Paul George vs Scottie Barnes: who to start in Week 2
Paul George plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Scottie Barnes 3. For that week alone, start Paul George: 140.5 projected fantasy points to 123.8 for Scottie Barnes. Over the season, Scottie Barnes leads in both formats: 41.3 fantasy points a game to 35.1, and 19th against 20th 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 26, 2:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #49
- 35.1 FP/G, slot 5.01, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #20
- +2.8 z, slot 2.08, $31
- Points leagues
- #18
- 41.3 FP/G, slot 2.06, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #19
- +3.0 z, slot 2.07, $33
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Scottie Barnes. 41.3 fantasy points per game against 35.1, 18th on our board to 49th.
9-cat leagues: Scottie Barnes again, +3.0 in summed z-scores against +2.8 (19th to 20th).
Category by category, Paul George is ahead in 4 (PTS, STL, 3PM and TO) and Scottie Barnes in 5 (REB, AST, BLK, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Scottie Barnes produces more: 45.0 fantasy points to 41.0, on 33.0 minutes a night against 30.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Paul George plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Scottie Barnes 3. For that week alone, start Paul George: 140.5 projected fantasy points to 123.8 for Scottie Barnes.
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 | Paul George | Scottie Barnes |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.1 | 41.3 |
| Minutes | 30.8 | 33.0 |
| PointsPTS | 18.4 | 17.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.4 | 7.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.5 | 5.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.9 | 1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 3.0 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.8% | 47.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.8% | 84.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 2.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 37 | 80 |
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 | Paul George | Scottie Barnes |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.0 | 45.0 |
| Points | 21.5 | 19.6 |
| Rebounds | 6.3 | 8.2 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 6.2 |
| Steals | 2.2 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.5 |
| Threes | 3.5 | 0.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.1 |
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 | Paul George | Scottie Barnes |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | +0.8 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | +1.0 |
| StealsSTL | +2.3 | +1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | +1.5 |
| Threes3PM | +1.4 | -0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.9 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | -1.2 |
| Total | +2.8 | +3.0 |
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, assists, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Paul George.
| Punt | Paul George | Scottie Barnes |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.2 (#15) | +2.7 (#9) |
| REB | +2.9 (#18) | +2.2 (#22) |
| AST | +2.6 (#17) | +1.9 (#24) |
| STL | +0.4 (#51) | +1.7 (#26) |
| BLK | +3.4 (#16) | +1.5 (#31) |
| 3PM | +1.2 (#35) | +3.7 (#9) |
| FG% | +3.8 (#11) | +3.2 (#21) |
| FT% | +2.3 (#22) | +2.5 (#18) |
| TO | +2.6 (#30) | +4.2 (#15) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Paul George: 4 games (Mon CHI, Tue BKN, Fri CHI, Sun @ORL), 1 back-to-back.
- Scottie Barnes: 3 games (Wed ORL, Fri ORL, Sun @LAL).
Recent games
- Paul George: 46.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 35.1 on the board.
- Scottie Barnes: 37.7 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 41.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Paul George playing tonight? · Is Scottie Barnes playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Paul George, Scottie Barnes
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Paul George or Scottie Barnes?
Points leagues: Scottie Barnes. 41.3 fantasy points per game against 35.1, 18th on our board to 49th. 9-cat leagues: Scottie Barnes again, +3.0 in summed z-scores against +2.8 (19th to 20th).
Who wins more categories, Paul George or Scottie Barnes?
Category by category, Paul George is ahead in 4 (PTS, STL, 3PM and TO) and Scottie Barnes in 5 (REB, AST, BLK, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Paul George or Scottie Barnes?
Paul George plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Scottie Barnes 3. For that week alone, start Paul George: 140.5 projected fantasy points to 123.8 for Scottie Barnes.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number