Aaron Gordon vs Mikal Bridges: who to start in Week 1
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 85.8 projected fantasy points to 57.3 for Aaron Gordon. Over the season, Aaron Gordon leads in points leagues (28.7 fantasy points a game to 28.6) and Mikal Bridges in 9-cat leagues (45th against 121st). 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 Oct 22, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #100
- 28.7 FP/G, slot 9.04, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #121
- -1.7 z, slot 11.01, $6
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #101
- 28.6 FP/G, slot 9.05, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #45
- +0.6 z, slot 4.09, $19
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon. 28.7 fantasy points per game against 28.6, 100th on our board to 101st.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges instead, +0.6 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (45th to 121st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 3 (PTS, REB and FG%) and Mikal Bridges in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Aaron Gordon produces more: 37.0 fantasy points to 31.4, on 27.9 minutes a night against 32.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 85.8 projected fantasy points to 57.3 for Aaron Gordon.
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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Aaron Gordon | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.7 | 28.6 |
| Minutes | 27.9 | 32.8 |
| PointsPTS | 16.2 | 13.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 3.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 3.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.7% | 48.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.7% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 82 |
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 | Aaron Gordon | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.0 | 31.4 |
| Points | 20.8 | 15.1 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 4.1 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.0 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Aaron Gordon | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | +0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +1.2 |
| Total | -1.7 | +0.6 |
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: Mikal Bridges stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Aaron Gordon | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.7 (#150) | +1.0 (#36) |
| REB | -2.0 (#134) | +1.5 (#29) |
| AST | -1.3 (#116) | +0.5 (#42) |
| STL | -0.6 (#82) | -0.1 (#64) |
| BLK | -1.1 (#94) | +0.4 (#51) |
| 3PM | -1.9 (#132) | +0.3 (#53) |
| FG% | -2.3 (#132) | +0.7 (#44) |
| FT% | -1.4 (#112) | +0.4 (#51) |
| TO | -2.9 (#136) | -0.6 (#72) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Aaron Gordon: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- Mikal Bridges: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
Recent games
- Aaron Gordon: 27.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.7 on the board.
- Mikal Bridges: 12.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Aaron Gordon playing tonight? · Is Mikal Bridges playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Aaron Gordon
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Aaron Gordon or Mikal Bridges?
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon. 28.7 fantasy points per game against 28.6, 100th on our board to 101st. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges instead, +0.6 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (45th to 121st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or Mikal Bridges?
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 3 (PTS, REB and FG%) and Mikal Bridges in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Gordon or Mikal Bridges?
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 85.8 projected fantasy points to 57.3 for Aaron Gordon.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number