Isaiah Joe vs Max Christie: who to start in Week 1
Isaiah Joe plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Max Christie 3. For that week alone, start Max Christie: 61.5 projected fantasy points to 53.9 for Isaiah Joe. Over the season, Max Christie leads in points leagues (20.5 fantasy points a game to 18.0) and Isaiah Joe in 9-cat leagues (187th against 190th). 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, 4:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #232
- 18.0 FP/G, slot 20.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #187
- -3.4 z, slot 16.07
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #198
- 20.5 FP/G, slot 17.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #190
- -3.5 z, slot 16.10
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Max Christie. 20.5 fantasy points per game against 18.0, 198th on our board to 232nd.
9-cat leagues: Isaiah Joe instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.5 (187th to 190th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Isaiah Joe is ahead in 4 (STL, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Max Christie in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Isaiah Joe produces more: 30.8 fantasy points to 24.9, on 21.0 minutes a night against 29.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Isaiah Joe plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Max Christie 3. For that week alone, start Max Christie: 61.5 projected fantasy points to 53.9 for Isaiah Joe.
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 | Isaiah Joe | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 18.0 | 20.5 |
| Minutes | 21.0 | 29.6 |
| PointsPTS | 10.9 | 12.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.5 | 3.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.3 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.8% | 43.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.6% | 89.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 71 | 77 |
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 | Isaiah Joe | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 30.8 | 24.9 |
| Points | 18.8 | 14.7 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 2.3 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 4.2 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 1.6 |
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 | Isaiah Joe | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.5 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +0.8 | +0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.5 | +0.7 |
| Total | -3.4 | -3.5 |
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 steals, threes, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Max Christie.
| Punt | Isaiah Joe | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.5 (#196) | -2.8 (#208) |
| REB | -2.0 (#134) | -2.4 (#157) |
| AST | -2.3 (#170) | -2.8 (#189) |
| STL | -2.6 (#170) | -2.5 (#164) |
| BLK | -2.6 (#150) | -2.9 (#165) |
| 3PM | -4.3 (#240) | -4.2 (#235) |
| FG% | -2.8 (#149) | -2.7 (#148) |
| FT% | -3.8 (#215) | -4.1 (#221) |
| TO | -5.0 (#211) | -4.3 (#188) |
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)
- Isaiah Joe: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
- Max Christie: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Isaiah Joe: 17.3 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 18.0 on the board.
- Max Christie: 18.7 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Isaiah Joe playing tonight? · Is Max Christie playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Isaiah Joe or Max Christie?
Points leagues: Max Christie. 20.5 fantasy points per game against 18.0, 198th on our board to 232nd. 9-cat leagues: Isaiah Joe instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.5 (187th to 190th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Isaiah Joe or Max Christie?
Category by category, Isaiah Joe is ahead in 4 (STL, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Max Christie in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Isaiah Joe or Max Christie?
Isaiah Joe plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Max Christie 3. For that week alone, start Max Christie: 61.5 projected fantasy points to 53.9 for Isaiah Joe.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number