Desmond Bane or Paul George? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 8th and 12th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 33.7
- 9-cat
- #37
- Last 10 FP
- 30.7
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Desmond Bane. Desmond Bane has 3 games counted to 2 for Paul George, for 101.1 projected fantasy points against 67.3.
9-cat leagues: Desmond Bane again, 3.5 category value for the week to 3.0.
Desmond Bane's minutes are down: 26.2 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.6 on the board.
Paul George played 29.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 30.7 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Desmond Bane | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 26.2 (last 5) | 29.1 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 33.6 | 30.7 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 16.8 | 15.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 101.1 | 67.3 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 3.5 | 3.0 |
Schedule: Desmond Bane Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK. Paul George Tue @DET, Fri NYK.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Desmond Bane | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 60.3 | 34.6 |
| Rebounds | 12.4 | 10.6 |
| Assists | 12.4 | 7.2 |
| Steals | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 6.1 | 5.4 |
| Turnovers | 6.0 | 3.5 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 5 games of 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Desmond Bane, 33.7 fantasy points per game to 33.7.
9-cat leagues: Paul George instead, 33rd overall against 37th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Desmond Bane | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.7 | 33.7 |
| Minutes | 33.6 | 30.7 |
| PointsPTS | 20.1 | 17.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.1 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.4% | 43.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 90.8% | 82.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.0 | 1.7 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
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Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Common questions
Should I start Desmond Bane or Paul George in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Desmond Bane. Desmond Bane has 3 games counted to 2 for Paul George, for 101.1 projected fantasy points against 67.3. 9-cat leagues: Desmond Bane again, 3.5 category value for the week to 3.0. Desmond Bane's minutes are down: 26.2 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.6 on the board. Paul George played 29.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 30.7 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Desmond Bane or Paul George?
Points leagues: Desmond Bane, 33.7 fantasy points per game to 33.7. 9-cat leagues: Paul George instead, 33rd overall against 37th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Desmond Bane or Paul George?
Desmond Bane is ahead in 4 (points, assists, field goal percentage, free throw percentage); Paul George in 4 (rebounds, steals, threes, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number