Ausar Thompson or Jaden McDaniels? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 19th and 20th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Ausar Thompson. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 28.8 fantasy points to 28.6.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 0.1 category value for the week to -2.0, because his category mix is worth more there.
Ausar Thompson played 25.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 26.0 on the board.
Jaden McDaniels played 32.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 31.7 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 | Ausar Thompson | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 25.4 (last 5) | 32.8 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 26.0 | 31.7 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 9.7 | 17.8 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 86.3 | 85.7 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -2.0 | 0.1 |
Schedule: Ausar Thompson Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI. Jaden McDaniels Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Ausar Thompson | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 29.6 | 44.5 |
| Rebounds | 17.2 | 12.7 |
| Assists | 9.4 | 8.2 |
| Steals | 6.0 | 3.3 |
| Blocks | 2.8 | 3.0 |
| Threes | 0.2 | 4.2 |
| Turnovers | 4.5 | 5.4 |
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: Ausar Thompson, 28.8 fantasy points per game to 28.6.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 61st overall against 84th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Ausar Thompson | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.8 | 28.6 |
| Minutes | 26.0 | 31.7 |
| PointsPTS | 9.9 | 14.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.7 | 4.2 |
| AssistsAST | 3.1 | 2.7 |
| StealsSTL | 2.0 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 0.1 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.5% | 51.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 57.1% | 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.
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Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Common questions
Should I start Ausar Thompson or Jaden McDaniels in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Ausar Thompson. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 28.8 fantasy points to 28.6. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 0.1 category value for the week to -2.0, because his category mix is worth more there. Ausar Thompson played 25.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 26.0 on the board. Jaden McDaniels played 32.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 31.7 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Ausar Thompson or Jaden McDaniels?
Points leagues: Ausar Thompson, 28.8 fantasy points per game to 28.6. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 61st overall against 84th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Ausar Thompson or Jaden McDaniels?
Ausar Thompson is ahead in 4 (rebounds, assists, steals, turnovers); Jaden McDaniels in 4 (points, blocks, threes, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 8:41 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number