Giannis Antetokounmpo vs LeBron James: who to start in Week 1
Giannis Antetokounmpo plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.8 projected fantasy points to 149.0 for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Over the season, Giannis Antetokounmpo leads in both formats: 49.7 fantasy points a game to 41.4, and 39th against 40th 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #5
- 49.7 FP/G, slot 1.05, $41
- 9-cat leagues
- #39
- +1.0 z, slot 4.03, $21
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #18
- 41.4 FP/G, slot 2.06, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #40
- +1.0 z, slot 4.04, $21
Game-time decision (Back)
The call
Points leagues: Giannis Antetokounmpo. 49.7 fantasy points per game against 41.4, 5th on our board to 18th.
9-cat leagues: Giannis Antetokounmpo again, +1.0 in summed z-scores against +1.0 (39th to 40th).
Category by category, Giannis Antetokounmpo is ahead in 3 (PTS, REB and FG%) and LeBron James in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Giannis Antetokounmpo produces more: 61.3 fantasy points to 44.9, on 29.2 minutes a night against 33.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Giannis Antetokounmpo plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.8 projected fantasy points to 149.0 for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 49.7 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 29.2 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 28.5 | 20.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 9.7 | 6.5 |
| AssistsAST | 5.2 | 7.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 0.4 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 62.4% | 50.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 64.8% | 74.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.2 | 3.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 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 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 61.3 | 44.9 |
| Points | 35.2 | 22.0 |
| Rebounds | 12.0 | 7.0 |
| Assists | 6.4 | 7.7 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 0.5 | 1.3 |
| Turnovers | 3.9 | 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 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +2.1 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.8 | +0.3 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | +1.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.0 | +0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -1.2 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +3.9 | +0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -4.7 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.6 | -1.4 |
| Total | +1.0 | +1.0 |
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, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to LeBron James.
| Punt | Giannis Antetokounmpo | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.3 (#125) | +0.2 (#51) |
| REB | -1.6 (#125) | +0.4 (#47) |
| AST | -0.2 (#57) | -0.9 (#94) |
| STL | +0.9 (#38) | +0.2 (#57) |
| BLK | +0.7 (#44) | +0.9 (#40) |
| 3PM | +2.1 (#23) | +1.3 (#31) |
| FG% | -5.1 (#253) | +0.0 (#59) |
| FT% | +5.6 (#4) | +1.8 (#25) |
| TO | +2.6 (#30) | +2.4 (#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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
- LeBron James: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed GTD.
Recent games
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 53.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 49.7 on the board.
- LeBron James: 41.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 41.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo playing tonight? · Is LeBron James playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James?
Points leagues: Giannis Antetokounmpo. 49.7 fantasy points per game against 41.4, 5th on our board to 18th. 9-cat leagues: Giannis Antetokounmpo again, +1.0 in summed z-scores against +1.0 (39th to 40th).
Who wins more categories, Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James?
Category by category, Giannis Antetokounmpo is ahead in 3 (PTS, REB and FG%) and LeBron James in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James?
Giannis Antetokounmpo plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.8 projected fantasy points to 149.0 for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number