James Harden vs Keyonte George: who to start in Week 3
James Harden plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Keyonte George 4. For that week alone, start James Harden: 157.8 projected fantasy points to 147.7 for Keyonte George. Over the season, James Harden leads in both formats: 39.5 fantasy points a game to 36.9, and 33rd against 58th 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #29
- 39.5 FP/G, slot 3.05, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #33
- +1.2 z, slot 3.09, $23
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #45
- 36.9 FP/G, slot 4.09, $21
- 9-cat leagues
- #58
- +0.1 z, slot 5.10, $16
The call
Points leagues: James Harden. 39.5 fantasy points per game against 36.9, 29th on our board to 45th.
9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.2 in summed z-scores against +0.1 (33rd to 58th).
Category by category, James Harden is ahead in 6 (REB, AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Keyonte George in 3 (PTS, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, James Harden produces more: 41.2 fantasy points to 40.5, on 34.5 minutes a night against 32.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
James Harden plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Keyonte George 4. For that week alone, start James Harden: 157.8 projected fantasy points to 147.7 for Keyonte George.
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 | Keyonte George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.5 | 36.9 |
| Minutes | 34.5 | 32.8 |
| PointsPTS | 21.6 | 23.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 3.7 |
| AssistsAST | 7.5 | 6.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.9 | 2.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.0% | 45.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.5% | 86.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 54 |
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 | Keyonte George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.2 | 40.5 |
| Points | 22.6 | 25.3 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 4.1 |
| Assists | 7.8 | 6.8 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 3.0 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 3.6 | 3.7 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | James Harden | Keyonte George |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.9 | +1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | +1.9 | +1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.0 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +1.3 | +0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.5 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.6 | +1.4 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.9 | -1.7 |
| Total | +1.2 | +0.1 |
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
No punt changes the answer: James Harden stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | James Harden | Keyonte George |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.3 (#49) | -1.1 (#114) |
| REB | +1.8 (#24) | +1.1 (#31) |
| AST | -0.7 (#78) | -1.2 (#110) |
| STL | +1.3 (#32) | +0.4 (#49) |
| BLK | +1.9 (#24) | +1.1 (#36) |
| 3PM | -0.2 (#60) | -0.8 (#85) |
| FG% | +2.9 (#19) | +0.8 (#44) |
| FT% | -0.5 (#76) | -1.5 (#119) |
| TO | +3.2 (#20) | +1.9 (#31) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- James Harden: 4 games (Mon OKC, Wed @OKC, Fri PHI, Sat NYK), 1 back-to-back.
- Keyonte George: 4 games (Mon @SAS, Wed @NOP, Fri @DAL, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- James Harden: 31.8 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 39.5 on the board.
- Keyonte George: 30.7 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 36.9 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is James Harden playing tonight? · Is Keyonte George playing tonight?
Rookie cards: James Harden, Keyonte George
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, James Harden or Keyonte George?
Points leagues: James Harden. 39.5 fantasy points per game against 36.9, 29th on our board to 45th. 9-cat leagues: James Harden again, +1.2 in summed z-scores against +0.1 (33rd to 58th).
Who wins more categories, James Harden or Keyonte George?
Category by category, James Harden is ahead in 6 (REB, AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Keyonte George in 3 (PTS, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 3, James Harden or Keyonte George?
James Harden plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Keyonte George 4. For that week alone, start James Harden: 157.8 projected fantasy points to 147.7 for Keyonte George.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number