Mikal Bridges or Peyton Watson? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 18th and 20th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 28.6
- 9-cat
- #45
- Last 1 FP
- 12.1
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 Mikal Bridges. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 28.6 fantasy points to 28.0.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, 1.2 category value for the week to -3.0.
Mikal Bridges played 33.0 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 32.8 on the board.
Peyton Watson's minutes are down: 19.2 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 29.6 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 | Mikal Bridges | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 33.0 (last 1) | 19.2 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 32.8 | 29.6 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 8.7 | 18.4 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 57.2 | 56.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 1.2 | -3.0 |
Schedule: Mikal Bridges Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL. Peyton Watson Thu @PHI, Sat BKN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Mikal Bridges | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 27.5 | 29.2 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 9.8 |
| Assists | 7.1 | 4.1 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Blocks | 1.5 | 2.3 |
| Threes | 3.6 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 3.4 |
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 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
For the next game, the market-based projection favors Mikal Bridges: 24.4 fantasy points on Fri, Oct 23 against 24.1 for Peyton Watson.
Points leagues: Mikal Bridges, 28.6 fantasy points per game to 28.0.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, 45th overall against 110th.
Mikal Bridges vs Peyton Watson: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Mikal Bridges | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.6 | 28.0 |
| Minutes | 32.8 | 29.6 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 14.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.5 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.0% | 49.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 73.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.7 |
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 Mikal Bridges playing tonight? · Is Peyton Watson playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Mikal Bridges or Peyton Watson in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Mikal Bridges. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 28.6 fantasy points to 28.0. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, 1.2 category value for the week to -3.0. Mikal Bridges played 33.0 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 32.8 on the board. Peyton Watson's minutes are down: 19.2 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 29.6 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Mikal Bridges or Peyton Watson?
For the next game, the market-based projection favors Mikal Bridges: 24.4 fantasy points on Fri, Oct 23 against 24.1 for Peyton Watson. Points leagues: Mikal Bridges, 28.6 fantasy points per game to 28.0. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, 45th overall against 110th.
Who wins more categories, Mikal Bridges or Peyton Watson?
Mikal Bridges is ahead in 5 (assists, steals, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers); Peyton Watson in 4 (points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number