DeMar DeRozan or Payton Pritchard? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 12th and 20th 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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The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start DeMar DeRozan. DeMar DeRozan has 2 games counted to 1 for Payton Pritchard, for 61.7 projected fantasy points against 30.3.
9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard instead, -0.4 category value for the week to -0.6, because his category mix is worth more there.
DeMar DeRozan's minutes are down: 27.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.2 on the board.
Payton Pritchard's minutes are down: 27.5 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 32.1 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.
DeMar DeRozan rookie cardsPayton Pritchard rookie cards
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | DeMar DeRozan | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 27.4 (last 5) | 27.5 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 31.2 | 32.1 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.9 | 11.8 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 61.7 | 30.3 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -0.6 | -0.4 |
Schedule: DeMar DeRozan Thu @OKC, Sat NOP. Payton Pritchard Tue @DET, Fri NYK.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | DeMar DeRozan | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 36.9 | 17.0 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 8.2 | 4.9 |
| Steals | 2.1 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 1.2 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 1.3 |
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
For the next game, the market-based projection favors Payton Pritchard: 26.2 fantasy points on Fri, Oct 23 against 21.2 for DeMar DeRozan.
Points leagues: DeMar DeRozan, 30.9 fantasy points per game to 30.3.
9-cat leagues: DeMar DeRozan again, 66th overall against 71st.
DeMar DeRozan vs Payton Pritchard: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | DeMar DeRozan | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.9 | 30.3 |
| Minutes | 31.2 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 18.4 | 17.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.9 | 4.0 |
| AssistsAST | 4.1 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.6 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.7% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.8% | 88.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.3 |
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 DeMar DeRozan playing tonight? · Is Payton Pritchard playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start DeMar DeRozan or Payton Pritchard in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start DeMar DeRozan. DeMar DeRozan has 2 games counted to 1 for Payton Pritchard, for 61.7 projected fantasy points against 30.3. 9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard instead, -0.4 category value for the week to -0.6, because his category mix is worth more there. DeMar DeRozan's minutes are down: 27.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.2 on the board. Payton Pritchard's minutes are down: 27.5 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 32.1 on the board.
Who is better for the season, DeMar DeRozan or Payton Pritchard?
For the next game, the market-based projection favors Payton Pritchard: 26.2 fantasy points on Fri, Oct 23 against 21.2 for DeMar DeRozan. Points leagues: DeMar DeRozan, 30.9 fantasy points per game to 30.3. 9-cat leagues: DeMar DeRozan again, 66th overall against 71st.
Who wins more categories, DeMar DeRozan or Payton Pritchard?
DeMar DeRozan is ahead in 6 (points, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Payton Pritchard in 3 (rebounds, assists, threes), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 11:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number