Dyson Daniels vs James Harden: who to start in Week 1
Dyson Daniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Dyson Daniels: 107.3 projected fantasy points to 82.5 for James Harden. Over the season, James Harden leads in points leagues (41.2 fantasy points a game to 35.8) and Dyson Daniels in 9-cat leagues (28th against 29th). 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
- #42
- 35.8 FP/G, slot 4.06, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #28
- +2.3 z, slot 3.04, $29
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #21
- 41.2 FP/G, slot 2.09, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #29
- +2.2 z, slot 3.05, $28
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: James Harden. 41.2 fantasy points per game against 35.8, 21st on our board to 42nd.
9-cat leagues: Dyson Daniels instead, +2.3 in summed z-scores against +2.2 (28th to 29th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Dyson Daniels is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, James Harden produces more: 42.8 fantasy points to 39.4, on 34.7 minutes a night against 32.7. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Dyson Daniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Dyson Daniels: 107.3 projected fantasy points to 82.5 for James Harden.
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 | Dyson Daniels | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.8 | 41.2 |
| Minutes | 32.7 | 34.7 |
| PointsPTS | 12.3 | 23.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.8 | 4.7 |
| AssistsAST | 5.6 | 7.8 |
| StealsSTL | 2.4 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.3 | 3.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.4% | 43.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 59.9% | 87.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 3.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 76 | 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 | Dyson Daniels | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.4 | 42.8 |
| Points | 13.5 | 24.0 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 4.9 |
| Assists | 6.2 | 8.1 |
| Steals | 2.7 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.3 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 3.8 |
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 | Dyson Daniels | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | +1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.0 | +2.1 |
| StealsSTL | +3.8 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -1.4 | +1.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.6 | -1.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.2 | +1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | -2.2 |
| Total | +2.3 | +2.2 |
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 rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to James Harden.
| Punt | Dyson Daniels | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.9 (#8) | +1.0 (#30) |
| REB | +1.7 (#28) | +2.9 (#19) |
| AST | +1.2 (#33) | +0.1 (#50) |
| STL | -1.5 (#122) | +1.9 (#24) |
| BLK | +2.7 (#21) | +2.9 (#19) |
| 3PM | +3.6 (#11) | +0.6 (#42) |
| FG% | +1.0 (#40) | +4.0 (#11) |
| FT% | +3.5 (#11) | +0.2 (#55) |
| TO | +2.0 (#37) | +4.5 (#15) |
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)
- Dyson Daniels: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back.
- James Harden: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Dyson Daniels: 47.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 35.8 on the board.
- James Harden: 24.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 41.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Dyson Daniels playing tonight? · Is James Harden playing tonight?
Rookie cards: James Harden
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Dyson Daniels or James Harden?
Points leagues: James Harden. 41.2 fantasy points per game against 35.8, 21st on our board to 42nd. 9-cat leagues: Dyson Daniels instead, +2.3 in summed z-scores against +2.2 (28th to 29th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Dyson Daniels or James Harden?
Category by category, Dyson Daniels is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Dyson Daniels or James Harden?
Dyson Daniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Dyson Daniels: 107.3 projected fantasy points to 82.5 for James Harden.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number