Aaron Gordon vs P.J. Washington: who to start in Week 1
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), P.J. Washington 3. For that week alone, start P.J. Washington: 86.7 projected fantasy points to 57.3 for Aaron Gordon. Over the season, P.J. Washington leads in points leagues (28.9 fantasy points a game to 28.7) and Aaron Gordon in 9-cat leagues (121st against 157th). 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, 8:57 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 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #98
- 28.9 FP/G, slot 9.02, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #157
- -2.7 z, slot 14.01
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: P.J. Washington. 28.9 fantasy points per game against 28.7, 98th on our board to 100th.
9-cat leagues: Aaron Gordon instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -2.7 (121st to 157th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 6 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and P.J. Washington in 3 (REB, STL and BLK).
Per 36 minutes, Aaron Gordon produces more: 37.0 fantasy points to 33.6, on 27.9 minutes a night against 31.0. 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), P.J. Washington 3. For that week alone, start P.J. Washington: 86.7 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 | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.7 | 28.9 |
| Minutes | 27.9 | 31.0 |
| PointsPTS | 16.2 | 13.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 1.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.7% | 45.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.7% | 66.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 56 |
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 | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.0 | 33.6 |
| Points | 20.8 | 16.1 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 8.0 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 2.1 |
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 | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -1.0 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -1.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +0.0 |
| Total | -1.7 | -2.7 |
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 free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to P.J. Washington.
| Punt | Aaron Gordon | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.7 (#150) | -2.2 (#177) |
| REB | -2.0 (#134) | -3.5 (#221) |
| AST | -1.3 (#116) | -1.8 (#135) |
| STL | -0.6 (#82) | -2.5 (#163) |
| BLK | -1.1 (#94) | -3.8 (#218) |
| 3PM | -1.9 (#132) | -2.4 (#155) |
| FG% | -2.3 (#132) | -2.5 (#135) |
| FT% | -1.4 (#112) | -1.3 (#106) |
| TO | -2.9 (#136) | -2.8 (#131) |
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).
- P.J. Washington: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Aaron Gordon: 27.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.7 on the board.
- P.J. Washington: 16.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.9 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 P.J. Washington playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Aaron Gordon
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Aaron Gordon or P.J. Washington?
Points leagues: P.J. Washington. 28.9 fantasy points per game against 28.7, 98th on our board to 100th. 9-cat leagues: Aaron Gordon instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -2.7 (121st to 157th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or P.J. Washington?
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 6 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and P.J. Washington in 3 (REB, STL and BLK).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Gordon or P.J. Washington?
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), P.J. Washington 3. For that week alone, start P.J. Washington: 86.7 projected fantasy points to 57.3 for Aaron Gordon.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number