Aaron Gordon or Isaiah Hartenstein? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PFs ranked 20th and 24th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Aaron Gordon. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 28.7 fantasy points to 28.6.
9-cat leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein instead, -2.3 category value for the week to -3.5, because his category mix is worth more there.
Aaron Gordon's minutes are up: 30.7 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 27.9 on the board.
Isaiah Hartenstein's minutes are down: 17.4 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 23.7 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Aaron Gordon | Isaiah Hartenstein |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 30.7 (last 5) | 17.4 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 27.9 | 23.7 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 12.0 | 8.3 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 57.3 | 57.2 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -3.5 | -2.3 |
Schedule: Aaron Gordon Thu @OKC, Sat NOP. Isaiah Hartenstein Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Aaron Gordon | Isaiah Hartenstein |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 32.3 | 17.7 |
| Rebounds | 11.6 | 18.0 |
| Assists | 5.3 | 7.0 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Threes | 3.4 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.5 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 5 games of 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
For the next game, the market-based projection favors Aaron Gordon: 26.7 fantasy points on Thu, Oct 22 against 23.7 for Isaiah Hartenstein.
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon, 28.7 fantasy points per game to 28.6.
9-cat leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein instead, 93rd overall against 121st, because the categories reward a different mix.
Aaron Gordon vs Isaiah Hartenstein: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Aaron Gordon | Isaiah Hartenstein |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.7 | 28.6 |
| Minutes | 27.9 | 23.7 |
| PointsPTS | 16.2 | 8.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 9.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 3.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.7% | 61.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.7% | 61.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.8 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Aaron Gordon playing tonight? · Is Isaiah Hartenstein playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Aaron Gordon or Isaiah Hartenstein in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Aaron Gordon. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 28.7 fantasy points to 28.6. 9-cat leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein instead, -2.3 category value for the week to -3.5, because his category mix is worth more there. Aaron Gordon's minutes are up: 30.7 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 27.9 on the board. Isaiah Hartenstein's minutes are down: 17.4 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 23.7 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Aaron Gordon or Isaiah Hartenstein?
For the next game, the market-based projection favors Aaron Gordon: 26.7 fantasy points on Thu, Oct 22 against 23.7 for Isaiah Hartenstein. Points leagues: Aaron Gordon, 28.7 fantasy points per game to 28.6. 9-cat leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein instead, 93rd overall against 121st, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or Isaiah Hartenstein?
Aaron Gordon is ahead in 4 (points, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers); Isaiah Hartenstein in 5 (rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number