Karl-Anthony Towns vs Paul George: who to start in Week 1
Karl-Anthony Towns plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Karl-Anthony Towns: 120.3 projected fantasy points to 70.2 for Paul George. Over the season, Karl-Anthony Towns leads in points leagues (40.1 fantasy points a game to 35.1) and Paul George in 9-cat leagues (21st against 22nd). 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, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #24
- 40.1 FP/G, slot 2.12, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #22
- +2.6 z, slot 2.10, $30
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #47
- 35.1 FP/G, slot 4.11, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #21
- +2.8 z, slot 2.09, $31
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns. 40.1 fantasy points per game against 35.1, 24th on our board to 47th.
9-cat leagues: Paul George instead, +2.8 in summed z-scores against +2.6 (21st to 22nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Karl-Anthony Towns is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Paul George in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Karl-Anthony Towns produces more: 46.7 fantasy points to 41.0, on 30.9 minutes a night against 30.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Karl-Anthony Towns plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Karl-Anthony Towns: 120.3 projected fantasy points to 70.2 for Paul 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Karl-Anthony Towns | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.1 | 35.1 |
| Minutes | 30.9 | 30.8 |
| PointsPTS | 20.1 | 18.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 11.8 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 2.9 | 3.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.8% | 44.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.0% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.7 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 37 |
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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.7 | 41.0 |
| Points | 23.4 | 21.5 |
| Rebounds | 13.7 | 6.3 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 2.1 |
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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.7 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.7 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | +2.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.2 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.7 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.6 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.0 | +0.1 |
| Total | +2.6 | +2.8 |
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 assists, steals, threes and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Karl-Anthony Towns.
| Punt | Karl-Anthony Towns | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.9 (#20) | +2.3 (#14) |
| REB | -0.2 (#62) | +3.0 (#18) |
| AST | +2.9 (#12) | +2.7 (#17) |
| STL | +3.1 (#14) | +0.4 (#51) |
| BLK | +2.6 (#22) | +3.4 (#15) |
| 3PM | +2.6 (#19) | +1.2 (#35) |
| FG% | +1.8 (#30) | +3.9 (#12) |
| FT% | +2.0 (#23) | +2.3 (#21) |
| TO | +3.5 (#18) | +2.7 (#29) |
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)
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
- Paul George: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 37.2 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 40.1 on the board.
- Paul George: 46.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 35.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Karl-Anthony Towns playing tonight? · Is Paul George playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Karl-Anthony Towns, Paul George
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Karl-Anthony Towns or Paul George?
Points leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns. 40.1 fantasy points per game against 35.1, 24th on our board to 47th. 9-cat leagues: Paul George instead, +2.8 in summed z-scores against +2.6 (21st to 22nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Karl-Anthony Towns or Paul George?
Category by category, Karl-Anthony Towns is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Paul George in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Karl-Anthony Towns or Paul George?
Karl-Anthony Towns plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Karl-Anthony Towns: 120.3 projected fantasy points to 70.2 for Paul George.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number