Domantas Sabonis vs James Harden: who to start in Week 3
Domantas Sabonis plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), James Harden 4. For that week alone, start James Harden: 157.8 projected fantasy points to 156.5 for Domantas Sabonis. Over the season, James Harden leads in both formats: 39.5 fantasy points a game to 39.1, and 33rd against 44th 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #31
- 39.1 FP/G, slot 3.07, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #44
- +0.5 z, slot 4.08, $18
- Points leagues
- #29
- 39.5 FP/G, slot 3.05, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #33
- +1.2 z, slot 3.09, $23
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: James Harden. 39.5 fantasy points per game against 39.1, 29th on our board to 31st.
9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.2 in summed z-scores against +0.5 (33rd to 44th).
Category by category, Domantas Sabonis is ahead in 3 (REB, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Domantas Sabonis produces more: 44.3 fantasy points to 41.2, on 31.8 minutes a night against 34.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Domantas Sabonis plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), James Harden 4. For that week alone, start James Harden: 157.8 projected fantasy points to 156.5 for Domantas Sabonis.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Domantas Sabonis | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.1 | 39.5 |
| Minutes | 31.8 | 34.5 |
| PointsPTS | 15.9 | 21.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 12.6 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 5.0 | 7.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.2 | 2.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 57.8% | 42.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.4% | 87.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 19 | 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 | Domantas Sabonis | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 44.3 | 41.2 |
| Points | 18.0 | 22.6 |
| Rebounds | 14.3 | 5.0 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.3 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.4 | 3.6 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Domantas Sabonis | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | +0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.9 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | +0.6 | +1.9 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | -0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -1.5 | +1.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.7 | -1.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | +1.6 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.2 | -1.9 |
| Total | +0.5 | +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 points, assists, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Domantas Sabonis.
| Punt | Domantas Sabonis | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.6 (#39) | +0.3 (#49) |
| REB | -2.6 (#170) | +1.8 (#24) |
| AST | -0.2 (#61) | -0.7 (#78) |
| STL | +0.7 (#41) | +1.3 (#32) |
| BLK | +1.2 (#33) | +1.9 (#24) |
| 3PM | +2.0 (#25) | -0.2 (#60) |
| FG% | -1.6 (#115) | +2.9 (#19) |
| FT% | +1.1 (#38) | -0.5 (#76) |
| TO | +1.6 (#35) | +3.2 (#20) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Domantas Sabonis: 4 games (Mon @DAL, Wed LAL, Fri SAS, Sun MIA).
- James Harden: 4 games (Mon OKC, Wed @OKC, Fri PHI, Sat NYK), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Domantas Sabonis: 42.2 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 39.1 on the board.
- James Harden: 31.8 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 39.5 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Domantas Sabonis playing tonight? · Is James Harden playing tonight?
Rookie cards: James Harden
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Domantas Sabonis or James Harden?
Points leagues: James Harden. 39.5 fantasy points per game against 39.1, 29th on our board to 31st. 9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.2 in summed z-scores against +0.5 (33rd to 44th).
Who wins more categories, Domantas Sabonis or James Harden?
Category by category, Domantas Sabonis is ahead in 3 (REB, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Domantas Sabonis or James Harden?
Domantas Sabonis plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), James Harden 4. For that week alone, start James Harden: 157.8 projected fantasy points to 156.5 for Domantas Sabonis.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number