Daniel Gafford vs Isaiah Hartenstein: who to start in Week 2
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Isaiah Hartenstein 3. For that week alone, start Isaiah Hartenstein: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 74.1 for Daniel Gafford. Over the season, Isaiah Hartenstein leads in points leagues (28.3 fantasy points a game to 24.7) and Daniel Gafford in 9-cat leagues (99th against 100th). 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 27, 8:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #137
- 24.7 FP/G, slot 12.05, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #99
- -1.2 z, slot 9.03, $9
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #100
- 28.3 FP/G, slot 9.04, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #100
- -1.2 z, slot 9.04, $9
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein. 28.3 fantasy points per game against 24.7, 100th on our board to 137th.
9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (99th to 100th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Daniel Gafford is ahead in 3 (BLK, FG% and TO) and Isaiah Hartenstein in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Isaiah Hartenstein produces more: 42.5 fantasy points to 41.1, on 24.0 minutes a night against 21.6. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Isaiah Hartenstein 3. For that week alone, start Isaiah Hartenstein: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 74.1 for Daniel Gafford.
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 | Daniel Gafford | Isaiah Hartenstein |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.7 | 28.3 |
| Minutes | 21.6 | 24.0 |
| PointsPTS | 8.9 | 9.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.7 | 9.2 |
| AssistsAST | 1.4 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.4 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 65.1% | 60.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 66.8% | 66.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 55 | 47 |
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 | Daniel Gafford | Isaiah Hartenstein |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.1 | 42.5 |
| Points | 14.8 | 13.8 |
| Rebounds | 11.1 | 13.9 |
| Assists | 2.3 | 4.9 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 2.3 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 2.6 |
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 | Daniel Gafford | Isaiah Hartenstein |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | +1.6 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.5 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -1.8 | -1.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.6 | +1.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.1 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +0.2 |
| Total | -1.2 | -1.2 |
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 blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Isaiah Hartenstein.
| Punt | Daniel Gafford | Isaiah Hartenstein |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.1 (#56) | +0.0 (#60) |
| REB | -2.0 (#133) | -3.1 (#193) |
| AST | -0.0 (#56) | -1.0 (#95) |
| STL | -0.8 (#86) | -0.9 (#89) |
| BLK | -3.0 (#169) | -1.6 (#118) |
| 3PM | +0.6 (#41) | +0.6 (#43) |
| FG% | -3.4 (#173) | -3.1 (#164) |
| FT% | -0.1 (#59) | -0.3 (#67) |
| TO | -2.2 (#117) | -1.5 (#98) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Daniel Gafford: 3 games (Mon @MIA, Wed OKC, Fri HOU).
- Isaiah Hartenstein: 3 games (Mon PHX, Wed @DAL, Sat @HOU), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Daniel Gafford: 26.3 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 24.7 on the board.
- Isaiah Hartenstein: 24.1 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 28.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Daniel Gafford playing tonight? · Is Isaiah Hartenstein playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Daniel Gafford or Isaiah Hartenstein?
Points leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein. 28.3 fantasy points per game against 24.7, 100th on our board to 137th. 9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (99th to 100th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Daniel Gafford or Isaiah Hartenstein?
Category by category, Daniel Gafford is ahead in 3 (BLK, FG% and TO) and Isaiah Hartenstein in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Daniel Gafford or Isaiah Hartenstein?
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Isaiah Hartenstein 3. For that week alone, start Isaiah Hartenstein: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 74.1 for Daniel Gafford.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 8:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number