Mikal Bridges or Santi Aldama? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 16th and 17th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 29.7
- 9-cat
- #38
- Last 10 FP
- 21.5
Day to day (Rest)
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
- FP/G
- 29.9
- 9-cat
- #98
- Last 10 FP
- 27.8
Day to day (Knee)
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Santi Aldama. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.9 fantasy points to 29.7.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges instead, 3.4 category value for the week to -4.0, because his category mix is worth more there.
Santi Aldama has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Mikal Bridges's minutes are down: 23.8 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 32.8 on the board.
Santi Aldama played 28.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 27.9 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 | Mikal Bridges | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 23.8 (last 5) | 28.0 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 32.8 | 27.9 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 11.8 | 12.3 |
| Injury | Day to day (Rest) | Day to day (Knee) |
| Projected fantasy points | 89.1 | 89.6 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 3.4 | -4.0 |
Schedule: Mikal Bridges Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL. Santi Aldama Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Mikal Bridges | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 43.2 | 42.0 |
| Rebounds | 11.4 | 20.0 |
| Assists | 11.1 | 8.8 |
| Steals | 3.9 | 2.6 |
| Blocks | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| Threes | 5.7 | 4.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.0 | 3.8 |
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: Santi Aldama, 29.9 fantasy points per game to 29.7.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges instead, 38th overall against 98th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Mikal Bridges | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.7 | 29.9 |
| Minutes | 32.8 | 27.9 |
| PointsPTS | 14.4 | 14.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 66.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 1.3 |
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 Mikal Bridges or Santi Aldama in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Santi Aldama. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.9 fantasy points to 29.7. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges instead, 3.4 category value for the week to -4.0, because his category mix is worth more there. Santi Aldama has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Mikal Bridges's minutes are down: 23.8 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 32.8 on the board. Santi Aldama played 28.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 27.9 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Mikal Bridges or Santi Aldama?
Points leagues: Santi Aldama, 29.9 fantasy points per game to 29.7. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges instead, 38th overall against 98th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Mikal Bridges or Santi Aldama?
Mikal Bridges is ahead in 8 (points, assists, steals, blocks, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Santi Aldama in 1 (rebounds), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number