Ivica Zubac vs Santi Aldama: who to start in Week 1
Ivica Zubac plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Santi Aldama 3. For that week alone, start Ivica Zubac: 95.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Santi Aldama. Over the season, Ivica Zubac leads in both formats: 32.0 fantasy points a game to 29.9, and 92nd against 93rd 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #68
- 32.0 FP/G, slot 6.08, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #92
- -1.1 z, slot 8.08, $9
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #83
- 29.9 FP/G, slot 7.11, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #93
- -1.2 z, slot 8.09, $9
Out (Knee)
The call
Points leagues: Ivica Zubac. 32.0 fantasy points per game against 29.9, 68th on our board to 83rd.
9-cat leagues: Ivica Zubac again, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (92nd to 93rd).
Category by category, Ivica Zubac is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Santi Aldama in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Santi Aldama produces more: 38.6 fantasy points to 38.4, on 27.9 minutes a night against 29.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Ivica Zubac plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Santi Aldama 3. For that week alone, start Ivica Zubac: 95.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Santi Aldama.
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 | Ivica Zubac | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.0 | 29.9 |
| Minutes | 29.9 | 27.9 |
| PointsPTS | 13.9 | 14.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.9 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 59.5% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 68.6% | 66.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 48 | 43 |
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 | Ivica Zubac | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.4 | 38.6 |
| Points | 16.7 | 18.1 |
| Rebounds | 13.1 | 8.6 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 0.4 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 1.7 |
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 | Ivica Zubac | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.4 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.3 | +0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -1.9 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.8 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.1 | -1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.1 | -1.2 |
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, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Santi Aldama.
| Punt | Ivica Zubac | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#93) | -0.8 (#100) |
| REB | -3.7 (#231) | -1.9 (#128) |
| AST | -0.3 (#66) | -0.9 (#97) |
| STL | +0.7 (#43) | -0.8 (#87) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#129) | -1.5 (#112) |
| 3PM | +0.6 (#45) | -1.2 (#102) |
| FG% | -3.7 (#191) | -1.6 (#104) |
| FT% | -0.0 (#60) | -0.1 (#63) |
| TO | -1.3 (#88) | -2.0 (#108) |
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)
- Ivica Zubac: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
- Santi Aldama: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- Ivica Zubac: 32.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.0 on the board.
- Santi Aldama: 27.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Ivica Zubac playing tonight? · Is Santi Aldama playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Santi Aldama
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ivica Zubac or Santi Aldama?
Points leagues: Ivica Zubac. 32.0 fantasy points per game against 29.9, 68th on our board to 83rd. 9-cat leagues: Ivica Zubac again, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (92nd to 93rd).
Who wins more categories, Ivica Zubac or Santi Aldama?
Category by category, Ivica Zubac is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Santi Aldama in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ivica Zubac or Santi Aldama?
Ivica Zubac plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Santi Aldama 3. For that week alone, start Ivica Zubac: 95.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Santi Aldama.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number