Devin Booker vs James Harden: who to start in Week 1
Devin Booker 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 81.6 for Devin Booker. Over the season, James Harden leads in both formats: 40.8 fantasy points a game to 40.8, and 30th against 34th 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.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #22
- 40.8 FP/G, slot 2.10, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #34
- +1.4 z, slot 3.10, $23
- 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 40.8, 21st on our board to 22nd.
9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.7 in summed z-scores against +1.4 (30th to 34th).
Category by category, Devin Booker is ahead in 4 (PTS, FG%, FT% and TO) and James Harden in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Devin Booker produces more: 43.9 fantasy points to 42.5, on 33.5 minutes a night against 34.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Devin Booker 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 81.6 for Devin Booker.
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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Devin Booker | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.8 | 40.8 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 34.6 |
| PointsPTS | 26.9 | 22.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.1 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 5.9 | 7.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 2.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.7% | 42.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.1% | 87.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.1 | 3.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 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 | Devin Booker | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 43.9 | 42.5 |
| Points | 28.9 | 23.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 5.1 |
| Assists | 6.3 | 8.0 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 3.1 |
| Turnovers | 3.4 | 3.8 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Devin Booker | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.9 | +1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | +1.1 | +2.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -1.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +2.2 | +1.8 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.6 | -2.3 |
| Total | +1.4 | +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 rebounds, assists, steals and threes flips the 9-cat answer to Devin Booker.
| Punt | Devin Booker | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#81) | +0.6 (#40) |
| REB | +2.2 (#21) | +2.2 (#22) |
| AST | +0.2 (#49) | -0.4 (#67) |
| STL | +2.0 (#22) | +1.6 (#28) |
| BLK | +2.1 (#27) | +2.2 (#24) |
| 3PM | +1.0 (#40) | +0.3 (#54) |
| FG% | +1.8 (#28) | +3.7 (#17) |
| FT% | -1.0 (#92) | -0.2 (#68) |
| TO | +3.0 (#25) | +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)
- Devin Booker: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
- James Harden: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Devin Booker: 47.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 40.8 on the board.
- James Harden: 29.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 40.8 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Devin Booker playing tonight? · Is James Harden playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Devin Booker, James Harden
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Devin Booker or James Harden?
Points leagues: James Harden. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 40.8, 21st on our board to 22nd. 9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.7 in summed z-scores against +1.4 (30th to 34th).
Who wins more categories, Devin Booker or James Harden?
Category by category, Devin Booker is ahead in 4 (PTS, FG%, FT% and TO) and James Harden in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Devin Booker or James Harden?
Devin Booker 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 81.6 for Devin Booker.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number