Devin Booker vs Paolo Banchero: who to start in Week 1
Devin Booker plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Devin Booker: 81.6 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Paolo Banchero. Over the season, Paolo Banchero leads in points leagues (41.0 fantasy points a game to 40.8) and Devin Booker in 9-cat leagues (34th against 94th). 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
- #22
- 40.8 FP/G, slot 2.10, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #34
- +1.4 z, slot 3.10, $23
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #20
- 41.0 FP/G, slot 2.08, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #94
- -1.2 z, slot 8.10, $9
Out (Ankle)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Paolo Banchero. 41.0 fantasy points per game against 40.8, 20th on our board to 22nd.
9-cat leagues: Devin Booker instead, +1.4 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (34th to 94th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Devin Booker is ahead in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Paolo Banchero in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Devin Booker produces more: 43.9 fantasy points to 42.5, on 33.5 minutes a night against 34.7. 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), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Devin Booker: 81.6 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Paolo Banchero.
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 | Devin Booker | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.8 | 41.0 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 34.7 |
| PointsPTS | 26.9 | 22.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.1 | 8.2 |
| AssistsAST | 5.9 | 5.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.7% | 48.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.1% | 76.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.1 | 3.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 72 |
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 | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 43.9 | 42.5 |
| Points | 28.9 | 23.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 8.5 |
| Assists | 6.3 | 5.7 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 1.3 |
| Turnovers | 3.4 | 3.3 |
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 | Devin Booker | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.9 | +1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | +1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.1 | +0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +2.2 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.6 | -1.6 |
| Total | +1.4 | -1.2 |
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 free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Paolo Banchero.
| Punt | Devin Booker | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#81) | -2.3 (#185) |
| REB | +2.2 (#21) | -2.6 (#171) |
| AST | +0.2 (#49) | -2.2 (#160) |
| STL | +2.0 (#22) | -0.4 (#73) |
| BLK | +2.1 (#27) | -1.1 (#95) |
| 3PM | +1.0 (#40) | -0.8 (#85) |
| FG% | +1.8 (#28) | -1.9 (#117) |
| FT% | -1.0 (#92) | -0.3 (#71) |
| TO | +3.0 (#25) | +0.5 (#52) |
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).
- Paolo Banchero: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK), listed Out.
Recent games
- Devin Booker: 47.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 40.8 on the board.
- Paolo Banchero: 42.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 41.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Devin Booker playing tonight? · Is Paolo Banchero playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Devin Booker, Paolo Banchero
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Devin Booker or Paolo Banchero?
Points leagues: Paolo Banchero. 41.0 fantasy points per game against 40.8, 20th on our board to 22nd. 9-cat leagues: Devin Booker instead, +1.4 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (34th to 94th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Devin Booker or Paolo Banchero?
Category by category, Devin Booker is ahead in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Paolo Banchero in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Devin Booker or Paolo Banchero?
Devin Booker plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Devin Booker: 81.6 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Paolo Banchero.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number