CJ McCollum or DeMar DeRozan? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 12th and 21st at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 30.9
- 9-cat
- #66
- Last 10 FP
- 29.4
2 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 DeMar DeRozan. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 30.9 fantasy points to 30.1.
9-cat leagues: DeMar DeRozan again, -0.6 category value for the week to -3.0.
CJ McCollum has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
CJ McCollum's minutes are down: 24.6 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 29.5 on the board.
DeMar DeRozan's minutes are down: 27.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, 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.
CJ McCollum rookie cardsDeMar DeRozan rookie cards
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | CJ McCollum | DeMar DeRozan |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 24.6 (last 1) | 27.4 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 29.5 | 31.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 13.1 | 19.9 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 60.3 | 61.7 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -3.0 | -0.6 |
Schedule: CJ McCollum Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU. DeMar DeRozan Thu @OKC, Sat NOP.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | CJ McCollum | DeMar DeRozan |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 37.5 | 36.9 |
| Rebounds | 6.5 | 5.9 |
| Assists | 7.6 | 8.2 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 5.2 | 1.2 |
| Turnovers | 3.7 | 2.5 |
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 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: DeMar DeRozan, 30.9 fantasy points per game to 30.1.
9-cat leagues: DeMar DeRozan again, 66th overall against 111th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | CJ McCollum | DeMar DeRozan |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.1 | 30.9 |
| Minutes | 29.5 | 31.2 |
| PointsPTS | 18.8 | 18.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 4.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.6 | 0.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.7% | 49.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.7% | 86.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.2 |
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 CJ McCollum playing tonight? · Is DeMar DeRozan playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start CJ McCollum or DeMar DeRozan in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start DeMar DeRozan. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 30.9 fantasy points to 30.1. 9-cat leagues: DeMar DeRozan again, -0.6 category value for the week to -3.0. CJ McCollum has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. CJ McCollum's minutes are down: 24.6 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 29.5 on the board. DeMar DeRozan's minutes are down: 27.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, CJ McCollum or DeMar DeRozan?
Points leagues: DeMar DeRozan, 30.9 fantasy points per game to 30.1. 9-cat leagues: DeMar DeRozan again, 66th overall against 111th.
Who wins more categories, CJ McCollum or DeMar DeRozan?
CJ McCollum is ahead in 4 (points, rebounds, blocks, threes); DeMar DeRozan in 5 (assists, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number