Derik Queen vs Payton Pritchard: who to start in Week 1
Derik Queen plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Derik Queen: 88.3 projected fantasy points to 58.0 for Payton Pritchard. Over the season, Derik Queen leads in points leagues (29.4 fantasy points a game to 29.0) and Payton Pritchard in 9-cat leagues (89th against 90th). 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, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #87
- 29.4 FP/G, slot 8.03, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #90
- -1.1 z, slot 8.06, $9
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #94
- 29.0 FP/G, slot 8.10, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #89
- -1.0 z, slot 8.05, $9
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Derik Queen. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 29.0, 87th on our board to 94th.
9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard instead, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (89th to 90th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Derik Queen is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Payton Pritchard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Derik Queen produces more: 42.7 fantasy points to 32.7, on 24.8 minutes a night against 32.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Derik Queen plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Derik Queen: 88.3 projected fantasy points to 58.0 for Payton Pritchard.
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 | Derik Queen | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.4 | 29.0 |
| Minutes | 24.8 | 32.0 |
| PointsPTS | 11.9 | 16.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.3 | 3.8 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.3 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.0% | 45.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 86.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 81 | 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 | Derik Queen | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.7 | 32.7 |
| Points | 17.3 | 18.3 |
| Rebounds | 10.6 | 4.3 |
| Assists | 4.9 | 5.5 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 0.4 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 1.5 |
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 | Derik Queen | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.7 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.4 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.3 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.1 | -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 points, assists, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Derik Queen.
| Punt | Derik Queen | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.3 (#72) | -1.1 (#111) |
| REB | -1.9 (#132) | -0.2 (#56) |
| AST | -0.9 (#98) | -1.8 (#136) |
| STL | -1.3 (#111) | -0.1 (#64) |
| BLK | -1.8 (#121) | +0.1 (#56) |
| 3PM | +0.3 (#52) | -2.1 (#144) |
| FG% | -1.3 (#95) | -0.3 (#71) |
| FT% | -1.4 (#114) | -1.6 (#117) |
| TO | -0.9 (#77) | -1.7 (#101) |
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)
- Derik Queen: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
- Payton Pritchard: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Derik Queen: 30.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 29.4 on the board.
- Payton Pritchard: 16.3 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 29.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Derik Queen playing tonight? · Is Payton Pritchard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Derik Queen, Payton Pritchard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Derik Queen or Payton Pritchard?
Points leagues: Derik Queen. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 29.0, 87th on our board to 94th. 9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard instead, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (89th to 90th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Derik Queen or Payton Pritchard?
Category by category, Derik Queen is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Payton Pritchard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Derik Queen or Payton Pritchard?
Derik Queen plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Derik Queen: 88.3 projected fantasy points to 58.0 for Payton Pritchard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number