Donovan Mitchell or James Harden? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 1st and 6th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 24, 2:27 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 44.8
- 9-cat
- #7
- Last 1 FP
- 52.5
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 Donovan Mitchell. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 44.8 fantasy points to 41.2.
9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell again, 4.6 category value for the week to 2.2.
Donovan Mitchell played 35.2 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 33.6 on the board.
James Harden played 32.9 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 34.7 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.
Donovan Mitchell rookie cardsJames Harden rookie cards
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Donovan Mitchell | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 1 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 35.2 (last 1) | 32.9 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 33.6 | 34.7 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.4 | 13.1 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 44.8 | 41.2 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 4.6 | 2.2 |
Schedule: Donovan Mitchell Thu @PHI, Sat BKN. James Harden Thu @PHI, Sat BKN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Donovan Mitchell | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 28.1 | 23.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 4.7 |
| Assists | 5.5 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Turnovers | 3.0 | 3.7 |
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 1 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Donovan Mitchell, 44.8 fantasy points per game to 41.2.
9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell again, 7th overall against 29th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Donovan Mitchell | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 44.8 | 41.2 |
| Minutes | 33.6 | 34.7 |
| PointsPTS | 28.1 | 23.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.9 | 4.7 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 7.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 43.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.0% | 87.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.0 | 3.7 |
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 Donovan Mitchell playing tonight? · Is James Harden playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Donovan Mitchell or James Harden in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Donovan Mitchell. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 44.8 fantasy points to 41.2. 9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell again, 4.6 category value for the week to 2.2. Donovan Mitchell played 35.2 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 33.6 on the board. James Harden played 32.9 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 34.7 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Donovan Mitchell or James Harden?
Points leagues: Donovan Mitchell, 44.8 fantasy points per game to 41.2. 9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell again, 7th overall against 29th.
Who wins more categories, Donovan Mitchell or James Harden?
Donovan Mitchell is ahead in 6 (points, rebounds, steals, threes, field goal percentage, turnovers); James Harden in 3 (assists, blocks, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 2:27 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number