James Harden vs Jimmy Butler: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft James Harden in points leagues (42.4 fantasy points a game to 37.4) and Jimmy Butler in 9-cat leagues (20th against 23rd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #18
- 42.4 FP/G, slot 2.06, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #23
- +2.5 z, slot 2.11, $29
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #42
- 37.4 FP/G, slot 4.06, $22
- 9-cat leagues
- #20
- +2.9 z, slot 2.08, $31
Out (Knee)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft James Harden. 42.4 fantasy points per game against 37.4, 18th on our board to 42nd.
9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler instead, +2.9 in summed z-scores against +2.5 (20th to 23rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, James Harden is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Jimmy Butler in 4 (REB, STL, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, James Harden produces more: 43.8 fantasy points to 43.2, on 34.8 minutes a night against 31.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
James Harden plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler 3. For that week alone, start James Harden: 84.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | James Harden | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 42.4 | 37.4 |
| Minutes | 34.8 | 31.1 |
| PointsPTS | 23.6 | 20.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 8.0 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 3.1 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.4% | 51.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.4% | 86.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.5 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 38 |
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 | James Harden | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 43.8 | 43.2 |
| Points | 24.4 | 23.1 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 8.2 | 5.6 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 3.2 | 1.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.6 | 1.8 |
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 | James Harden | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.2 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +2.1 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | +1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +1.4 | -0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.4 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.9 | +1.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.1 | +0.4 |
| Total | +2.5 | +2.9 |
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, steals, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to James Harden.
| Punt | James Harden | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.2 (#32) | +2.3 (#13) |
| REB | +3.1 (#17) | +2.9 (#18) |
| AST | +0.3 (#53) | +2.3 (#20) |
| STL | +2.2 (#22) | +1.7 (#26) |
| BLK | +3.2 (#16) | +3.8 (#12) |
| 3PM | +0.9 (#40) | +3.6 (#9) |
| FG% | +4.3 (#12) | +2.2 (#29) |
| FT% | +0.4 (#52) | +1.3 (#34) |
| TO | +4.7 (#14) | +2.5 (#26) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- James Harden: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
- Jimmy Butler: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- James Harden: 37.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 42.4 on the board.
- Jimmy Butler: 38.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 37.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft James Harden or Jimmy Butler in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft James Harden. 42.4 fantasy points per game against 37.4, 18th on our board to 42nd. 9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler instead, +2.9 in summed z-scores against +2.5 (20th to 23rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, James Harden or Jimmy Butler?
Category by category, James Harden is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Jimmy Butler in 4 (REB, STL, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, James Harden or Jimmy Butler?
James Harden plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler 3. For that week alone, start James Harden: 84.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number