Andrew Wiggins vs Payton Pritchard: who to start in Week 1
Andrew Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 87.0 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard. Over the season, Payton Pritchard leads in points leagues (30.3 fantasy points a game to 29.0) and Andrew Wiggins in 9-cat leagues (63rd against 71st). 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
- #94
- 29.0 FP/G, slot 8.10, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #63
- -0.3 z, slot 6.03, $14
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #84
- 30.3 FP/G, slot 7.12, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #71
- -0.4 z, slot 6.11, $13
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 29.0, 84th on our board to 94th.
9-cat leagues: Andrew Wiggins instead, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (63rd to 71st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Andrew Wiggins is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Payton Pritchard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Andrew Wiggins produces more: 34.6 fantasy points to 33.9, on 30.1 minutes a night against 32.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Andrew Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 87.0 projected fantasy points to 60.5 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 | Andrew Wiggins | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.0 | 30.3 |
| Minutes | 30.1 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 15.1 | 17.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.7 | 4.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.4% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.4% | 88.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 68 | 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 | Andrew Wiggins | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.6 | 33.9 |
| Points | 18.0 | 19.1 |
| Rebounds | 5.6 | 4.4 |
| Assists | 3.1 | 5.5 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 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 | Andrew Wiggins | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -0.8 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.1 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.4 | +0.7 |
| Total | -0.3 | -0.4 |
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 rebounds, steals, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Payton Pritchard.
| Punt | Andrew Wiggins | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.1 (#62) | -0.6 (#83) |
| REB | +0.2 (#53) | +0.5 (#46) |
| AST | +0.2 (#47) | -1.2 (#105) |
| STL | -0.5 (#74) | +0.4 (#48) |
| BLK | -0.9 (#85) | +0.8 (#41) |
| 3PM | -0.7 (#84) | -1.6 (#118) |
| FG% | -0.1 (#63) | +0.2 (#56) |
| FT% | -0.3 (#71) | -1.1 (#98) |
| TO | -0.7 (#75) | -1.2 (#89) |
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)
- Andrew Wiggins: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
- Payton Pritchard: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Andrew Wiggins or Payton Pritchard: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Andrew Wiggins: 12.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 29.0 on the board.
- Payton Pritchard: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 30.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Andrew Wiggins playing tonight? · Is Payton Pritchard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Andrew Wiggins, Payton Pritchard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Andrew Wiggins or Payton Pritchard?
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 29.0, 84th on our board to 94th. 9-cat leagues: Andrew Wiggins instead, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (63rd to 71st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Andrew Wiggins or Payton Pritchard?
Category by category, Andrew Wiggins is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Payton Pritchard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Andrew Wiggins or Payton Pritchard?
Andrew Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 87.0 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number