| TO | +0.4 (#56) | -2.1 (#111) |
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)
- Desmond Bane: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
- Rudy Gobert: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
Recent games
- Desmond Bane: 20.7 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.0 on the board.
- Rudy Gobert: 22.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 31.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Desmond Bane playing tonight? · Is Rudy Gobert playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Desmond Bane, Rudy Gobert
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Desmond Bane or Rudy Gobert?
Points leagues: Desmond Bane. 32.0 fantasy points per game against 31.7, 67th on our board to 69th. 9-cat leagues: Desmond Bane again, +0.2 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (54th to 114th).
Who wins more categories, Desmond Bane or Rudy Gobert?
Category by category, Desmond Bane is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Rudy Gobert in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Desmond Bane or Rudy Gobert?
Desmond Bane plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Rudy Gobert 3. For that week alone, start Desmond Bane: 96.0 projected fantasy points to 95.2 for Rudy Gobert.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number