Ace Bailey or Quentin Grimes? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 27th and 27th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Ace Bailey. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 24.6 fantasy points to 24.6.
9-cat leagues: Quentin Grimes instead, -8.8 category value for the week to -9.1, because his category mix is worth more there.
Ace Bailey's minutes are up: 31.5 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 27.6 on the board.
Quentin Grimes's minutes are down: 22.2 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 29.4 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.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Ace Bailey | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 31.5 (last 5) | 22.2 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 27.6 | 29.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 20.1 | 14.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 73.8 | 73.7 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -9.1 | -8.8 |
Schedule: Ace Bailey Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL. Quentin Grimes Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Ace Bailey | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 41.4 | 40.2 |
| Rebounds | 12.6 | 10.9 |
| Assists | 5.5 | 9.8 |
| Steals | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Blocks | 2.0 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 5.7 | 5.1 |
| Turnovers | 4.5 | 5.3 |
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: Ace Bailey, 24.6 fantasy points per game to 24.6.
9-cat leagues: Quentin Grimes instead, 165th overall against 168th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Ace Bailey | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.6 | 24.6 |
| Minutes | 27.6 | 29.4 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 13.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 3.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.8 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.3% | 45.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.0% | 84.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.8 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
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Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Common questions
Should I start Ace Bailey or Quentin Grimes in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Ace Bailey. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 24.6 fantasy points to 24.6. 9-cat leagues: Quentin Grimes instead, -8.8 category value for the week to -9.1, because his category mix is worth more there. Ace Bailey's minutes are up: 31.5 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 27.6 on the board. Quentin Grimes's minutes are down: 22.2 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 29.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Ace Bailey or Quentin Grimes?
Points leagues: Ace Bailey, 24.6 fantasy points per game to 24.6. 9-cat leagues: Quentin Grimes instead, 165th overall against 168th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Ace Bailey or Quentin Grimes?
Ace Bailey is ahead in 5 (points, rebounds, blocks, threes, turnovers); Quentin Grimes in 4 (assists, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number