Isaiah Hartenstein or Wendell Carter Jr.? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 24th and 25th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Isaiah Hartenstein. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 27.9 fantasy points to 27.7.
9-cat leagues: Wendell Carter Jr. instead, -0.0 category value for the week to -1.6, because his category mix is worth more there.
Isaiah Hartenstein's minutes are down: 20.1 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 23.7 on the board.
Wendell Carter Jr. played 29.7 minutes a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, in line with his 29.4 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Isaiah Hartenstein | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 1 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 20.1 (last 2) | 29.7 (last 2) |
| Minutes, board | 23.7 | 29.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 12.5 | 11.5 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 27.9 | 27.7 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -1.6 | -0.0 |
Schedule: Isaiah Hartenstein Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC. Wendell Carter Jr. Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Isaiah Hartenstein | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 8.7 | 12.9 |
| Rebounds | 8.8 | 7.5 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 1.8 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 1.2 |
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 2 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein, 27.9 fantasy points per game to 27.7.
9-cat leagues: Wendell Carter Jr. instead, 61st overall against 116th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Isaiah Hartenstein vs Wendell Carter Jr.: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Isaiah Hartenstein | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 27.9 | 27.7 |
| Minutes | 23.7 | 29.4 |
| PointsPTS | 8.7 | 12.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.8 | 7.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.4 | 1.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 58.7% | 55.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 61.0% | 81.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 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 Isaiah Hartenstein playing tonight? · Is Wendell Carter Jr. playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Isaiah Hartenstein or Wendell Carter Jr. in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Isaiah Hartenstein. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 27.9 fantasy points to 27.7. 9-cat leagues: Wendell Carter Jr. instead, -0.0 category value for the week to -1.6, because his category mix is worth more there. Isaiah Hartenstein's minutes are down: 20.1 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 23.7 on the board. Wendell Carter Jr. played 29.7 minutes a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, in line with his 29.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Isaiah Hartenstein or Wendell Carter Jr.?
Points leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein, 27.9 fantasy points per game to 27.7. 9-cat leagues: Wendell Carter Jr. instead, 61st overall against 116th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Isaiah Hartenstein or Wendell Carter Jr.?
Isaiah Hartenstein is ahead in 5 (rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage); Wendell Carter Jr. in 4 (points, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number