Aaron Gordon vs Payton Pritchard: who to start in Week 1
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Aaron Gordon: 58.2 projected fantasy points to 58.0 for Payton Pritchard. Over the season, Aaron Gordon leads in points leagues (29.1 fantasy points a game to 29.0) and Payton Pritchard in 9-cat leagues (87th against 88th). 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 24, 4:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #94
- 29.1 FP/G, slot 8.10, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #88
- -1.1 z, slot 8.04, $9
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #96
- 29.0 FP/G, slot 8.12, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #87
- -1.0 z, slot 8.03, $9
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon. 29.1 fantasy points per game against 29.0, 94th on our board to 96th.
9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard instead, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (87th to 88th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Payton Pritchard in 3 (AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Aaron Gordon produces more: 37.4 fantasy points to 32.7, on 28.0 minutes a night against 32.0. 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), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Aaron Gordon: 58.2 projected fantasy points to 58.0 for Payton Pritchard.
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 | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.1 | 29.0 |
| Minutes | 28.0 | 32.0 |
| PointsPTS | 16.4 | 16.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 3.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.6% | 45.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.2% | 86.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 79 |
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 | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.4 | 32.7 |
| Points | 21.1 | 18.3 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 4.3 |
| Assists | 3.3 | 5.5 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.5 |
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 | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.0 | -0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.1 | -1.0 |
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
Punting assists, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Aaron Gordon.
| Punt | Aaron Gordon | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.1 (#118) | -1.1 (#111) |
| REB | -1.3 (#111) | -0.1 (#58) |
| AST | -0.7 (#81) | -1.7 (#138) |
| STL | -0.2 (#69) | -0.1 (#65) |
| BLK | -0.5 (#75) | +0.1 (#57) |
| 3PM | -1.3 (#107) | -2.1 (#142) |
| FG% | -1.9 (#117) | -0.3 (#67) |
| FT% | -0.8 (#86) | -1.6 (#119) |
| TO | -2.1 (#112) | -1.7 (#104) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Aaron Gordon: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- Payton Pritchard: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Aaron Gordon: 35.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 29.1 on the board.
- Payton Pritchard: 16.3 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 29.0 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 Payton Pritchard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Aaron Gordon, Payton Pritchard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Aaron Gordon or Payton Pritchard?
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon. 29.1 fantasy points per game against 29.0, 94th on our board to 96th. 9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard instead, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (87th to 88th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or Payton Pritchard?
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Payton Pritchard in 3 (AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Gordon or Payton Pritchard?
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Aaron Gordon: 58.2 projected fantasy points to 58.0 for Payton Pritchard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number