Jalen Duren vs Paul George: who to start in Week 2
Jalen Duren plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Paul George 4. For that week alone, start Paul George: 137.3 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jalen Duren. Over the season, Jalen Duren leads in both formats: 37.2 fantasy points a game to 34.3, and 25th against 26th 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 27, 6:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #39
- 37.2 FP/G, slot 4.03, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #25
- +2.2 z, slot 3.01, $28
Out (Hamstring)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #51
- 34.3 FP/G, slot 5.03, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #26
- +2.1 z, slot 3.02, $27
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Duren. 37.2 fantasy points per game against 34.3, 39th on our board to 51st.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren again, +2.2 in summed z-scores against +2.1 (25th to 26th).
Category by category, Jalen Duren is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Paul George in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Duren produces more: 49.4 fantasy points to 40.5, on 27.1 minutes a night against 30.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Duren plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Paul George 4. For that week alone, start Paul George: 137.3 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jalen Duren.
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 | Jalen Duren | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 37.2 | 34.3 |
| Minutes | 27.1 | 30.5 |
| PointsPTS | 18.7 | 18.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.2 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 3.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 64.5% | 44.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.4% | 82.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 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 | Jalen Duren | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 49.4 | 40.5 |
| Points | 24.8 | 21.6 |
| Rebounds | 13.5 | 6.3 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 2.2 |
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 | Jalen Duren | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.1 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | +2.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -1.8 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +3.1 | -1.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.8 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | -0.0 |
| Total | +2.2 | +2.1 |
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, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Paul George.
| Punt | Jalen Duren | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.7 (#22) | +1.6 (#25) |
| REB | -0.1 (#57) | +2.3 (#20) |
| AST | +3.0 (#14) | +2.0 (#25) |
| STL | +2.7 (#19) | -0.1 (#58) |
| BLK | +1.6 (#28) | +2.7 (#20) |
| 3PM | +3.9 (#8) | +0.5 (#47) |
| FG% | -1.6 (#109) | +3.2 (#20) |
| FT% | +3.0 (#15) | +1.6 (#30) |
| TO | +2.0 (#34) | +2.1 (#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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Jalen Duren: 3 games (Tue @NYK, Wed CHA, Fri @BKN), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
- Paul George: 4 games (Mon CHI, Tue BKN, Fri CHI, Sun @ORL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Duren: 30.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 37.2 on the board.
- Paul George: 37.6 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 34.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jalen Duren playing tonight? · Is Paul George playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Paul George
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Duren or Paul George?
Points leagues: Jalen Duren. 37.2 fantasy points per game against 34.3, 39th on our board to 51st. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren again, +2.2 in summed z-scores against +2.1 (25th to 26th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Duren or Paul George?
Category by category, Jalen Duren is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Paul George in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Jalen Duren or Paul George?
Jalen Duren plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Paul George 4. For that week alone, start Paul George: 137.3 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jalen Duren.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 6:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number