John Collins vs Josh Giddey: who to start in Week 2
John Collins plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 76.4 for John Collins. Over the season, Josh Giddey leads in both formats: 38.8 fantasy points a game to 25.5, and 89th against 90th 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 26, 10:30 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #129
- 25.5 FP/G, slot 11.09, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #90
- -1.0 z, slot 8.06, $10
- Points leagues
- #33
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.09, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #89
- -1.0 z, slot 8.05, $10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 38.8 fantasy points per game against 25.5, 33rd on our board to 129th.
9-cat leagues: Josh Giddey again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (89th to 90th).
Category by category, John Collins is ahead in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Josh Giddey in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Josh Giddey produces more: 45.0 fantasy points to 33.3, on 31.0 minutes a night against 27.6. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
John Collins plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 76.4 for John Collins.
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 | John Collins | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.5 | 38.8 |
| Minutes | 27.6 | 31.0 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 15.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.7 | 8.0 |
| AssistsAST | 1.0 | 9.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 54.4% | 42.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.4% | 74.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 3.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 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 | John Collins | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.3 | 45.0 |
| Points | 18.0 | 17.5 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 9.2 |
| Assists | 1.3 | 10.5 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 3.9 |
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 | John Collins | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -0.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | +1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | +2.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.0 | -1.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | -1.8 |
| Total | -1.0 | -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, rebounds, assists, steals and threes flips the 9-cat answer to John Collins.
| Punt | John Collins | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#88) | -0.8 (#93) |
| REB | -1.2 (#106) | -2.2 (#150) |
| AST | +0.2 (#47) | -3.7 (#226) |
| STL | -0.5 (#74) | -0.6 (#79) |
| BLK | -1.4 (#109) | -0.6 (#78) |
| 3PM | -0.9 (#91) | -1.0 (#96) |
| FG% | -2.3 (#134) | -0.1 (#64) |
| FT% | -0.8 (#87) | -0.4 (#73) |
| TO | -1.8 (#103) | +0.9 (#47) |
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)
- John Collins: 3 games (Tue @NYK, Wed CHA, Fri @BKN), 1 back-to-back.
- Josh Giddey: 3 games (Mon @BOS, Wed NYK, Fri @BOS).
Recent games
- John Collins: 28.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 25.5 on the board.
- Josh Giddey: 24.8 fantasy points a game over his last 3 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 John Collins playing tonight? · Is Josh Giddey playing tonight?
Rookie cards: John Collins, Josh Giddey
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, John Collins or Josh Giddey?
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 38.8 fantasy points per game against 25.5, 33rd on our board to 129th. 9-cat leagues: Josh Giddey again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (89th to 90th).
Who wins more categories, John Collins or Josh Giddey?
Category by category, John Collins is ahead in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Josh Giddey in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 2, John Collins or Josh Giddey?
John Collins plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 76.4 for John Collins.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 10:30 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number