Josh Giddey vs Paolo Banchero: who to start in Week 1
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Paolo Banchero: 125.0 projected fantasy points to 119.8 for Josh Giddey. Over the season, Paolo Banchero leads in points leagues (41.7 fantasy points a game to 39.9) and Josh Giddey 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 22, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #29
- 39.9 FP/G, slot 3.05, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #89
- -1.0 z, slot 8.05, $10
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #20
- 41.7 FP/G, slot 2.08, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #90
- -1.1 z, slot 8.06, $10
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Paolo Banchero. 41.7 fantasy points per game against 39.9, 20th on our board to 29th.
9-cat leagues: Josh Giddey instead, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (89th to 90th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Josh Giddey is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and 3PM) and Paolo Banchero in 4 (PTS, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Josh Giddey produces more: 45.5 fantasy points to 42.7, on 31.6 minutes a night against 35.1. 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), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Paolo Banchero: 125.0 projected fantasy points to 119.8 for Josh Giddey.
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 | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.9 | 41.7 |
| Minutes | 31.6 | 35.1 |
| PointsPTS | 16.1 | 23.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.2 | 8.3 |
| AssistsAST | 9.0 | 5.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.1% | 47.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.0% | 77.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.7 | 3.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 54 | 72 |
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 | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.5 | 42.7 |
| Points | 18.3 | 23.6 |
| Rebounds | 9.4 | 8.5 |
| Assists | 10.2 | 5.6 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| Turnovers | 4.2 | 3.3 |
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 | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | +1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.1 | +1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +2.7 | +0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.4 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.7 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.4 | -1.8 |
| Total | -1.0 | -1.1 |
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
Punting assists, steals and threes flips the 9-cat answer to Paolo Banchero.
| Punt | Josh Giddey | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#108) | -2.2 (#175) |
| REB | -2.4 (#156) | -2.6 (#173) |
| AST | -3.8 (#234) | -2.1 (#153) |
| STL | -0.9 (#89) | -0.3 (#70) |
| BLK | -0.8 (#81) | -1.0 (#87) |
| 3PM | -1.2 (#101) | -0.7 (#87) |
| FG% | -0.2 (#65) | -1.5 (#99) |
| FT% | -0.4 (#75) | -0.5 (#77) |
| TO | +1.3 (#42) | +0.7 (#51) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Josh Giddey: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Paolo Banchero: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Recent games
- Josh Giddey: 14.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 39.9 on the board.
- Paolo Banchero: 55.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 41.7 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 Paolo Banchero playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Josh Giddey, Paolo Banchero
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Josh Giddey or Paolo Banchero?
Points leagues: Paolo Banchero. 41.7 fantasy points per game against 39.9, 20th on our board to 29th. 9-cat leagues: Josh Giddey 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, Josh Giddey or Paolo Banchero?
Category by category, Josh Giddey is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and 3PM) and Paolo Banchero in 4 (PTS, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Josh Giddey or Paolo Banchero?
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Paolo Banchero: 125.0 projected fantasy points to 119.8 for Josh Giddey.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number