Anthony Edwards or Kawhi Leonard? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 1st and 2nd at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 45.7
- 9-cat
- #4
- Last 10 FP
- 41.2
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 Kawhi Leonard. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 45.7 fantasy points to 43.9.
9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, 21.5 category value for the week to 10.3.
Anthony Edwards's minutes are down: 30.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 35.0 on the board.
Kawhi Leonard played 31.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 32.1 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 Edwards | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 30.1 (last 5) | 31.8 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 35.0 | 32.1 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.4 | 20.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 131.8 | 137.2 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 10.3 | 21.5 |
Schedule: Anthony Edwards Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR. Kawhi Leonard Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Anthony Edwards | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 86.4 | 83.7 |
| Rebounds | 14.9 | 19.1 |
| Assists | 11.1 | 10.8 |
| Steals | 4.1 | 5.6 |
| Blocks | 2.4 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 10.1 | 7.9 |
| Turnovers | 8.6 | 6.1 |
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: Kawhi Leonard, 45.7 fantasy points per game to 43.9.
9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, 4th overall against 13th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Anthony Edwards | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 43.9 | 45.7 |
| Minutes | 35.0 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 28.8 | 27.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.0 | 6.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 3.4 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 50.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.6% | 89.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 2.0 |
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 Edwards or Kawhi Leonard in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Kawhi Leonard. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 45.7 fantasy points to 43.9. 9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, 21.5 category value for the week to 10.3. Anthony Edwards's minutes are down: 30.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 35.0 on the board. Kawhi Leonard played 31.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 32.1 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Anthony Edwards or Kawhi Leonard?
Points leagues: Kawhi Leonard, 45.7 fantasy points per game to 43.9. 9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, 4th overall against 13th.
Who wins more categories, Anthony Edwards or Kawhi Leonard?
Anthony Edwards is ahead in 4 (points, assists, blocks, threes); Kawhi Leonard in 5 (rebounds, steals, 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