Austin Reaves or Stephon Castle? 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 22, 11:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 38.9
- 9-cat
- #21
- Last 1 FP
- 41.8
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 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 38.9 fantasy points to 34.9.
9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, 5.3 category value for the week to -4.7.
Stephon Castle has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Austin Reaves's minutes are down: 31.9 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 34.4 on the board.
Stephon Castle played 28.4 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 29.8 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Austin Reaves | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 31.9 (last 1) | 28.4 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 34.4 | 29.8 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 12.4 | 26.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 77.7 | 69.9 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 5.3 | -4.7 |
Schedule: Austin Reaves Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA. Stephon Castle Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Austin Reaves | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 46.5 | 34.2 |
| Rebounds | 9.3 | 10.9 |
| Assists | 11.0 | 14.0 |
| Steals | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 4.5 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 6.1 | 6.4 |
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 1 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Austin Reaves, 38.9 fantasy points per game to 34.9.
9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, 21st overall against 145th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Austin Reaves | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.9 | 34.9 |
| Minutes | 34.4 | 29.8 |
| PointsPTS | 23.3 | 17.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.7 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 7.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.2 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.2% | 46.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.1% | 73.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.0 | 3.2 |
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 Stephon Castle playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Austin Reaves or Stephon Castle in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Austin Reaves. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 38.9 fantasy points to 34.9. 9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, 5.3 category value for the week to -4.7. Stephon Castle has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Austin Reaves's minutes are down: 31.9 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 34.4 on the board. Stephon Castle played 28.4 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 29.8 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Austin Reaves or Stephon Castle?
Points leagues: Austin Reaves, 38.9 fantasy points per game to 34.9. 9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, 21st overall against 145th.
Who wins more categories, Austin Reaves or Stephon Castle?
Austin Reaves is ahead in 7 (points, steals, blocks, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Stephon Castle in 2 (rebounds, assists), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 11:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number