Max Christie vs Steven Adams: who to start in Week 1
Max Christie plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Steven Adams 3. For that week alone, start Steven Adams: 61.9 projected fantasy points to 61.5 for Max Christie. Over the season, Steven Adams leads in points leagues (20.6 fantasy points a game to 20.5) and Max Christie in 9-cat leagues (190th against 257th). 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
- #198
- 20.5 FP/G, slot 17.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #190
- -3.5 z, slot 16.10
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #197
- 20.6 FP/G, slot 17.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #257
- -4.9 z, slot 22.05
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Steven Adams. 20.6 fantasy points per game against 20.5, 197th on our board to 198th.
9-cat leagues: Max Christie instead, -3.5 in summed z-scores against -4.9 (190th to 257th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Max Christie is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Steven Adams in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Steven Adams produces more: 33.8 fantasy points to 24.9, on 21.9 minutes a night against 29.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Max Christie plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Steven Adams 3. For that week alone, start Steven Adams: 61.9 projected fantasy points to 61.5 for Max Christie.
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 | Max Christie | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.5 | 20.6 |
| Minutes | 29.6 | 21.9 |
| PointsPTS | 12.1 | 5.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 8.2 |
| AssistsAST | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 2.2 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.7% | 51.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 89.9% | 58.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 32 |
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 | Max Christie | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 24.9 | 33.8 |
| Points | 14.7 | 9.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.0 | 13.5 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 2.7 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 1.7 |
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 | Max Christie | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -1.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | +1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.1 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.6 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | +0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | -1.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | +1.0 |
| Total | -3.5 | -4.9 |
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 and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Steven Adams.
| Punt | Max Christie | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.8 (#208) | -3.0 (#220) |
| REB | -2.4 (#157) | -6.5 (#353) |
| AST | -2.8 (#189) | -3.8 (#236) |
| STL | -2.5 (#164) | -4.1 (#240) |
| BLK | -2.9 (#165) | -5.2 (#284) |
| 3PM | -4.2 (#235) | -3.1 (#188) |
| FG% | -2.7 (#148) | -6.2 (#298) |
| FT% | -4.1 (#221) | -3.2 (#181) |
| TO | -4.3 (#188) | -6.1 (#257) |
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)
- Max Christie: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Steven Adams: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Max Christie: 18.7 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.5 on the board.
- Steven Adams: 10.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Max Christie playing tonight? · Is Steven Adams playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Max Christie or Steven Adams?
Points leagues: Steven Adams. 20.6 fantasy points per game against 20.5, 197th on our board to 198th. 9-cat leagues: Max Christie instead, -3.5 in summed z-scores against -4.9 (190th to 257th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Max Christie or Steven Adams?
Category by category, Max Christie is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Steven Adams in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Max Christie or Steven Adams?
Max Christie plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Steven Adams 3. For that week alone, start Steven Adams: 61.9 projected fantasy points to 61.5 for Max Christie.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number