Austin Reaves vs Cade Cunningham: who to start in Week 1
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cade Cunningham 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 141.9 projected fantasy points to 117.5 for Austin Reaves. Over the season, Cade Cunningham leads in points leagues (47.3 fantasy points a game to 39.2) and Austin Reaves in 9-cat leagues (16th against 17th). 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, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #32
- 39.2 FP/G, slot 3.08, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #16
- +3.1 z, slot 2.04, $34
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #8
- 47.3 FP/G, slot 1.08, $37
- 9-cat leagues
- #17
- +3.0 z, slot 2.05, $33
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham. 47.3 fantasy points per game against 39.2, 8th on our board to 32nd.
9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves instead, +3.1 in summed z-scores against +3.0 (16th to 17th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Austin Reaves is ahead in 4 (3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Cade Cunningham in 4 (REB, AST, STL and BLK).
Per 36 minutes, Cade Cunningham produces more: 50.4 fantasy points to 40.7, on 33.8 minutes a night against 34.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cade Cunningham 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 141.9 projected fantasy points to 117.5 for Austin Reaves.
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 | Austin Reaves | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.2 | 47.3 |
| Minutes | 34.6 | 33.8 |
| PointsPTS | 23.5 | 23.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 5.2 |
| AssistsAST | 5.7 | 9.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.7% | 46.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.9% | 81.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.2 | 4.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 51 | 64 |
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 | Austin Reaves | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.7 | 50.4 |
| Points | 24.5 | 24.9 |
| Rebounds | 4.7 | 5.6 |
| Assists | 6.0 | 10.3 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.3 | 4.2 |
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 | Austin Reaves | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.3 | +1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | +1.1 | +3.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | +1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | +0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.9 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.7 | -2.6 |
| Total | +3.1 | +3.0 |
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 threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Cade Cunningham.
| Punt | Austin Reaves | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.8 (#21) | +1.7 (#24) |
| REB | +3.9 (#10) | +3.2 (#16) |
| AST | +2.0 (#24) | -0.2 (#59) |
| STL | +2.6 (#18) | +2.0 (#22) |
| BLK | +3.8 (#12) | +2.4 (#23) |
| 3PM | +2.3 (#22) | +2.6 (#18) |
| FG% | +2.9 (#22) | +3.6 (#17) |
| FT% | +1.1 (#37) | +2.6 (#18) |
| TO | +4.8 (#14) | +5.7 (#8) |
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)
- Austin Reaves: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
- Cade Cunningham: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
Recent games
- Austin Reaves: 42.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 39.2 on the board.
- Cade Cunningham: 37.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 47.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Austin Reaves playing tonight? · Is Cade Cunningham playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Cade Cunningham
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Austin Reaves or Cade Cunningham?
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham. 47.3 fantasy points per game against 39.2, 8th on our board to 32nd. 9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves instead, +3.1 in summed z-scores against +3.0 (16th to 17th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Austin Reaves or Cade Cunningham?
Category by category, Austin Reaves is ahead in 4 (3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Cade Cunningham in 4 (REB, AST, STL and BLK).
Who should I start in Week 1, Austin Reaves or Cade Cunningham?
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cade Cunningham 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 141.9 projected fantasy points to 117.5 for Austin Reaves.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number