Kevin Durant vs LeBron James: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Kevin Durant in both formats: 41.6 fantasy points a game to 41.4 in points leagues, and 15th against 43rd in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #20
- 41.6 FP/G, slot 2.08, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #15
- +3.2 z, slot 2.03, $33
Day to day (Not Injury Related)
The pick in points and 9-cat 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 call
Points leagues: draft Kevin Durant. 41.6 fantasy points per game against 41.4, 20th on our board to 22nd.
9-cat leagues: Kevin Durant again, +3.2 in summed z-scores against +0.8 (15th to 43rd).
Category by category, Kevin Durant is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FG% and FT%) and LeBron James in 4 (REB, AST, STL and TO).
Per 36 minutes, LeBron James produces more: 44.9 fantasy points to 41.2, on 33.1 minutes a night against 36.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Kevin Durant 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 Kevin Durant.
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 | Kevin Durant | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 41.6 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 36.4 | 33.1 |
| PointsPTS | 26.0 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.5 | 6.1 |
| AssistsAST | 4.8 | 7.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 2.4 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.0% | 51.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.4% | 73.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.2 | 3.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 78 | 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 | Kevin Durant | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.2 | 44.9 |
| Points | 25.7 | 22.7 |
| Rebounds | 5.4 | 6.6 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 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 | Kevin Durant | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.6 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.5 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.6 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.9 | +0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.4 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.6 | -1.4 |
| Total | +3.2 | +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
No punt changes the answer: Kevin Durant stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Kevin Durant | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.5 (#23) | -0.1 (#68) |
| REB | +3.5 (#13) | +0.4 (#50) |
| AST | +2.6 (#16) | -1.2 (#102) |
| STL | +3.8 (#10) | +0.1 (#59) |
| BLK | +2.9 (#18) | +0.8 (#41) |
| 3PM | +2.3 (#21) | +1.0 (#37) |
| FG% | +2.6 (#23) | -0.6 (#75) |
| FT% | +1.7 (#29) | +1.7 (#30) |
| TO | +4.9 (#11) | +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)
- Kevin Durant: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- LeBron James: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Kevin Durant: 45.3 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 Kevin Durant or LeBron James in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Kevin Durant. 41.6 fantasy points per game against 41.4, 20th on our board to 22nd. 9-cat leagues: Kevin Durant again, +3.2 in summed z-scores against +0.8 (15th to 43rd).
Who wins more categories, Kevin Durant or LeBron James?
Category by category, Kevin Durant is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FG% and FT%) and LeBron James in 4 (REB, AST, STL and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Kevin Durant or LeBron James?
Kevin Durant 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 Kevin Durant.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number