LeBron James vs Tyler Herro: who to start in Week 1
LeBron James plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tyler Herro 3. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.3 projected fantasy points to 101.1 for Tyler Herro. Over the season, LeBron James leads in points leagues (41.3 fantasy points a game to 33.7) and Tyler Herro in 9-cat leagues (44th against 45th). 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 21, 10:56 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #22
- 41.3 FP/G, slot 2.10, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #45
- +0.7 z, slot 4.09, $19
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #59
- 33.7 FP/G, slot 5.11, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #44
- +0.7 z, slot 4.08, $19
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: LeBron James. 41.3 fantasy points per game against 33.7, 22nd on our board to 59th.
9-cat leagues: Tyler Herro instead, +0.7 in summed z-scores against +0.7 (44th to 45th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, LeBron James is ahead in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Tyler Herro in 3 (3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, LeBron James produces more: 44.8 fantasy points to 38.7, on 33.2 minutes a night against 31.3. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
LeBron James plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tyler Herro 3. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.3 projected fantasy points to 101.1 for Tyler Herro.
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 | LeBron James | Tyler Herro |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 41.3 | 33.7 |
| Minutes | 33.2 | 31.3 |
| PointsPTS | 20.5 | 20.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.3 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 7.2 | 4.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.8% | 48.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.2% | 91.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 60 | 33 |
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 | LeBron James | Tyler Herro |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 44.8 | 38.7 |
| Points | 22.2 | 23.6 |
| Rebounds | 6.8 | 5.5 |
| Assists | 7.8 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 2.2 |
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 | LeBron James | Tyler Herro |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.7 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.2 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.8 | +0.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.2 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.1 | +1.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | -0.1 |
| Total | +0.7 | +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 threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to LeBron James.
| Punt | LeBron James | Tyler Herro |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.1 (#66) | -0.0 (#64) |
| REB | +0.2 (#55) | +1.3 (#32) |
| AST | -1.2 (#110) | +0.4 (#47) |
| STL | +0.1 (#63) | +1.6 (#27) |
| BLK | +0.7 (#44) | +1.5 (#32) |
| 3PM | +1.0 (#38) | -0.4 (#73) |
| FG% | -0.5 (#73) | +1.2 (#40) |
| FT% | +1.7 (#31) | -0.6 (#81) |
| TO | +2.0 (#35) | +0.8 (#51) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- LeBron James: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back.
- Tyler Herro: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- LeBron James: 40.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 41.3 on the board.
- Tyler Herro: 32.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 33.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is LeBron James playing tonight? · Is Tyler Herro playing tonight?
Rookie cards: LeBron James
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, LeBron James or Tyler Herro?
Points leagues: LeBron James. 41.3 fantasy points per game against 33.7, 22nd on our board to 59th. 9-cat leagues: Tyler Herro instead, +0.7 in summed z-scores against +0.7 (44th to 45th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, LeBron James or Tyler Herro?
Category by category, LeBron James is ahead in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Tyler Herro in 3 (3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, LeBron James or Tyler Herro?
LeBron James plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tyler Herro 3. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.3 projected fantasy points to 101.1 for Tyler Herro.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 21, 2026 at 10:56 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number