Andrew Wiggins or Jaden McDaniels? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 15th and 16th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- FP/G
- 29.0
- 9-cat
- #63
- Last 1 FP
- 12.9
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 Andrew Wiggins. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.0 fantasy points to 29.0.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 1.2 category value for the week to -0.5, because his category mix is worth more there.
Andrew Wiggins has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Andrew Wiggins's minutes are down: 27.3 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 30.1 on the board.
Jaden McDaniels's minutes are down: 28.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 31.6 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.
Advertisement
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Andrew Wiggins | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 27.3 (last 1) | 28.7 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 30.1 | 31.6 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 14.5 | 13.8 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 58.0 | 58.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -0.5 | 1.2 |
Schedule: Andrew Wiggins Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA. Jaden McDaniels Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Andrew Wiggins | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 30.2 | 30.0 |
| Rebounds | 9.3 | 9.0 |
| Assists | 5.1 | 5.2 |
| Steals | 2.1 | 2.5 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Threes | 3.9 | 2.8 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 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 1 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
For the next game, the market-based projection favors Andrew Wiggins: 30.0 fantasy points on Fri, Oct 23 against 29.2 for Jaden McDaniels.
Points leagues: Andrew Wiggins, 29.0 fantasy points per game to 29.0.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 46th overall against 63rd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Andrew Wiggins vs Jaden McDaniels: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Andrew Wiggins | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.0 | 29.0 |
| Minutes | 30.1 | 31.6 |
| PointsPTS | 15.1 | 15.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.4% | 52.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.4% | 83.5% |
| 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.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Andrew Wiggins playing tonight? · Is Jaden McDaniels playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Andrew Wiggins or Jaden McDaniels in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Andrew Wiggins. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.0 fantasy points to 29.0. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 1.2 category value for the week to -0.5, because his category mix is worth more there. Andrew Wiggins has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Andrew Wiggins's minutes are down: 27.3 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 30.1 on the board. Jaden McDaniels's minutes are down: 28.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 31.6 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Andrew Wiggins or Jaden McDaniels?
For the next game, the market-based projection favors Andrew Wiggins: 30.0 fantasy points on Fri, Oct 23 against 29.2 for Jaden McDaniels. Points leagues: Andrew Wiggins, 29.0 fantasy points per game to 29.0. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 46th overall against 63rd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Andrew Wiggins or Jaden McDaniels?
Andrew Wiggins is ahead in 3 (rebounds, threes, turnovers); Jaden McDaniels in 3 (steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number