Anthony Black or Mikal Bridges? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 16th and 18th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 29.7
- 9-cat
- #38
- Last 10 FP
- 21.5
Day to day (Rest)
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 Mikal Bridges. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.7 fantasy points to 29.4.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, 3.4 category value for the week to -5.7.
Anthony Black's minutes are down: 14.2 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 29.8 on the board.
Mikal Bridges's minutes are down: 23.8 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 32.8 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 | Anthony Black | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 14.2 (last 5) | 23.8 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 29.8 | 32.8 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 18.2 | 11.8 |
| Injury | Day to day (Ankle) | Day to day (Rest) |
| Projected fantasy points | 88.2 | 89.1 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -5.7 | 3.4 |
Schedule: Anthony Black Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK. Mikal Bridges Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Anthony Black | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 45.0 | 43.2 |
| Rebounds | 11.4 | 11.4 |
| Assists | 11.1 | 11.1 |
| Steals | 4.3 | 3.9 |
| Blocks | 2.1 | 2.3 |
| Threes | 4.7 | 5.7 |
| Turnovers | 6.2 | 3.0 |
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: Mikal Bridges, 29.7 fantasy points per game to 29.4.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, 38th overall against 123rd.
Anthony Black vs Mikal Bridges: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Anthony Black | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.4 | 29.7 |
| Minutes | 29.8 | 32.8 |
| PointsPTS | 15.0 | 14.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.7% | 49.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.2% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.0 |
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 Anthony Black or Mikal Bridges in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Mikal Bridges. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.7 fantasy points to 29.4. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, 3.4 category value for the week to -5.7. Anthony Black's minutes are down: 14.2 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 29.8 on the board. Mikal Bridges's minutes are down: 23.8 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 32.8 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Anthony Black or Mikal Bridges?
Points leagues: Mikal Bridges, 29.7 fantasy points per game to 29.4. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, 38th overall against 123rd.
Who wins more categories, Anthony Black or Mikal Bridges?
Anthony Black is ahead in 2 (points, steals); Mikal Bridges in 5 (blocks, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 8:41 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number