Austin Reaves vs Julius Randle: who to start in Week 1
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Julius Randle 3. For that week alone, start Austin Reaves: 116.6 projected fantasy points to 116.5 for Julius Randle. Over the season, Austin Reaves leads in both formats: 38.9 fantasy points a game to 38.8, and 21st against 59th 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 22, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #35
- 38.9 FP/G, slot 3.11, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #21
- +2.6 z, slot 2.09, $30
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #36
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.12, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #59
- -0.0 z, slot 5.11, $15
The call
Points leagues: Austin Reaves. 38.9 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 35th on our board to 36th.
9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, +2.6 in summed z-scores against -0.0 (21st to 59th).
Category by category, Austin Reaves is ahead in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Julius Randle in 2 (REB and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Julius Randle produces more: 41.9 fantasy points to 40.7, on 33.3 minutes a night against 34.4. 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), Julius Randle 3. For that week alone, start Austin Reaves: 116.6 projected fantasy points to 116.5 for Julius Randle.
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 | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.9 | 38.8 |
| Minutes | 34.4 | 33.3 |
| PointsPTS | 23.3 | 21.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.7 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 5.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.2% | 49.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.1% | 79.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.0 | 2.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 51 | 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 | Austin Reaves | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.7 | 41.9 |
| Points | 24.3 | 23.6 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 7.4 |
| Assists | 5.8 | 5.6 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 3.2 | 3.0 |
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 | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.2 | +0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.0 | +0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | +0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +0.6 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.9 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.5 | -1.2 |
| Total | +2.6 | -0.0 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Austin Reaves stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Austin Reaves | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.4 (#26) | -1.0 (#105) |
| REB | +3.3 (#15) | -0.7 (#79) |
| AST | +1.5 (#27) | -0.9 (#94) |
| STL | +2.2 (#22) | -0.1 (#65) |
| BLK | +3.2 (#17) | +0.6 (#44) |
| 3PM | +1.8 (#25) | +0.0 (#62) |
| FG% | +2.7 (#23) | -0.5 (#74) |
| FT% | +0.5 (#48) | -0.1 (#66) |
| TO | +4.1 (#16) | +1.2 (#45) |
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)
- Austin Reaves: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
- Julius Randle: 3 games (Wed CHA, Sat @CLE, Sun IND), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Austin Reaves: 41.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 38.9 on the board.
- Julius Randle: 52.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 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 Austin Reaves playing tonight? · Is Julius Randle playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Julius Randle
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Austin Reaves or Julius Randle?
Points leagues: Austin Reaves. 38.9 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 35th on our board to 36th. 9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, +2.6 in summed z-scores against -0.0 (21st to 59th).
Who wins more categories, Austin Reaves or Julius Randle?
Category by category, Austin Reaves is ahead in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Julius Randle in 2 (REB and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Austin Reaves or Julius Randle?
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Julius Randle 3. For that week alone, start Austin Reaves: 116.6 projected fantasy points to 116.5 for Julius Randle.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number