James Harden or LeBron James? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 5th and 6th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 41.4
- 9-cat
- #43
- Last 10 FP
- 45.0
Day to day (Rest)
4 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start LeBron James. LeBron James has 4 games counted to 2 for James Harden, for 165.5 projected fantasy points against 84.8.
9-cat leagues: James Harden instead, 4.9 category value for the week to 3.1, because his category mix is worth more there.
LeBron James has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
James Harden's minutes are down: 31.5 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 34.8 on the board.
LeBron James's minutes are down: 29.0 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.1 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 | James Harden | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 4 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 31.5 (last 5) | 29.0 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 34.8 | 33.1 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 17.6 | 19.1 |
| Injury | None listed | Day to day (Rest) |
| Projected fantasy points | 84.8 | 165.5 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 4.9 | 3.1 |
Schedule: James Harden Thu @PHI, Sat BKN. LeBron James Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | James Harden | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 47.2 | 83.7 |
| Rebounds | 9.6 | 24.3 |
| Assists | 15.9 | 28.8 |
| Steals | 2.3 | 4.8 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 2.3 |
| Threes | 6.1 | 5.1 |
| Turnovers | 7.0 | 11.9 |
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: James Harden, 42.4 fantasy points per game to 41.4.
9-cat leagues: James Harden again, 23rd overall against 43rd.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | James Harden | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 42.4 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 34.8 | 33.1 |
| PointsPTS | 23.6 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 6.1 |
| AssistsAST | 8.0 | 7.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 3.1 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.4% | 51.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.4% | 73.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.5 | 3.0 |
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 James Harden or LeBron James in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start LeBron James. LeBron James has 4 games counted to 2 for James Harden, for 165.5 projected fantasy points against 84.8. 9-cat leagues: James Harden instead, 4.9 category value for the week to 3.1, because his category mix is worth more there. LeBron James has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. James Harden's minutes are down: 31.5 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 34.8 on the board. LeBron James's minutes are down: 29.0 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.1 on the board.
Who is better for the season, James Harden or LeBron James?
Points leagues: James Harden, 42.4 fantasy points per game to 41.4. 9-cat leagues: James Harden again, 23rd overall against 43rd.
Who wins more categories, James Harden or LeBron James?
James Harden is ahead in 4 (points, assists, threes, free throw percentage); LeBron James in 5 (rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 8:41 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number