Donovan Clingan vs James Harden: who to start in Week 3
Donovan Clingan 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 131.5 for Donovan Clingan. Over the season, James Harden leads in both formats: 39.5 fantasy points a game to 32.9, and 33rd against 41st 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 2, 10:35 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #66
- 32.9 FP/G, slot 6.06, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #41
- +0.7 z, slot 4.05, $19
- 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 32.9, 29th on our board to 66th.
9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.2 in summed z-scores against +0.7 (33rd to 41st).
Category by category, Donovan Clingan is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Donovan Clingan produces more: 45.6 fantasy points to 41.2, on 25.9 minutes a night against 34.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Donovan Clingan 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 131.5 for Donovan Clingan.
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 | Donovan Clingan | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.9 | 39.5 |
| Minutes | 25.9 | 34.5 |
| PointsPTS | 11.2 | 21.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.9 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 7.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 2.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.3% | 42.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 65.1% | 87.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 3.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 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 | Donovan Clingan | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.6 | 41.2 |
| Points | 15.6 | 22.6 |
| Rebounds | 15.2 | 5.0 |
| Assists | 2.7 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 2.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.5 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 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 | Donovan Clingan | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | +0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.2 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +1.9 |
| StealsSTL | -1.5 | -0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.2 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | +1.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -1.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.2 | +1.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | -1.9 |
| Total | +0.7 | +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, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Donovan Clingan.
| Punt | Donovan Clingan | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.6 (#20) | +0.3 (#49) |
| REB | -1.9 (#129) | +1.8 (#24) |
| AST | +1.5 (#26) | -0.7 (#78) |
| STL | +2.1 (#22) | +1.3 (#32) |
| BLK | -1.9 (#129) | +1.9 (#24) |
| 3PM | +1.4 (#33) | -0.2 (#60) |
| FG% | -0.4 (#66) | +2.9 (#19) |
| FT% | +1.9 (#29) | -0.5 (#76) |
| TO | -0.6 (#75) | +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)
- Donovan Clingan: 4 games (Mon @DEN, Wed @PHX, Fri @LAL, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
- James Harden: 4 games (Mon OKC, Wed @OKC, Fri PHI, Sat NYK), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Donovan Clingan: 31.4 fantasy points a game over his last 6 of 2026-27, against 32.9 on the board.
- James Harden: 31.4 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 Donovan Clingan playing tonight? · Is James Harden playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Donovan Clingan, James Harden
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Donovan Clingan or James Harden?
Points leagues: James Harden. 39.5 fantasy points per game against 32.9, 29th on our board to 66th. 9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.2 in summed z-scores against +0.7 (33rd to 41st).
Who wins more categories, Donovan Clingan or James Harden?
Category by category, Donovan Clingan is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Donovan Clingan or James Harden?
Donovan Clingan 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 131.5 for Donovan Clingan.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 2, 2026 at 10:35 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number