Josh Giddey vs Michael Porter Jr.: who to start in Week 1
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Michael Porter Jr. 3, an even 116.8 projected fantasy points each. Over the season, Michael Porter Jr. leads in both formats: 38.9 fantasy points a game to 38.9, and 25th against 96th 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, 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
- Points leagues
- #33
- 38.9 FP/G, slot 3.09, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #25
- +2.4 z, slot 3.01, $29
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Michael Porter Jr.. 38.9 fantasy points per game against 38.9, 33rd on our board to 34th.
9-cat leagues: Michael Porter Jr. again, +2.4 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (25th to 96th).
Category by category, Josh Giddey is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and BLK) and Michael Porter Jr. in 6 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Josh Giddey produces more: 45.0 fantasy points to 43.0, on 31.2 minutes a night against 32.6. 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), Michael Porter Jr. 3, an even 116.8 projected fantasy points each.
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 | Michael Porter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.9 | 38.9 |
| Minutes | 31.2 | 32.6 |
| PointsPTS | 15.5 | 24.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.0 | 7.1 |
| AssistsAST | 9.0 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 3.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.7% | 46.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.0% | 84.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.6 | 2.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 54 | 52 |
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 | Michael Porter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.0 | 43.0 |
| Points | 17.9 | 26.9 |
| Rebounds | 9.2 | 7.8 |
| Assists | 10.3 | 3.2 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 3.9 |
| Turnovers | 4.1 | 2.7 |
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 | Michael Porter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | +1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.0 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | +2.7 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | +0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +1.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.7 | +0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.1 | -0.7 |
| Total | -1.2 | +2.4 |
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: Michael Porter Jr. stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Josh Giddey | Michael Porter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.1 (#113) | +0.9 (#36) |
| REB | -2.5 (#161) | +1.9 (#25) |
| AST | -4.0 (#240) | +2.6 (#18) |
| STL | -0.9 (#90) | +1.9 (#25) |
| BLK | -1.0 (#88) | +3.3 (#16) |
| 3PM | -1.3 (#109) | +0.3 (#54) |
| FG% | -0.4 (#74) | +3.3 (#20) |
| FT% | -0.6 (#78) | +1.5 (#33) |
| TO | +0.8 (#48) | +3.1 (#23) |
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.
- Michael Porter Jr.: 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.
- Michael Porter Jr.: 40.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 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 Josh Giddey playing tonight? · Is Michael Porter Jr. playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Josh Giddey
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Josh Giddey or Michael Porter Jr.?
Points leagues: Michael Porter Jr.. 38.9 fantasy points per game against 38.9, 33rd on our board to 34th. 9-cat leagues: Michael Porter Jr. again, +2.4 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (25th to 96th).
Who wins more categories, Josh Giddey or Michael Porter Jr.?
Category by category, Josh Giddey is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and BLK) and Michael Porter Jr. in 6 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Josh Giddey or Michael Porter Jr.?
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Michael Porter Jr. 3, an even 116.8 projected fantasy points each.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number