Cade Cunningham or Donovan Mitchell? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 1st and 4th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 48.6
- 9-cat
- #16
- Last 10 FP
- 38.2
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 Cade Cunningham. Cade Cunningham has 3 games counted to 2 for Donovan Mitchell, for 145.8 projected fantasy points against 88.6.
9-cat leagues: Cade Cunningham again, 9.4 category value for the week to 8.6.
Cade Cunningham's minutes are down: 23.7 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.9 on the board.
Donovan Mitchell played 32.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 33.5 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 | Cade Cunningham | Donovan Mitchell |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 23.7 (last 5) | 32.4 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 33.9 | 33.5 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.1 | 19.6 |
| Injury | Day to day (Rest) | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 145.8 | 88.6 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 9.4 | 8.6 |
Schedule: Cade Cunningham Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI. Donovan Mitchell Thu @PHI, Sat BKN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Cade Cunningham | Donovan Mitchell |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 71.8 | 55.8 |
| Rebounds | 16.6 | 9.0 |
| Assists | 29.7 | 11.4 |
| Steals | 4.3 | 3.0 |
| Blocks | 2.5 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 5.9 | 6.4 |
| Turnovers | 11.1 | 5.7 |
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: Cade Cunningham, 48.6 fantasy points per game to 44.3.
9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell instead, 7th overall against 16th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Cade Cunningham | Donovan Mitchell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 48.6 | 44.3 |
| Minutes | 33.9 | 33.5 |
| PointsPTS | 23.9 | 27.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.5 | 4.5 |
| AssistsAST | 9.9 | 5.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 3.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.1% | 48.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.2% | 86.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.7 | 2.8 |
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 Cade Cunningham or Donovan Mitchell in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Cade Cunningham. Cade Cunningham has 3 games counted to 2 for Donovan Mitchell, for 145.8 projected fantasy points against 88.6. 9-cat leagues: Cade Cunningham again, 9.4 category value for the week to 8.6. Cade Cunningham's minutes are down: 23.7 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.9 on the board. Donovan Mitchell played 32.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 33.5 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Cade Cunningham or Donovan Mitchell?
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham, 48.6 fantasy points per game to 44.3. 9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell instead, 7th overall against 16th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Cade Cunningham or Donovan Mitchell?
Cade Cunningham is ahead in 3 (rebounds, assists, blocks); Donovan Mitchell in 6 (points, steals, 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