Deni Avdija vs Mikal Bridges: who to start in Week 1
Deni Avdija plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Deni Avdija: 85.4 projected fantasy points to 82.4 for Mikal Bridges. Over the season, Deni Avdija leads in both formats: 42.7 fantasy points a game to 27.5, and 62nd against 64th 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
- #16
- 42.7 FP/G, slot 2.04, $31
- 9-cat leagues
- #62
- -0.1 z, slot 6.02, $15
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #109
- 27.5 FP/G, slot 10.01, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #64
- -0.2 z, slot 6.04, $14
The call
Points leagues: Deni Avdija. 42.7 fantasy points per game against 27.5, 16th on our board to 109th.
9-cat leagues: Deni Avdija again, -0.1 in summed z-scores against -0.2 (62nd to 64th).
Category by category, Deni Avdija is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and 3PM) and Mikal Bridges in 5 (STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Deni Avdija produces more: 46.6 fantasy points to 30.7, on 33.0 minutes a night against 32.2. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Deni Avdija plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Deni Avdija: 85.4 projected fantasy points to 82.4 for Mikal Bridges.
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 | Deni Avdija | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 42.7 | 27.5 |
| Minutes | 33.0 | 32.2 |
| PointsPTS | 24.0 | 12.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.1 | 3.6 |
| AssistsAST | 6.5 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.3% | 46.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.0% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.7 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 66 | 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 | Deni Avdija | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.6 | 30.7 |
| Points | 26.1 | 14.5 |
| Rebounds | 7.7 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 7.1 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 4.0 | 1.1 |
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 | Deni Avdija | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.3 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.6 | -1.0 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.3 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | +0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.2 | +1.1 |
| Total | -0.1 | -0.2 |
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 points, rebounds, assists, threes and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Mikal Bridges.
| Punt | Deni Avdija | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#136) | +0.3 (#48) |
| REB | -1.0 (#95) | +0.8 (#41) |
| AST | -1.7 (#136) | -0.2 (#61) |
| STL | +0.3 (#52) | -0.8 (#84) |
| BLK | -0.1 (#61) | -0.4 (#67) |
| 3PM | -0.4 (#75) | -0.4 (#72) |
| FG% | -0.0 (#62) | +0.3 (#55) |
| FT% | -0.0 (#63) | -0.4 (#73) |
| TO | +2.1 (#36) | -1.4 (#93) |
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)
- Deni Avdija: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
- Mikal Bridges: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
Recent games
- Deni Avdija: 41.7 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 42.7 on the board.
- Mikal Bridges: 10.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 27.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Deni Avdija playing tonight? · Is Mikal Bridges playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Deni Avdija
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Deni Avdija or Mikal Bridges?
Points leagues: Deni Avdija. 42.7 fantasy points per game against 27.5, 16th on our board to 109th. 9-cat leagues: Deni Avdija again, -0.1 in summed z-scores against -0.2 (62nd to 64th).
Who wins more categories, Deni Avdija or Mikal Bridges?
Category by category, Deni Avdija is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and 3PM) and Mikal Bridges in 5 (STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Deni Avdija or Mikal Bridges?
Deni Avdija plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Deni Avdija: 85.4 projected fantasy points to 82.4 for Mikal Bridges.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number