Kevin Durant or Scottie Barnes? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 3rd and 4th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 41.6
- 9-cat
- #15
- Last 10 FP
- 45.3
Day to day (Not Injury Related)
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
- FP/G
- 42.0
- 9-cat
- #12
- Last 10 FP
- 40.6
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 Scottie Barnes. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 42.0 fantasy points to 41.6.
9-cat leagues: Scottie Barnes again, 11.0 category value for the week to 9.7.
Kevin Durant has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Kevin Durant played 36.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 36.4 on the board.
Scottie Barnes's minutes are down: 30.6 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.5 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 | Kevin Durant | Scottie Barnes |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 36.0 (last 5) | 30.6 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 36.4 | 33.5 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 17.0 | 14.1 |
| Injury | Day to day (Not Injury Related) | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 124.9 | 126.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 9.7 | 11.0 |
Schedule: Kevin Durant Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL. Scottie Barnes Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Kevin Durant | Scottie Barnes |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 77.9 | 54.3 |
| Rebounds | 16.4 | 22.5 |
| Assists | 14.3 | 17.8 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 4.3 |
| Blocks | 2.7 | 4.3 |
| Threes | 7.2 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 9.5 | 7.9 |
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: Scottie Barnes, 42.0 fantasy points per game to 41.6.
9-cat leagues: Scottie Barnes again, 12th overall against 15th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Kevin Durant | Scottie Barnes |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 41.6 | 42.0 |
| Minutes | 36.4 | 33.5 |
| PointsPTS | 26.0 | 18.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.5 | 7.5 |
| AssistsAST | 4.8 | 5.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.4 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.0% | 50.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.4% | 81.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.2 | 2.6 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Advertisement
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Common questions
Should I start Kevin Durant or Scottie Barnes in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Scottie Barnes. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 42.0 fantasy points to 41.6. 9-cat leagues: Scottie Barnes again, 11.0 category value for the week to 9.7. Kevin Durant has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Kevin Durant played 36.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 36.4 on the board. Scottie Barnes's minutes are down: 30.6 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.5 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Kevin Durant or Scottie Barnes?
Points leagues: Scottie Barnes, 42.0 fantasy points per game to 41.6. 9-cat leagues: Scottie Barnes again, 12th overall against 15th.
Who wins more categories, Kevin Durant or Scottie Barnes?
Kevin Durant is ahead in 4 (points, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage); Scottie Barnes in 5 (rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number