Josh Giddey vs Julius Randle: who to start in Week 1
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Julius Randle 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.8 projected fantasy points to 116.5 for Julius Randle. Over the season, Josh Giddey leads in points leagues (38.9 fantasy points a game to 38.8) and Julius Randle in 9-cat leagues (54th 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
- #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.
- Points leagues
- #35
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.11, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #54
- +0.1 z, slot 5.06, $16
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 38.9 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 34th on our board to 35th.
9-cat leagues: Julius Randle instead, +0.1 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (54th to 96th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Josh Giddey is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and 3PM) and Julius Randle in 5 (PTS, STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Josh Giddey produces more: 45.0 fantasy points to 41.9, on 31.2 minutes a night against 33.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Julius Randle 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.8 projected fantasy points to 116.5 for Julius Randle.
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 | Josh Giddey | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.9 | 38.8 |
| Minutes | 31.2 | 33.3 |
| PointsPTS | 15.5 | 21.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.0 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 9.0 | 5.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.7% | 49.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.0% | 79.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.6 | 2.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 54 | 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 | Josh Giddey | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.0 | 41.9 |
| Points | 17.9 | 23.6 |
| Rebounds | 9.2 | 7.4 |
| Assists | 10.3 | 5.6 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 4.1 | 3.0 |
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 | Josh Giddey | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | +1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.0 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +2.7 | +0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | -0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.7 | -0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.1 | -1.2 |
| Total | -1.2 | +0.1 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Julius Randle stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Josh Giddey | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.1 (#113) | -0.9 (#102) |
| REB | -2.5 (#161) | -0.5 (#77) |
| AST | -4.0 (#240) | -0.8 (#88) |
| STL | -0.9 (#90) | +0.1 (#60) |
| BLK | -1.0 (#88) | +0.8 (#41) |
| 3PM | -1.3 (#109) | +0.2 (#55) |
| FG% | -0.4 (#74) | -0.4 (#72) |
| FT% | -0.6 (#78) | +0.1 (#58) |
| TO | +0.8 (#48) | +1.3 (#42) |
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)
- Josh Giddey: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Julius Randle: 3 games (Wed CHA, Sat @CLE, Sun IND), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Josh Giddey: 18.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 38.9 on the board.
- Julius Randle: 52.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 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 Josh Giddey playing tonight? · Is Julius Randle playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Josh Giddey, Julius Randle
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Josh Giddey or Julius Randle?
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 38.9 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 34th on our board to 35th. 9-cat leagues: Julius Randle instead, +0.1 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (54th to 96th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Josh Giddey or Julius Randle?
Category by category, Josh Giddey is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and 3PM) and Julius Randle in 5 (PTS, STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Josh Giddey or Julius Randle?
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Julius Randle 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.8 projected fantasy points to 116.5 for Julius Randle.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number