Franz Wagner vs Josh Giddey: who to start in Week 1
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.8 projected fantasy points to 101.4 for Franz Wagner. Over the season, Josh Giddey leads in points leagues (38.9 fantasy points a game to 33.8) and Franz Wagner in 9-cat leagues (95th against 96th). 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
- #56
- 33.8 FP/G, slot 5.08, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #95
- -1.2 z, slot 8.11, $8
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #34
- 38.9 FP/G, slot 3.10, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #96
- -1.2 z, slot 8.12, $8
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 38.9 fantasy points per game against 33.8, 34th on our board to 56th.
9-cat leagues: Franz Wagner instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (95th to 96th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Franz Wagner is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, FG%, FT% and TO) and Josh Giddey in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Josh Giddey produces more: 45.0 fantasy points to 40.4, on 31.2 minutes a night against 30.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.8 projected fantasy points to 101.4 for Franz Wagner.
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 | Franz Wagner | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.8 | 38.9 |
| Minutes | 30.1 | 31.2 |
| PointsPTS | 20.5 | 15.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 8.0 |
| AssistsAST | 3.5 | 9.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.0% | 42.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.0% | 74.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.0 | 3.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 34 | 54 |
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 | Franz Wagner | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.4 | 45.0 |
| Points | 24.5 | 17.9 |
| Rebounds | 6.3 | 9.2 |
| Assists | 4.2 | 10.3 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 4.1 |
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 | Franz Wagner | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.7 | -0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | +1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | +2.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -1.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.2 | -2.1 |
| 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 points, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Josh Giddey.
| Punt | Franz Wagner | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#166) | -1.1 (#113) |
| REB | -1.2 (#104) | -2.5 (#161) |
| AST | -1.3 (#113) | -4.0 (#240) |
| STL | -1.1 (#99) | -0.9 (#90) |
| BLK | -0.6 (#77) | -1.0 (#88) |
| 3PM | -1.1 (#97) | -1.3 (#109) |
| FG% | -1.5 (#100) | -0.4 (#74) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#103) | -0.6 (#78) |
| TO | -1.0 (#83) | +0.8 (#48) |
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)
- Franz Wagner: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
- Josh Giddey: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Franz Wagner: 33.2 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 33.8 on the board.
- Josh Giddey: 18.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 38.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Franz Wagner playing tonight? · Is Josh Giddey playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Franz Wagner, Josh Giddey
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Franz Wagner or Josh Giddey?
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 38.9 fantasy points per game against 33.8, 34th on our board to 56th. 9-cat leagues: Franz Wagner instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (95th to 96th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Franz Wagner or Josh Giddey?
Category by category, Franz Wagner is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, FG%, FT% and TO) and Josh Giddey in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Franz Wagner or Josh Giddey?
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.8 projected fantasy points to 101.4 for Franz Wagner.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number