Andrew Wiggins vs Reed Sheppard: who to start in Week 1
Andrew Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Reed Sheppard 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 85.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Reed Sheppard. Over the season, Andrew Wiggins leads in both formats: 28.6 fantasy points a game to 26.2, and 69th against 70th in 9-cat. 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, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #97
- 28.6 FP/G, slot 9.01, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #69
- -0.5 z, slot 6.09, $12
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #121
- 26.2 FP/G, slot 11.01, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #70
- -0.6 z, slot 6.10, $12
Out (Knee)
The call
Points leagues: Andrew Wiggins. 28.6 fantasy points per game against 26.2, 97th on our board to 121st.
9-cat leagues: Andrew Wiggins again, -0.5 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (69th to 70th).
Category by category, Andrew Wiggins is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Reed Sheppard in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Reed Sheppard produces more: 37.0 fantasy points to 34.5, on 25.5 minutes a night against 29.9. 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), Reed Sheppard 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 85.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Reed Sheppard.
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 | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.6 | 26.2 |
| Minutes | 29.9 | 25.5 |
| PointsPTS | 14.7 | 12.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.9 | 2.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 3.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.1% | 42.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.0% | 80.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 68 | 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 | Andrew Wiggins | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.5 | 37.0 |
| Points | 17.7 | 18.1 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 3.1 | 4.8 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 3.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 2.2 |
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 | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.3 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | -1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.1 | +1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -0.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | -1.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| Total | -0.5 | -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
Punting points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Reed Sheppard.
| Punt | Andrew Wiggins | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.3 (#70) | -0.1 (#60) |
| REB | -0.2 (#65) | +0.7 (#43) |
| AST | -0.1 (#54) | -0.6 (#78) |
| STL | -0.7 (#80) | -2.0 (#145) |
| BLK | -1.1 (#95) | -0.5 (#73) |
| 3PM | -0.9 (#93) | -1.7 (#127) |
| FG% | -0.1 (#65) | +0.7 (#45) |
| FT% | -0.6 (#77) | -0.7 (#81) |
| TO | -1.0 (#82) | -0.9 (#79) |
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)
- Andrew Wiggins: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
- Reed Sheppard: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- Andrew Wiggins: 17.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 28.6 on the board.
- Reed Sheppard: 14.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.2 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 Reed Sheppard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Andrew Wiggins, Reed Sheppard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Andrew Wiggins or Reed Sheppard?
Points leagues: Andrew Wiggins. 28.6 fantasy points per game against 26.2, 97th on our board to 121st. 9-cat leagues: Andrew Wiggins again, -0.5 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (69th to 70th).
Who wins more categories, Andrew Wiggins or Reed Sheppard?
Category by category, Andrew Wiggins is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Reed Sheppard in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Andrew Wiggins or Reed Sheppard?
Andrew Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Reed Sheppard 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 85.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Reed Sheppard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number