Andrew Nembhard or RJ Barrett? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 10th and 17th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 32.5
- 9-cat
- #125
- Last 10 FP
- 32.8
Day to day (Undisclosed)
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Andrew Nembhard. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 32.5 fantasy points to 32.0.
9-cat leagues: Andrew Nembhard again, -5.8 category value for the week to -7.3.
Andrew Nembhard played 32.9 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 31.3 on the board.
RJ Barrett played 31.9 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 30.3 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 | Andrew Nembhard | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 32.9 (last 5) | 31.9 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 31.3 | 30.3 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 12.2 | 18.1 |
| Injury | Day to day (Undisclosed) | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 97.6 | 96.1 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -5.8 | -7.3 |
Schedule: Andrew Nembhard Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN. RJ Barrett Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Andrew Nembhard | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 50.8 | 57.8 |
| Rebounds | 8.4 | 15.8 |
| Assists | 23.0 | 9.9 |
| Steals | 2.7 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 5.6 | 5.1 |
| Turnovers | 7.2 | 5.2 |
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 5 games of 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Andrew Nembhard, 32.5 fantasy points per game to 32.0.
9-cat leagues: Andrew Nembhard again, 125th overall against 146th.
Andrew Nembhard vs RJ Barrett: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Andrew Nembhard | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.5 | 32.0 |
| Minutes | 31.3 | 30.3 |
| PointsPTS | 16.9 | 19.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.8 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 7.7 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.2% | 49.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.5% | 71.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.7 |
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 Andrew Nembhard or RJ Barrett in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Andrew Nembhard. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 32.5 fantasy points to 32.0. 9-cat leagues: Andrew Nembhard again, -5.8 category value for the week to -7.3. Andrew Nembhard played 32.9 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 31.3 on the board. RJ Barrett played 31.9 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 30.3 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Andrew Nembhard or RJ Barrett?
Points leagues: Andrew Nembhard, 32.5 fantasy points per game to 32.0. 9-cat leagues: Andrew Nembhard again, 125th overall against 146th.
Who wins more categories, Andrew Nembhard or RJ Barrett?
Andrew Nembhard is ahead in 4 (assists, steals, threes, free throw percentage); RJ Barrett in 5 (points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 8:41 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number