Naz Reid vs Payton Pritchard: who to start in Week 1
Naz Reid plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Naz Reid: 88.7 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard. Over the season, Payton Pritchard leads in both formats: 30.3 fantasy points a game to 29.6, and 71st against 73rd 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, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #88
- 29.6 FP/G, slot 8.04, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #73
- -0.6 z, slot 7.01, $12
- Points leagues
- #84
- 30.3 FP/G, slot 7.12, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #71
- -0.4 z, slot 6.11, $13
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 29.6, 84th on our board to 88th.
9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard again, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (71st to 73rd).
Category by category, Naz Reid is ahead in 3 (REB, STL and BLK) and Payton Pritchard in 6 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Naz Reid produces more: 40.2 fantasy points to 33.9, on 26.5 minutes a night against 32.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Naz Reid plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Naz Reid: 88.7 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 | Naz Reid | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.6 | 30.3 |
| Minutes | 26.5 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 14.0 | 17.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.5 | 4.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.2% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 70.2% | 88.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 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 | Naz Reid | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.2 | 33.9 |
| Points | 19.0 | 19.1 |
| Rebounds | 8.8 | 4.4 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 5.5 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 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 | Naz Reid | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.4 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.3 | -0.8 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.6 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.7 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | +0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +0.7 |
| Total | -0.6 | -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 points, assists, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Naz Reid.
| Punt | Naz Reid | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.2 (#67) | -0.6 (#83) |
| REB | -1.0 (#92) | +0.5 (#46) |
| AST | -0.1 (#59) | -1.2 (#105) |
| STL | -0.4 (#72) | +0.4 (#48) |
| BLK | -1.3 (#103) | +0.8 (#41) |
| 3PM | -1.3 (#102) | -1.6 (#118) |
| FG% | -0.0 (#60) | +0.2 (#56) |
| FT% | -0.2 (#67) | -1.1 (#98) |
| TO | -1.0 (#83) | -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)
- Naz Reid: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
- Payton Pritchard: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Naz Reid: 42.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 29.6 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 Naz Reid playing tonight? · Is Payton Pritchard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Naz Reid, Payton Pritchard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Naz Reid or Payton Pritchard?
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 29.6, 84th on our board to 88th. 9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard again, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (71st to 73rd).
Who wins more categories, Naz Reid or Payton Pritchard?
Category by category, Naz Reid is ahead in 3 (REB, STL and BLK) and Payton Pritchard in 6 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Naz Reid or Payton Pritchard?
Naz Reid plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Naz Reid: 88.7 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number