Josh Giddey vs Stephen Curry: who to start in Week 1
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephen Curry 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 116.3 for Stephen Curry. Over the season, Josh Giddey leads in points leagues (38.8 fantasy points a game to 38.8) and Stephen Curry in 9-cat leagues (8th against 88th). 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 25, 4:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #34
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.10, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #88
- -1.0 z, slot 8.04, $9
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #35
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.11, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #8
- +4.2 z, slot 1.08, $40
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 38.8 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 34th on our board to 35th.
9-cat leagues: Stephen Curry instead, +4.2 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (8th to 88th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Josh Giddey is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and BLK) and Stephen Curry in 6 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Stephen Curry produces more: 46.1 fantasy points to 45.0, on 30.3 minutes a night against 31.0. 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), Stephen Curry 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 116.3 for Stephen Curry.
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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Josh Giddey | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.8 | 38.8 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 30.3 |
| PointsPTS | 15.1 | 26.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.0 | 3.4 |
| AssistsAST | 9.0 | 4.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 4.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.7% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.8% | 93.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.4 | 2.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 54 | 43 |
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 | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.0 | 46.1 |
| Points | 17.5 | 31.2 |
| Rebounds | 9.2 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 10.5 | 5.3 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 5.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.9 | 3.1 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Josh Giddey | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | +1.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.0 | -1.0 |
| AssistsAST | +2.7 | +0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | +2.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | +2.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.9 | -0.9 |
| Total | -1.0 | +4.2 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Stephen Curry stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Josh Giddey | Stephen Curry |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.8 (#99) | +2.4 (#13) |
| REB | -2.2 (#145) | +5.5 (#6) |
| AST | -3.8 (#232) | +3.6 (#9) |
| STL | -0.7 (#79) | +3.8 (#9) |
| BLK | -0.7 (#79) | +5.1 (#7) |
| 3PM | -1.1 (#97) | +1.3 (#34) |
| FG% | -0.2 (#68) | +5.8 (#7) |
| FT% | -0.4 (#76) | +1.4 (#34) |
| TO | +0.8 (#48) | +5.2 (#11) |
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.
- Stephen Curry: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Josh Giddey: 24.8 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 38.8 on the board.
- Stephen Curry: 31.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 38.8 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Josh Giddey playing tonight? · Is Stephen Curry playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Josh Giddey, Stephen Curry
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Josh Giddey or Stephen Curry?
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 38.8 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 34th on our board to 35th. 9-cat leagues: Stephen Curry instead, +4.2 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (8th to 88th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Josh Giddey or Stephen Curry?
Category by category, Josh Giddey is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and BLK) and Stephen Curry in 6 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Josh Giddey or Stephen Curry?
Josh Giddey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephen Curry 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 116.3 for Stephen Curry.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 4:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number