Stephon Castle vs Yaxel Lendeborg: who to start in Week 3
Stephon Castle plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Yaxel Lendeborg 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 135.9 projected fantasy points to 110.7 for Yaxel Lendeborg. Over the season, Yaxel Lendeborg leads in both formats: 36.9 fantasy points a game to 34.0, and 81st against 145th 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #61
- 34.0 FP/G, slot 6.01, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #145
- -2.3 z, slot 13.01, $2
- Points leagues
- #46
- 36.9 FP/G, slot 4.10, $21
- 9-cat leagues
- #81
- -0.8 z, slot 7.09, $11
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Yaxel Lendeborg. 36.9 fantasy points per game against 34.0, 46th on our board to 61st.
9-cat leagues: Yaxel Lendeborg again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (81st to 145th).
Category by category, Stephon Castle is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FT% and TO) and Yaxel Lendeborg in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Yaxel Lendeborg produces more: 41.1 fantasy points to 41.0, on 32.3 minutes a night against 29.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Stephon Castle plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Yaxel Lendeborg 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 135.9 projected fantasy points to 110.7 for Yaxel Lendeborg.
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 | Stephon Castle | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.0 | 36.9 |
| Minutes | 29.8 | 32.3 |
| PointsPTS | 16.0 | 22.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.4 | 7.3 |
| AssistsAST | 6.7 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.0% | 52.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.6% | 74.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.0 | 3.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 68 | 0 |
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 | Stephon Castle | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.0 | 41.1 |
| Points | 19.4 | 24.8 |
| Rebounds | 6.5 | 8.1 |
| Assists | 8.1 | 4.1 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.7 | 4.0 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Stephon Castle | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | +1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | +0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | -1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | -2.0 |
| Total | -2.3 | -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: Yaxel Lendeborg stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Stephon Castle | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#187) | -1.8 (#162) |
| REB | -2.2 (#149) | -1.5 (#115) |
| AST | -3.9 (#242) | -0.9 (#88) |
| STL | -2.7 (#175) | -0.3 (#67) |
| BLK | -1.5 (#112) | -0.4 (#77) |
| 3PM | -2.1 (#158) | -1.7 (#131) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#131) | -2.0 (#130) |
| FT% | -1.4 (#115) | +0.2 (#52) |
| TO | -0.9 (#84) | +1.2 (#43) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Stephon Castle: 4 games (Mon UTA, Wed DAL, Fri @SAC, Sat @POR), 1 back-to-back.
- Yaxel Lendeborg: 3 games (Mon PHX, Thu MIA, Sat ORL), 1 back-to-back.
Stephon Castle or Yaxel Lendeborg: the Week 3 start/sit call
Recent games
- Stephon Castle: 30.9 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 34.0 on the board.
- Yaxel Lendeborg: 35.9 fantasy points a game over his last 8 of 2026-27, against 36.9 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Stephon Castle playing tonight? · Is Yaxel Lendeborg playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Stephon Castle
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Stephon Castle or Yaxel Lendeborg?
Points leagues: Yaxel Lendeborg. 36.9 fantasy points per game against 34.0, 46th on our board to 61st. 9-cat leagues: Yaxel Lendeborg again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (81st to 145th).
Who wins more categories, Stephon Castle or Yaxel Lendeborg?
Category by category, Stephon Castle is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FT% and TO) and Yaxel Lendeborg in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Stephon Castle or Yaxel Lendeborg?
Stephon Castle plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Yaxel Lendeborg 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 135.9 projected fantasy points to 110.7 for Yaxel Lendeborg.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number