Julius Randle vs Stephen Curry: who to start in Week 1
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephen Curry 3. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 116.5 projected fantasy points to 116.3 for Stephen Curry. Over the season, Julius Randle leads in points leagues (38.8 fantasy points a game to 38.8) and Stephen Curry in 9-cat leagues (8th against 54th). 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #35
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.11, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #54
- +0.1 z, slot 5.06, $16
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #36
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.12, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #8
- +4.2 z, slot 1.08, $39
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Julius Randle. 38.8 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 35th on our board to 36th.
9-cat leagues: Stephen Curry instead, +4.2 in summed z-scores against +0.1 (8th to 54th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Julius Randle is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and FG%) and Stephen Curry in 6 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Stephen Curry produces more: 46.1 fantasy points to 41.9, on 30.3 minutes a night against 33.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephen Curry 3. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 116.5 projected fantasy points to 116.3 for Stephen Curry.
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 | Julius Randle | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.8 | 38.8 |
| Minutes | 33.3 | 30.3 |
| PointsPTS | 21.8 | 26.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.8 | 3.4 |
| AssistsAST | 5.2 | 4.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 4.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.5% | 93.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.8 | 2.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 79 | 43 |
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 | Julius Randle | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.9 | 46.1 |
| Points | 23.6 | 31.2 |
| Rebounds | 7.4 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 5.6 | 5.3 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 5.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.0 | 3.1 |
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 | Julius Randle | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.0 | +1.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | +0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.0 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | +2.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | +2.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.2 | -0.9 |
| Total | +0.1 | +4.2 |
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: Stephen Curry stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Julius Randle | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.9 (#102) | +2.4 (#12) |
| REB | -0.5 (#77) | +5.6 (#6) |
| AST | -0.8 (#88) | +3.6 (#9) |
| STL | +0.1 (#60) | +3.8 (#9) |
| BLK | +0.8 (#41) | +5.1 (#7) |
| 3PM | +0.2 (#55) | +1.3 (#32) |
| FG% | -0.4 (#72) | +5.8 (#7) |
| FT% | +0.1 (#58) | +1.4 (#34) |
| TO | +1.3 (#42) | +5.2 (#11) |
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)
- Julius Randle: 3 games (Wed CHA, Sat @CLE, Sun IND), 1 back-to-back.
- Stephen Curry: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Julius Randle: 52.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 38.8 on the board.
- Stephen Curry: 31.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 38.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Julius Randle playing tonight? · Is Stephen Curry playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Julius Randle, Stephen Curry
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Julius Randle or Stephen Curry?
Points leagues: Julius Randle. 38.8 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 35th on our board to 36th. 9-cat leagues: Stephen Curry instead, +4.2 in summed z-scores against +0.1 (8th to 54th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Julius Randle or Stephen Curry?
Category by category, Julius Randle is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and FG%) and Stephen Curry in 6 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Julius Randle or Stephen Curry?
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephen Curry 3. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 116.5 projected fantasy points to 116.3 for Stephen Curry.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number