Austin Reaves or Josh Giddey? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 6th and 8th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 24, 12:27 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 39.2
- 9-cat
- #16
- Last 2 FP
- 42.8
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 Austin Reaves. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 39.2 fantasy points to 38.9.
9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, 3.1 category value for the week to -1.2.
Josh Giddey has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Austin Reaves played 35.2 minutes a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, in line with his 34.6 on the board.
Josh Giddey's minutes are down: 24.3 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 31.2 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Austin Reaves | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 1 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 35.2 (last 2) | 24.3 (last 2) |
| Minutes, board | 34.6 | 31.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 12.3 | 14.1 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 39.2 | 38.9 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 3.1 | -1.2 |
Schedule: Austin Reaves Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA. Josh Giddey Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Austin Reaves | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 23.5 | 15.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.5 | 8.0 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 9.0 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers | 3.2 | 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 2 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Austin Reaves, 39.2 fantasy points per game to 38.9.
9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, 16th overall against 96th.
Austin Reaves vs Josh Giddey: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Austin Reaves | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.2 | 38.9 |
| Minutes | 34.6 | 31.2 |
| PointsPTS | 23.5 | 15.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 8.0 |
| AssistsAST | 5.7 | 9.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.7% | 42.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.9% | 74.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.2 | 3.6 |
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 Austin Reaves playing tonight? · Is Josh Giddey playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Austin Reaves or Josh Giddey in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Austin Reaves. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 39.2 fantasy points to 38.9. 9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, 3.1 category value for the week to -1.2. Josh Giddey has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Austin Reaves played 35.2 minutes a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, in line with his 34.6 on the board. Josh Giddey's minutes are down: 24.3 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 31.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Austin Reaves or Josh Giddey?
Points leagues: Austin Reaves, 39.2 fantasy points per game to 38.9. 9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, 16th overall against 96th.
Who wins more categories, Austin Reaves or Josh Giddey?
Austin Reaves is ahead in 6 (points, steals, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Josh Giddey in 3 (rebounds, assists, blocks), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 12:27 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number