Devin Vassell vs Kyle Kuzma: who to start in Week 1
Devin Vassell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Kuzma 3, an even 72.8 projected fantasy points each. Over the season, Devin Vassell leads in both formats: 24.3 fantasy points a game to 24.3, and 132nd against 204th 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #143
- 24.3 FP/G, slot 12.11, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #132
- -2.0 z, slot 11.12, $4
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #145
- 24.3 FP/G, slot 13.01, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #204
- -3.8 z, slot 17.12
The call
Points leagues: Devin Vassell. 24.3 fantasy points per game against 24.3, 143rd on our board to 145th.
9-cat leagues: Devin Vassell again, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -3.8 (132nd to 204th).
Category by category, Devin Vassell is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Kyle Kuzma in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Kyle Kuzma produces more: 33.0 fantasy points to 28.4, on 26.4 minutes a night against 30.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Devin Vassell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Kuzma 3, an even 72.8 projected fantasy points each.
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 Vassell | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.3 | 24.3 |
| Minutes | 30.8 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 13.3 | 12.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.0 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 2.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.4 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.6% | 47.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.8% | 70.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 67 | 69 |
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 Vassell | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.4 | 33.0 |
| Points | 15.5 | 17.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 6.6 |
| Assists | 2.8 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.3 | 2.3 |
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 Vassell | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.8 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.1 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +0.2 |
| Total | -2.0 | -3.8 |
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: Devin Vassell stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Devin Vassell | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#140) | -3.2 (#229) |
| REB | -1.3 (#108) | -3.7 (#234) |
| AST | -1.5 (#125) | -3.5 (#223) |
| STL | -1.9 (#138) | -3.2 (#195) |
| BLK | -1.4 (#105) | -3.4 (#190) |
| 3PM | -2.9 (#175) | -3.5 (#205) |
| FG% | -1.0 (#85) | -4.2 (#215) |
| FT% | -2.4 (#151) | -3.2 (#182) |
| TO | -3.1 (#142) | -4.1 (#183) |
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 Vassell: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
- Kyle Kuzma: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Devin Vassell: 16.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 24.3 on the board.
- Kyle Kuzma: 26.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 24.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Devin Vassell playing tonight? · Is Kyle Kuzma playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Devin Vassell
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Devin Vassell or Kyle Kuzma?
Points leagues: Devin Vassell. 24.3 fantasy points per game against 24.3, 143rd on our board to 145th. 9-cat leagues: Devin Vassell again, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -3.8 (132nd to 204th).
Who wins more categories, Devin Vassell or Kyle Kuzma?
Category by category, Devin Vassell is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Kyle Kuzma in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Devin Vassell or Kyle Kuzma?
Devin Vassell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Kuzma 3, an even 72.8 projected fantasy points each.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number