Donovan Mitchell or Kawhi Leonard? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 1st and 1st at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 45.7
- 9-cat
- #4
- Last 10 FP
- 41.2
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 Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi Leonard has 3 games counted to 2 for Donovan Mitchell, for 137.2 projected fantasy points against 88.6.
9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, 21.5 category value for the week to 8.6.
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.
Kawhi Leonard played 31.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 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.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Donovan Mitchell | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 32.4 (last 5) | 31.8 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 33.5 | 32.1 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.6 | 20.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 88.6 | 137.2 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 8.6 | 21.5 |
Schedule: Donovan Mitchell Thu @PHI, Sat BKN. Kawhi Leonard Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Donovan Mitchell | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 55.8 | 83.7 |
| Rebounds | 9.0 | 19.1 |
| Assists | 11.4 | 10.8 |
| Steals | 3.0 | 5.6 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 6.4 | 7.9 |
| Turnovers | 5.7 | 6.1 |
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: Kawhi Leonard, 45.7 fantasy points per game to 44.3.
9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, 4th overall against 7th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Donovan Mitchell | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 44.3 | 45.7 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 27.9 | 27.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 6.4 |
| AssistsAST | 5.7 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 3.2 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.3% | 50.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.5% | 89.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.8 | 2.0 |
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 Donovan Mitchell or Kawhi Leonard in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi Leonard has 3 games counted to 2 for Donovan Mitchell, for 137.2 projected fantasy points against 88.6. 9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, 21.5 category value for the week to 8.6. 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. Kawhi Leonard played 31.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 32.1 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Donovan Mitchell or Kawhi Leonard?
Points leagues: Kawhi Leonard, 45.7 fantasy points per game to 44.3. 9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, 4th overall against 7th.
Who wins more categories, Donovan Mitchell or Kawhi Leonard?
Donovan Mitchell is ahead in 2 (assists, threes); Kawhi Leonard in 6 (rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number