Mikal Bridges vs Peyton Watson: who to start in Week 1
Mikal Bridges plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 85.8 projected fantasy points to 56.0 for Peyton Watson. Over the season, Mikal Bridges leads in both formats: 28.6 fantasy points a game to 28.0, and 45th against 110th 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, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #101
- 28.6 FP/G, slot 9.05, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #45
- +0.6 z, slot 4.09, $19
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #104
- 28.0 FP/G, slot 9.08, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #110
- -1.5 z, slot 10.02, $7
The call
Points leagues: Mikal Bridges. 28.6 fantasy points per game against 28.0, 101st on our board to 104th.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, +0.6 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (45th to 110th).
Category by category, Mikal Bridges is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Peyton Watson in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Peyton Watson produces more: 34.1 fantasy points to 31.4, on 29.6 minutes a night against 32.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Mikal Bridges plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 85.8 projected fantasy points to 56.0 for Peyton Watson.
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 | Mikal Bridges | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.6 | 28.0 |
| Minutes | 32.8 | 29.6 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 14.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.5 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.0% | 49.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 73.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 54 |
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 | Mikal Bridges | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 31.4 | 34.1 |
| Points | 15.1 | 17.8 |
| Rebounds | 4.1 | 5.9 |
| Assists | 3.9 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 1.0 | 2.1 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Mikal Bridges | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | +0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +0.2 |
| Total | +0.6 | -1.5 |
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: Mikal Bridges stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Mikal Bridges | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.0 (#36) | -1.2 (#120) |
| REB | +1.5 (#29) | -1.3 (#110) |
| AST | +0.5 (#42) | -0.8 (#85) |
| STL | -0.1 (#64) | -1.3 (#112) |
| BLK | +0.4 (#51) | -2.6 (#158) |
| 3PM | +0.3 (#53) | -1.4 (#107) |
| FG% | +0.7 (#44) | -1.9 (#120) |
| FT% | +0.4 (#51) | -0.8 (#87) |
| TO | -0.6 (#72) | -1.7 (#100) |
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)
- Mikal Bridges: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
- Peyton Watson: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Mikal Bridges: 12.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.6 on the board.
- Peyton Watson: 27.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.0 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Mikal Bridges playing tonight? · Is Peyton Watson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Peyton Watson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Mikal Bridges or Peyton Watson?
Points leagues: Mikal Bridges. 28.6 fantasy points per game against 28.0, 101st on our board to 104th. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, +0.6 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (45th to 110th).
Who wins more categories, Mikal Bridges or Peyton Watson?
Category by category, Mikal Bridges is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Peyton Watson in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Mikal Bridges or Peyton Watson?
Mikal Bridges plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 85.8 projected fantasy points to 56.0 for Peyton Watson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number