Josh Giddey or LeBron James? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 5th and 7th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 41.4
- 9-cat
- #43
- Last 10 FP
- 45.0
Day to day (Rest)
4 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start LeBron James. LeBron James has 4 games counted to 3 for Josh Giddey, for 165.5 projected fantasy points against 124.9.
9-cat leagues: LeBron James again, 3.1 category value for the week to 0.5.
Josh Giddey has 1 back-to-back and LeBron James has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Josh Giddey played 31.9 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 32.1 on the board.
LeBron James's minutes are down: 29.0 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.1 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 | Josh Giddey | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 4 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 31.9 (last 5) | 29.0 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 32.1 | 33.1 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 11.8 | 19.1 |
| Injury | None listed | Day to day (Rest) |
| Projected fantasy points | 124.9 | 165.5 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 0.5 | 3.1 |
Schedule: Josh Giddey Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS. LeBron James Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Josh Giddey | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 51.1 | 83.7 |
| Rebounds | 24.9 | 24.3 |
| Assists | 27.4 | 28.8 |
| Steals | 3.1 | 4.8 |
| Blocks | 1.5 | 2.3 |
| Threes | 5.7 | 5.1 |
| Turnovers | 10.9 | 11.9 |
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: Josh Giddey, 41.6 fantasy points per game to 41.4.
9-cat leagues: LeBron James instead, 43rd overall against 60th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Josh Giddey | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 41.6 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 32.1 | 33.1 |
| PointsPTS | 17.0 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.3 | 6.1 |
| AssistsAST | 9.1 | 7.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.8% | 51.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.3% | 73.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.6 | 3.0 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Advertisement
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Common questions
Should I start Josh Giddey or LeBron James in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start LeBron James. LeBron James has 4 games counted to 3 for Josh Giddey, for 165.5 projected fantasy points against 124.9. 9-cat leagues: LeBron James again, 3.1 category value for the week to 0.5. Josh Giddey has 1 back-to-back and LeBron James has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Josh Giddey played 31.9 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 32.1 on the board. LeBron James's minutes are down: 29.0 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.1 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Josh Giddey or LeBron James?
Points leagues: Josh Giddey, 41.6 fantasy points per game to 41.4. 9-cat leagues: LeBron James instead, 43rd overall against 60th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Josh Giddey or LeBron James?
Josh Giddey is ahead in 4 (rebounds, assists, threes, free throw percentage); LeBron James in 5 (points, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number