Kelly Oubre Jr. vs Quentin Grimes: who to start in Week 1
Kelly Oubre Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Quentin Grimes 3. For that week alone, start Kelly Oubre Jr.: 75.5 projected fantasy points to 74.6 for Quentin Grimes. Over the season, Kelly Oubre Jr. leads in both formats: 25.2 fantasy points a game to 24.9, and 126th against 138th 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 Oct 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #131
- 25.2 FP/G, slot 11.11, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #126
- -2.0 z, slot 11.06, $4
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #134
- 24.9 FP/G, slot 12.02, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #138
- -2.2 z, slot 12.06, $3
The call
Points leagues: Kelly Oubre Jr.. 25.2 fantasy points per game against 24.9, 131st on our board to 134th.
9-cat leagues: Kelly Oubre Jr. again, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (126th to 138th).
Category by category, Kelly Oubre Jr. is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Quentin Grimes in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Quentin Grimes produces more: 30.5 fantasy points to 29.7, on 29.4 minutes a night against 30.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Kelly Oubre Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Quentin Grimes 3. For that week alone, start Kelly Oubre Jr.: 75.5 projected fantasy points to 74.6 for Quentin Grimes.
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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.2 | 24.9 |
| Minutes | 30.5 | 29.4 |
| PointsPTS | 12.9 | 13.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.7 | 3.8 |
| AssistsAST | 1.7 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.4% | 45.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.6% | 85.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 50 | 75 |
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 | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 29.7 | 30.5 |
| Points | 15.2 | 16.2 |
| Rebounds | 5.5 | 4.7 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 4.1 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 2.1 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -1.0 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.8 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.4 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.0 | +0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.7 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | +0.2 |
| Total | -2.0 | -2.2 |
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
Punting rebounds, steals, blocks and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Quentin Grimes.
| Punt | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.4 (#128) | -1.6 (#144) |
| REB | -1.6 (#123) | -1.3 (#111) |
| AST | -1.1 (#103) | -2.1 (#150) |
| STL | -2.8 (#178) | -1.8 (#133) |
| BLK | -1.7 (#121) | -1.7 (#115) |
| 3PM | -1.9 (#134) | -2.2 (#149) |
| FG% | -1.5 (#99) | -1.8 (#112) |
| FT% | -1.7 (#129) | -2.8 (#170) |
| TO | -2.8 (#132) | -2.5 (#124) |
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)
- Kelly Oubre Jr.: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
- Quentin Grimes: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
Kelly Oubre Jr. or Quentin Grimes: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Kelly Oubre Jr.: 13.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 25.2 on the board.
- Quentin Grimes: 27.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 24.9 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Kelly Oubre Jr. playing tonight? · Is Quentin Grimes playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Quentin Grimes
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Kelly Oubre Jr. or Quentin Grimes?
Points leagues: Kelly Oubre Jr.. 25.2 fantasy points per game against 24.9, 131st on our board to 134th. 9-cat leagues: Kelly Oubre Jr. again, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (126th to 138th).
Who wins more categories, Kelly Oubre Jr. or Quentin Grimes?
Category by category, Kelly Oubre Jr. is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Quentin Grimes in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Kelly Oubre Jr. or Quentin Grimes?
Kelly Oubre Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Quentin Grimes 3. For that week alone, start Kelly Oubre Jr.: 75.5 projected fantasy points to 74.6 for Quentin Grimes.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number