Aaron Nesmith or Kyle Kuzma? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 27th and 28th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 3:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 23.5
- 9-cat
- #190
- Last 10 FP
- 23.7
Day to day (Hamstring)
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
- FP/G
- 23.8
- 9-cat
- #215
- Last 1 FP
- 22.7
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Kyle Kuzma. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.8 fantasy points to 23.5.
9-cat leagues: Aaron Nesmith instead, -7.0 category value for the week to -8.0, because his category mix is worth more there.
Kyle Kuzma has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Aaron Nesmith played 30.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 29.7 on the board.
Kyle Kuzma played 27.1 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 26.2 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 Nesmith | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 30.8 (last 5) | 27.1 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 29.7 | 26.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 13.6 | 12.0 |
| Injury | Day to day (Hamstring) | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 47.0 | 47.7 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -7.0 | -8.0 |
Schedule: Aaron Nesmith Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN. Kyle Kuzma Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Aaron Nesmith | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 27.6 | 25.0 |
| Rebounds | 8.3 | 9.3 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 5.4 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 4.7 | 2.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.8 | 3.6 |
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
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma, 23.8 fantasy points per game to 23.5.
9-cat leagues: Aaron Nesmith instead, 190th overall against 215th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Aaron Nesmith | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.5 | 23.8 |
| Minutes | 29.7 | 26.2 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 12.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 2.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.4% | 47.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.9% | 72.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 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 Nesmith playing tonight? · Is Kyle Kuzma playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Aaron Nesmith or Kyle Kuzma in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Kyle Kuzma. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.8 fantasy points to 23.5. 9-cat leagues: Aaron Nesmith instead, -7.0 category value for the week to -8.0, because his category mix is worth more there. Kyle Kuzma has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Aaron Nesmith played 30.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 29.7 on the board. Kyle Kuzma played 27.1 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 26.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Aaron Nesmith or Kyle Kuzma?
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma, 23.8 fantasy points per game to 23.5. 9-cat leagues: Aaron Nesmith instead, 190th overall against 215th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Nesmith or Kyle Kuzma?
Aaron Nesmith is ahead in 5 (points, blocks, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers); Kyle Kuzma in 4 (rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 3:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number