Franz Wagner vs Paul George: who to start in Week 2
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Paul George 4. For that week alone, start Paul George: 140.5 projected fantasy points to 103.9 for Franz Wagner. Over the season, Paul George leads in both formats: 35.1 fantasy points a game to 34.6, and 20th against 96th 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 26, 2:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #50
- 34.6 FP/G, slot 5.02, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #96
- -1.2 z, slot 8.12, $9
- Points leagues
- #49
- 35.1 FP/G, slot 5.01, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #20
- +2.8 z, slot 2.08, $31
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Paul George. 35.1 fantasy points per game against 34.6, 49th on our board to 50th.
9-cat leagues: Paul George again, +2.8 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (20th to 96th).
Category by category, Franz Wagner is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%) and Paul George in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Paul George produces more: 41.0 fantasy points to 40.9, on 30.8 minutes a night against 30.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Paul George 4. For that week alone, start Paul George: 140.5 projected fantasy points to 103.9 for Franz Wagner.
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 | Franz Wagner | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.6 | 35.1 |
| Minutes | 30.5 | 30.8 |
| PointsPTS | 20.6 | 18.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.7 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 3.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.3% | 44.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.0% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 34 | 37 |
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 | Franz Wagner | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.9 | 41.0 |
| Points | 24.3 | 21.5 |
| Rebounds | 6.8 | 6.3 |
| Assists | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 2.1 |
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 | Franz Wagner | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.8 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | +2.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.3 | +0.1 |
| Total | -1.2 | +2.8 |
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: Paul George stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Franz Wagner | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#163) | +2.2 (#15) |
| REB | -1.4 (#112) | +2.9 (#18) |
| AST | -1.4 (#117) | +2.6 (#17) |
| STL | -0.9 (#90) | +0.4 (#51) |
| BLK | -0.5 (#74) | +3.4 (#16) |
| 3PM | -1.0 (#95) | +1.2 (#35) |
| FG% | -1.2 (#93) | +3.8 (#11) |
| FT% | -1.3 (#108) | +2.3 (#22) |
| TO | -0.9 (#79) | +2.6 (#30) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Franz Wagner: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @TOR, Sun BOS).
- Paul George: 4 games (Mon CHI, Tue BKN, Fri CHI, Sun @ORL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Franz Wagner: 38.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 34.6 on the board.
- Paul George: 46.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 35.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Franz Wagner playing tonight? · Is Paul George playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Franz Wagner, Paul George
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Franz Wagner or Paul George?
Points leagues: Paul George. 35.1 fantasy points per game against 34.6, 49th on our board to 50th. 9-cat leagues: Paul George again, +2.8 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (20th to 96th).
Who wins more categories, Franz Wagner or Paul George?
Category by category, Franz Wagner is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%) and Paul George in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Franz Wagner or Paul George?
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Paul George 4. For that week alone, start Paul George: 140.5 projected fantasy points to 103.9 for Franz Wagner.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number