Jimmy Butler III or Paul George? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 5th and 7th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 12:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 35.3
- 9-cat
- #20
- Last 1 FP
- 60.5
2 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Jimmy Butler III is listed Out (Knee) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands.
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Paul George. Paul George has 1 game counted to 0 for Jimmy Butler III, for 35.3 projected fantasy points against 0.0.
9-cat leagues: Paul George again, 2.9 category value for the week to 0.0.
Jimmy Butler III's minutes are down: 27.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.1 on the board.
Paul George played 30.6 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Jimmy Butler III | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 0 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 27.1 (last 5) | 30.6 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 31.1 | 30.7 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 18.3 | 24.7 |
| Injury | Out (Knee) | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 0.0 | 35.3 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 0.0 | 2.9 |
Schedule: Jimmy Butler III Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX. Paul George Tue @DET, Fri NYK.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jimmy Butler III | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 0.0 | 18.6 |
| Rebounds | 0.0 | 5.3 |
| Assists | 0.0 | 3.6 |
| Steals | 0.0 | 1.9 |
| Blocks | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 0.0 | 1.8 |
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: Jimmy Butler III, 37.4 fantasy points per game to 35.3.
9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III again, 17th overall against 20th.
Jimmy Butler III vs Paul George: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jimmy Butler III | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 37.4 | 35.3 |
| Minutes | 31.1 | 30.7 |
| PointsPTS | 20.0 | 18.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.6 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 4.9 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.8 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.9% | 45.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.4% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 1.8 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Jimmy Butler III playing tonight? · Is Paul George playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Jimmy Butler III or Paul George in Week 1?
Jimmy Butler III is listed Out (Knee) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands. Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Paul George. Paul George has 1 game counted to 0 for Jimmy Butler III, for 35.3 projected fantasy points against 0.0. 9-cat leagues: Paul George again, 2.9 category value for the week to 0.0. Jimmy Butler III's minutes are down: 27.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.1 on the board. Paul George played 30.6 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 30.7 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jimmy Butler III or Paul George?
Points leagues: Jimmy Butler III, 37.4 fantasy points per game to 35.3. 9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III again, 17th overall against 20th.
Who wins more categories, Jimmy Butler III or Paul George?
Jimmy Butler III is ahead in 6 (points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Paul George in 3 (steals, blocks, threes), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 12:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number