Paolo Banchero vs Santi Aldama: who to start in Week 1
Paolo Banchero plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Santi Aldama 3, an even 0.0 projected fantasy points each. Over the season, Paolo Banchero leads in points leagues (41.0 fantasy points a game to 29.9) and Santi Aldama in 9-cat leagues (93rd against 94th). 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #20
- 41.0 FP/G, slot 2.08, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #94
- -1.2 z, slot 8.10, $9
Out (Ankle)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #83
- 29.9 FP/G, slot 7.11, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #93
- -1.2 z, slot 8.09, $9
Out (Knee)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Paolo Banchero. 41.0 fantasy points per game against 29.9, 20th on our board to 83rd.
9-cat leagues: Santi Aldama instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (93rd to 94th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Paolo Banchero is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FT%) and Santi Aldama in 4 (STL, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Paolo Banchero produces more: 42.5 fantasy points to 38.6, on 34.7 minutes a night against 27.9. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Paolo Banchero plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Santi Aldama 3, an even 0.0 projected fantasy points each.
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 | Paolo Banchero | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 41.0 | 29.9 |
| Minutes | 34.7 | 27.9 |
| PointsPTS | 22.5 | 14.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.2 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.0% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.4% | 66.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.2 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 43 |
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 | Paolo Banchero | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.5 | 38.6 |
| Points | 23.3 | 18.1 |
| Rebounds | 8.5 | 8.6 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 3.3 | 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 | Paolo Banchero | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.1 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.1 | +0.4 |
| AssistsAST | +0.9 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.4 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | -1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.6 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.2 | -1.2 |
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 steals, blocks, threes and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Paolo Banchero.
| Punt | Paolo Banchero | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.3 (#185) | -0.8 (#100) |
| REB | -2.6 (#171) | -1.9 (#128) |
| AST | -2.2 (#160) | -0.9 (#97) |
| STL | -0.4 (#73) | -0.8 (#87) |
| BLK | -1.1 (#95) | -1.5 (#112) |
| 3PM | -0.8 (#85) | -1.2 (#102) |
| FG% | -1.9 (#117) | -1.6 (#104) |
| FT% | -0.3 (#71) | -0.1 (#63) |
| TO | +0.5 (#52) | -2.0 (#108) |
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)
- Paolo Banchero: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK), listed Out.
- Santi Aldama: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- Paolo Banchero: 42.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 41.0 on the board.
- Santi Aldama: 27.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Paolo Banchero playing tonight? · Is Santi Aldama playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Paolo Banchero, Santi Aldama
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Paolo Banchero or Santi Aldama?
Points leagues: Paolo Banchero. 41.0 fantasy points per game against 29.9, 20th on our board to 83rd. 9-cat leagues: Santi Aldama instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (93rd to 94th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Paolo Banchero or Santi Aldama?
Category by category, Paolo Banchero is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FT%) and Santi Aldama in 4 (STL, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Paolo Banchero or Santi Aldama?
Paolo Banchero plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Santi Aldama 3, an even 0.0 projected fantasy points each.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number