Julian Champagnie vs Nikola Vučević: who to start in Week 1
Julian Champagnie plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nikola Vučević 3. For that week alone, start Nikola Vučević: 87.1 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Julian Champagnie. Over the season, Nikola Vučević leads in points leagues (29.0 fantasy points a game to 23.6) and Julian Champagnie in 9-cat leagues (75th against 77th). 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 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #153
- 23.6 FP/G, slot 13.09, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #75
- -0.6 z, slot 7.03, $12
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #92
- 29.0 FP/G, slot 8.08, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #77
- -0.7 z, slot 7.05, $11
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Nikola Vučević. 29.0 fantasy points per game against 23.6, 92nd on our board to 153rd.
9-cat leagues: Julian Champagnie instead, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (75th to 77th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Julian Champagnie is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Nikola Vučević in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Nikola Vučević produces more: 40.8 fantasy points to 30.7, on 25.6 minutes a night against 27.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Julian Champagnie plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nikola Vučević 3. For that week alone, start Nikola Vučević: 87.1 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Julian Champagnie.
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 | Julian Champagnie | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.6 | 29.0 |
| Minutes | 27.6 | 25.6 |
| PointsPTS | 10.7 | 13.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 7.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.5 | 3.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 2.4 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.6% | 49.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.0% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 64 |
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 | Julian Champagnie | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 30.7 | 40.8 |
| Points | 13.9 | 18.7 |
| Rebounds | 6.8 | 10.7 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 4.2 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 3.1 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.0 | 1.6 |
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 | Julian Champagnie | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | +0.8 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.8 | -0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.7 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.4 | +0.9 |
| Total | -0.6 | -0.7 |
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 steals, blocks, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Nikola Vučević.
| Punt | Julian Champagnie | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.3 (#52) | -0.2 (#65) |
| REB | -0.5 (#74) | -1.7 (#124) |
| AST | +0.3 (#44) | -0.5 (#71) |
| STL | -0.6 (#77) | +0.5 (#46) |
| BLK | -0.9 (#85) | -0.7 (#80) |
| 3PM | -1.4 (#109) | -0.5 (#79) |
| FG% | +0.1 (#57) | -1.0 (#85) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#90) | -0.9 (#89) |
| TO | -2.1 (#113) | -1.7 (#100) |
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)
- Julian Champagnie: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
- Nikola Vučević: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Recent games
- Julian Champagnie: 25.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.6 on the board.
- Nikola Vučević: 2.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 29.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Julian Champagnie playing tonight? · Is Nikola Vučević playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Julian Champagnie or Nikola Vučević?
Points leagues: Nikola Vučević. 29.0 fantasy points per game against 23.6, 92nd on our board to 153rd. 9-cat leagues: Julian Champagnie instead, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (75th to 77th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Julian Champagnie or Nikola Vučević?
Category by category, Julian Champagnie is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Nikola Vučević in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Julian Champagnie or Nikola Vučević?
Julian Champagnie plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nikola Vučević 3. For that week alone, start Nikola Vučević: 87.1 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Julian Champagnie.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number