Josh Giddey vs LeBron James: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Josh Giddey in points leagues (41.6 fantasy points a game to 41.4) and LeBron James in 9-cat leagues (43rd against 60th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #21
- 41.6 FP/G, slot 2.09, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #60
- +0.2 z, slot 5.12, $16
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #22
- 41.4 FP/G, slot 2.10, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #43
- +0.8 z, slot 4.07, $20
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Josh Giddey. 41.6 fantasy points per game against 41.4, 21st on our board to 22nd.
9-cat leagues: LeBron James instead, +0.8 in summed z-scores against +0.2 (43rd to 60th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Josh Giddey is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, 3PM and FT%) and LeBron James in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Josh Giddey produces more: 46.7 fantasy points to 44.9, on 32.1 minutes a night against 33.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.5 projected fantasy points to 124.9 for Josh Giddey.
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 | Josh Giddey | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 41.6 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 32.1 | 33.1 |
| PointsPTS | 17.0 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.3 | 6.1 |
| AssistsAST | 9.1 | 7.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.8% | 51.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.3% | 73.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.6 | 3.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 54 | 60 |
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 | Josh Giddey | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.7 | 44.9 |
| Points | 19.1 | 22.7 |
| Rebounds | 9.3 | 6.6 |
| Assists | 10.3 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 4.1 | 3.2 |
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 | Josh Giddey | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.1 | +0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +2.7 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.0 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.4 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | +0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.2 | -1.4 |
| Total | +0.2 | +0.8 |
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, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Josh Giddey.
| Punt | Josh Giddey | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.0 (#62) | -0.1 (#68) |
| REB | -1.1 (#92) | +0.4 (#50) |
| AST | -2.6 (#180) | -1.2 (#102) |
| STL | +0.1 (#60) | +0.1 (#59) |
| BLK | +0.4 (#51) | +0.8 (#41) |
| 3PM | -0.1 (#66) | +1.0 (#37) |
| FG% | +0.7 (#48) | -0.6 (#75) |
| FT% | +0.6 (#48) | +1.7 (#30) |
| TO | +2.4 (#30) | +2.2 (#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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Josh Giddey: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- LeBron James: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Josh Giddey: 41.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 41.6 on the board.
- LeBron James: 45.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 41.4 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 Josh Giddey or LeBron James in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Josh Giddey. 41.6 fantasy points per game against 41.4, 21st on our board to 22nd. 9-cat leagues: LeBron James instead, +0.8 in summed z-scores against +0.2 (43rd to 60th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Josh Giddey or LeBron James?
Category by category, Josh Giddey is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, 3PM and FT%) and LeBron James in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Josh Giddey or LeBron James?
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.5 projected fantasy points to 124.9 for Josh Giddey.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number