Jalen Duren vs James Harden: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Duren plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Jalen Duren: 111.7 projected fantasy points to 82.5 for James Harden. Over the season, James Harden leads in both formats: 41.2 fantasy points a game to 37.2, and 29th against 30th 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.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #40
- 37.2 FP/G, slot 4.04, $22
- 9-cat leagues
- #30
- +2.1 z, slot 3.06, $27
Day to day (Thigh)
- Points leagues
- #21
- 41.2 FP/G, slot 2.09, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #29
- +2.2 z, slot 3.05, $28
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: James Harden. 41.2 fantasy points per game against 37.2, 21st on our board to 40th.
9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +2.2 in summed z-scores against +2.1 (29th to 30th).
Category by category, Jalen Duren is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Duren produces more: 49.4 fantasy points to 42.8, on 27.1 minutes a night against 34.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Duren plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Jalen Duren: 111.7 projected fantasy points to 82.5 for James Harden.
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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Jalen Duren | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 37.2 | 41.2 |
| Minutes | 27.1 | 34.7 |
| PointsPTS | 18.7 | 23.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.2 | 4.7 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 7.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 3.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 64.5% | 43.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.4% | 87.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 3.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 70 |
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 | Jalen Duren | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 49.4 | 42.8 |
| Points | 24.8 | 24.0 |
| Rebounds | 13.5 | 4.9 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 8.1 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 3.8 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Jalen Duren | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.0 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | +2.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +1.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.9 | -1.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.8 | +1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | -2.2 |
| Total | +2.1 | +2.2 |
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 points, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Duren.
| Punt | Jalen Duren | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.6 (#25) | +1.0 (#30) |
| REB | -0.2 (#67) | +2.9 (#19) |
| AST | +2.8 (#16) | +0.1 (#50) |
| STL | +2.5 (#20) | +1.9 (#24) |
| BLK | +1.4 (#32) | +2.9 (#19) |
| 3PM | +3.7 (#10) | +0.6 (#42) |
| FG% | -1.7 (#109) | +4.0 (#11) |
| FT% | +2.8 (#16) | +0.2 (#55) |
| TO | +1.8 (#38) | +4.5 (#15) |
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)
- Jalen Duren: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI), listed DTD.
- James Harden: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Jalen Duren: 30.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 37.2 on the board.
- James Harden: 24.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 41.2 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jalen Duren playing tonight? · Is James Harden playing tonight?
Rookie cards: James Harden
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Duren or James Harden?
Points leagues: James Harden. 41.2 fantasy points per game against 37.2, 21st on our board to 40th. 9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +2.2 in summed z-scores against +2.1 (29th to 30th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Duren or James Harden?
Category by category, Jalen Duren is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Duren or James Harden?
Jalen Duren plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Jalen Duren: 111.7 projected fantasy points to 82.5 for James Harden.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number