Payton Pritchard vs Reed Sheppard: who to start in Week 2
Payton Pritchard plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Reed Sheppard 4. For that week alone, start Payton Pritchard: 118.5 projected fantasy points to 107.4 for Reed Sheppard. Over the season, Payton Pritchard leads in both formats: 29.6 fantasy points a game to 26.9, and 65th against 66th 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 27, 8:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #86
- 29.6 FP/G, slot 8.02, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #65
- -0.2 z, slot 6.05, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #114
- 26.9 FP/G, slot 10.06, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #66
- -0.2 z, slot 6.06, $14
The call
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 29.6 fantasy points per game against 26.9, 86th on our board to 114th.
9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -0.2 (65th to 66th).
Category by category, Payton Pritchard is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, FG%, FT% and TO) and Reed Sheppard in 2 (STL and BLK).
Per 36 minutes, Reed Sheppard produces more: 37.6 fantasy points to 34.0, on 25.7 minutes a night against 31.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Payton Pritchard plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Reed Sheppard 4. For that week alone, start Payton Pritchard: 118.5 projected fantasy points to 107.4 for Reed Sheppard.
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 | Payton Pritchard | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.6 | 26.9 |
| Minutes | 31.4 | 25.7 |
| PointsPTS | 16.9 | 13.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.6 | 2.9 |
| AssistsAST | 4.8 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.8% | 42.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.8% | 81.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 79 | 82 |
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 | Payton Pritchard | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.0 | 37.6 |
| Points | 19.4 | 18.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.2 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 5.5 | 5.1 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 3.2 | 3.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 2.3 |
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 | Payton Pritchard | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -1.3 |
| AssistsAST | +0.6 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | +1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +1.2 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | +0.3 |
| Total | -0.2 | -0.2 |
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
Punting points, rebounds, assists, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Reed Sheppard.
| Punt | Payton Pritchard | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#77) | +0.2 (#53) |
| REB | +0.8 (#40) | +1.1 (#34) |
| AST | -1.0 (#99) | -0.4 (#70) |
| STL | +0.4 (#49) | -1.8 (#135) |
| BLK | +0.9 (#38) | +0.0 (#58) |
| 3PM | -1.7 (#121) | -1.5 (#116) |
| FG% | +0.3 (#53) | +1.0 (#39) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#93) | -0.4 (#70) |
| TO | -0.9 (#81) | -0.5 (#73) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Payton Pritchard: 4 games (Mon CHI, Tue BKN, Fri CHI, Sun @ORL), 1 back-to-back.
- Reed Sheppard: 4 games (Mon ATL, Wed @MIL, Fri @DAL, Sat OKC), 1 back-to-back.
Payton Pritchard or Reed Sheppard: the Week 2 start/sit call
Recent games
- Payton Pritchard: 24.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 29.6 on the board.
- Reed Sheppard: 26.0 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 26.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Payton Pritchard playing tonight? · Is Reed Sheppard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Payton Pritchard, Reed Sheppard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Payton Pritchard or Reed Sheppard?
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 29.6 fantasy points per game against 26.9, 86th on our board to 114th. 9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -0.2 (65th to 66th).
Who wins more categories, Payton Pritchard or Reed Sheppard?
Category by category, Payton Pritchard is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, FG%, FT% and TO) and Reed Sheppard in 2 (STL and BLK).
Who should I start in Week 2, Payton Pritchard or Reed Sheppard?
Payton Pritchard plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Reed Sheppard 4. For that week alone, start Payton Pritchard: 118.5 projected fantasy points to 107.4 for Reed Sheppard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 8:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number