Evan Mobley vs LeBron James: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft LeBron James in points leagues (41.4 fantasy points a game to 39.9) and Evan Mobley in 9-cat leagues (41st against 43rd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #29
- 39.9 FP/G, slot 3.05, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #41
- +0.9 z, slot 4.05, $20
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #22
- 41.4 FP/G, slot 2.10, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #43
- +0.8 z, slot 4.07, $20
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 39.9, 22nd on our board to 29th.
9-cat leagues: Evan Mobley instead, +0.9 in summed z-scores against +0.8 (41st to 43rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Evan Mobley is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and LeBron James in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Evan Mobley produces more: 45.0 fantasy points to 44.9, on 31.9 minutes a night against 33.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Evan Mobley plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.5 projected fantasy points to 79.9 for Evan Mobley.
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 | Evan Mobley | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.9 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 31.9 | 33.1 |
| PointsPTS | 18.2 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 9.0 | 6.1 |
| AssistsAST | 3.6 | 7.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.7 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 54.6% | 51.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.6% | 73.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 3.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 65 | 60 |
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 | Evan Mobley | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.0 | 44.9 |
| Points | 20.5 | 22.7 |
| Rebounds | 10.2 | 6.6 |
| Assists | 4.1 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 2.0 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.2 |
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 | Evan Mobley | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.4 | +0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.2 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.3 | +0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -2.7 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.0 | -1.4 |
| Total | +0.9 | +0.8 |
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
Punting rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to LeBron James.
| Punt | Evan Mobley | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.5 (#44) | -0.1 (#68) |
| REB | -1.1 (#91) | +0.4 (#50) |
| AST | +0.8 (#40) | -1.2 (#102) |
| STL | +1.5 (#28) | +0.1 (#59) |
| BLK | -1.7 (#115) | +0.8 (#41) |
| 3PM | +1.6 (#30) | +1.0 (#37) |
| FG% | -1.4 (#99) | -0.6 (#75) |
| FT% | +3.6 (#9) | +1.7 (#30) |
| TO | +0.8 (#51) | +2.2 (#33) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Evan Mobley: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
- LeBron James: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Evan Mobley: 36.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 39.9 on the board.
- LeBron James: 45.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 41.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Evan Mobley or LeBron James in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 39.9, 22nd on our board to 29th. 9-cat leagues: Evan Mobley instead, +0.9 in summed z-scores against +0.8 (41st to 43rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Evan Mobley or LeBron James?
Category by category, Evan Mobley is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and LeBron James in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Evan Mobley or LeBron James?
Evan Mobley plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.5 projected fantasy points to 79.9 for Evan Mobley.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number