Josh Hart vs Payton Pritchard: who to start in Week 1
Josh Hart plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Josh Hart: 91.0 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard. Over the season, Josh Hart leads in both formats: 30.3 fantasy points a game to 30.3, and 68th against 71st 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 22, 6:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #83
- 30.3 FP/G, slot 7.11, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #68
- -0.4 z, slot 6.08, $13
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #84
- 30.3 FP/G, slot 7.12, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #71
- -0.4 z, slot 6.11, $13
The call
Points leagues: Josh Hart. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 30.3, 83rd on our board to 84th.
9-cat leagues: Josh Hart again, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (68th to 71st).
Category by category, Josh Hart is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Payton Pritchard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Josh Hart produces more: 36.1 fantasy points to 33.9, on 30.2 minutes a night against 32.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Josh Hart plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Josh Hart: 91.0 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard.
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 Hart | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.3 | 30.3 |
| Minutes | 30.2 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 12.1 | 17.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.3 | 4.0 |
| AssistsAST | 4.7 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.8% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 71.5% | 88.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 66 | 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 Hart | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.1 | 33.9 |
| Points | 14.5 | 19.1 |
| Rebounds | 8.8 | 4.4 |
| Assists | 5.6 | 5.5 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 1.5 |
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 Hart | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.7 | -0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.3 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | +0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | +0.7 |
| Total | -0.4 | -0.4 |
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
Punting rebounds, steals, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Payton Pritchard.
| Punt | Josh Hart | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.3 (#50) | -0.6 (#83) |
| REB | -1.2 (#104) | +0.5 (#46) |
| AST | -1.0 (#97) | -1.2 (#105) |
| STL | -0.7 (#83) | +0.4 (#48) |
| BLK | +0.2 (#54) | +0.8 (#41) |
| 3PM | -0.3 (#70) | -1.6 (#118) |
| FG% | -1.0 (#88) | +0.2 (#56) |
| FT% | +0.1 (#59) | -1.1 (#98) |
| TO | -0.3 (#66) | -1.2 (#89) |
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 Hart: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
- Payton Pritchard: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Josh Hart: 30.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 30.3 on the board.
- Payton Pritchard: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 30.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Josh Hart playing tonight? · Is Payton Pritchard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Payton Pritchard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Josh Hart or Payton Pritchard?
Points leagues: Josh Hart. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 30.3, 83rd on our board to 84th. 9-cat leagues: Josh Hart again, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (68th to 71st).
Who wins more categories, Josh Hart or Payton Pritchard?
Category by category, Josh Hart is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Payton Pritchard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Josh Hart or Payton Pritchard?
Josh Hart plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Josh Hart: 91.0 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 6:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number