Karl-Anthony Towns or Paolo Banchero? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 7th and 7th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 40.5
- 9-cat
- #21
- Last 10 FP
- 40.3
Day to day (Rest)
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Paolo Banchero. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 40.8 fantasy points to 40.5.
9-cat leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns instead, 7.8 category value for the week to -4.9, because his category mix is worth more there.
Karl-Anthony Towns played 31.2 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 31.0 on the board.
Paolo Banchero played 33.9 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 34.8 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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 31.2 (last 5) | 33.9 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 31.0 | 34.8 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 15.0 | 15.5 |
| Injury | Day to day (Rest) | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 121.5 | 122.3 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 7.8 | -4.9 |
Schedule: Karl-Anthony Towns Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL. Paolo Banchero Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Karl-Anthony Towns | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 60.2 | 66.6 |
| Rebounds | 35.6 | 25.2 |
| Assists | 9.0 | 15.5 |
| Steals | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 1.6 | 1.7 |
| Threes | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 7.5 | 9.2 |
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 5 games of 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Paolo Banchero, 40.8 fantasy points per game to 40.5.
9-cat leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns instead, 21st overall against 111th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Karl-Anthony Towns | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.5 | 40.8 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 34.8 |
| PointsPTS | 20.1 | 22.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 11.9 | 8.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.0 | 5.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.1% | 45.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.8% | 77.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.5 | 3.1 |
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 Karl-Anthony Towns or Paolo Banchero in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Paolo Banchero. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 40.8 fantasy points to 40.5. 9-cat leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns instead, 7.8 category value for the week to -4.9, because his category mix is worth more there. Karl-Anthony Towns played 31.2 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 31.0 on the board. Paolo Banchero played 33.9 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 34.8 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Karl-Anthony Towns or Paolo Banchero?
Points leagues: Paolo Banchero, 40.8 fantasy points per game to 40.5. 9-cat leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns instead, 21st overall against 111th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Karl-Anthony Towns or Paolo Banchero?
Karl-Anthony Towns is ahead in 6 (rebounds, steals, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Paolo Banchero in 2 (points, assists), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number