Ausar Thompson vs Josh Giddey: who to start in Week 1
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Ausar Thompson. Over the season, Josh Giddey leads in points leagues (38.8 fantasy points a game to 28.3) and Ausar Thompson 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 25, 8:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #98
- 28.3 FP/G, slot 9.02, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #87
- -1.0 z, slot 8.03, $10
Out (Ankle)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #34
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.10, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #88
- -1.0 z, slot 8.04, $9
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 38.8 fantasy points per game against 28.3, 34th on our board to 98th.
9-cat leagues: Ausar Thompson instead, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (87th to 88th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Josh Giddey in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Josh Giddey produces more: 45.0 fantasy points to 39.1, on 31.0 minutes a night against 26.0. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Ausar Thompson.
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 | Ausar Thompson | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.3 | 38.8 |
| Minutes | 26.0 | 31.0 |
| PointsPTS | 9.6 | 15.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.9 | 8.0 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 9.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.9 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.1 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.9% | 42.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.1% | 74.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 3.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 54 |
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 | Ausar Thompson | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.1 | 45.0 |
| Points | 13.3 | 17.5 |
| Rebounds | 8.1 | 9.2 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 10.5 |
| Steals | 2.6 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 3.9 |
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 | Ausar Thompson | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | -0.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.1 | +1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | +2.7 |
| StealsSTL | +2.3 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | +0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | -1.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.6 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | -1.9 |
| Total | -1.0 | -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 steals, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Josh Giddey.
| Punt | Ausar Thompson | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.1 (#58) | -0.8 (#99) |
| REB | -1.4 (#116) | -2.2 (#145) |
| AST | -1.0 (#99) | -3.8 (#232) |
| STL | -3.4 (#205) | -0.7 (#79) |
| BLK | -1.8 (#122) | -0.7 (#79) |
| 3PM | +0.6 (#44) | -1.1 (#97) |
| FG% | -2.2 (#130) | -0.2 (#68) |
| FT% | +0.6 (#47) | -0.4 (#76) |
| TO | -1.4 (#91) | +0.8 (#48) |
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)
- Ausar Thompson: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI), listed Out.
- Josh Giddey: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Ausar Thompson: 24.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 28.3 on the board.
- Josh Giddey: 24.8 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 38.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Ausar Thompson playing tonight? · Is Josh Giddey playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ausar Thompson, Josh Giddey
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ausar Thompson or Josh Giddey?
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 38.8 fantasy points per game against 28.3, 34th on our board to 98th. 9-cat leagues: Ausar Thompson instead, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (87th to 88th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Ausar Thompson or Josh Giddey?
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Josh Giddey in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ausar Thompson or Josh Giddey?
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Ausar Thompson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number