Aaron Gordon or Nikola Vučević? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PFs ranked 19th and 23rd at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 24, 10:27 AM 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 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.1 fantasy points to 29.0.
9-cat leagues: Nikola Vučević instead, -0.7 category value for the week to -1.1, because his category mix is worth more there.
Aaron Gordon played 29.5 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 28.0 on the board.
Nikola Vučević's minutes are down: 4.5 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 25.6 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 | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 1 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 29.5 (last 1) | 4.5 (last 2) |
| Minutes, board | 28.0 | 25.6 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 11.0 | 4.0 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 29.1 | 29.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -1.1 | -0.7 |
Schedule: Aaron Gordon Thu @OKC, Sat NOP. Nikola Vučević Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Aaron Gordon | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 16.4 | 13.3 |
| Rebounds | 5.8 | 7.6 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 3.0 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.1 | 1.2 |
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 2 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon, 29.1 fantasy points per game to 29.0.
9-cat leagues: Nikola Vučević instead, 75th overall against 88th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Aaron Gordon vs Nikola Vučević: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Aaron Gordon | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.1 | 29.0 |
| Minutes | 28.0 | 25.6 |
| PointsPTS | 16.4 | 13.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 7.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 3.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.6% | 49.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.2% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.2 |
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 Nikola Vučević playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Aaron Gordon or Nikola Vučević in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Aaron Gordon. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.1 fantasy points to 29.0. 9-cat leagues: Nikola Vučević instead, -0.7 category value for the week to -1.1, because his category mix is worth more there. Aaron Gordon played 29.5 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 28.0 on the board. Nikola Vučević's minutes are down: 4.5 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 25.6 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Aaron Gordon or Nikola Vučević?
Points leagues: Aaron Gordon, 29.1 fantasy points per game to 29.0. 9-cat leagues: Nikola Vučević instead, 75th overall against 88th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or Nikola Vučević?
Aaron Gordon is ahead in 5 (points, steals, threes, field goal percentage, turnovers); Nikola Vučević in 4 (rebounds, assists, blocks, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number