Nikola Vučević or Wendell Carter Jr.? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 23rd and 25th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 24, 12:27 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Nikola Vučević. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.0 fantasy points to 27.7.
9-cat leagues: Wendell Carter Jr. instead, -0.0 category value for the week to -0.7, because his category mix is worth more there.
Nikola Vučević's minutes are down: 4.5 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 25.6 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 | Nikola Vučević | 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 | 4.5 (last 2) | 29.7 (last 2) |
| Minutes, board | 25.6 | 29.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 4.0 | 11.5 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 29.0 | 27.7 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -0.7 | -0.0 |
Schedule: Nikola Vučević Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK. Wendell Carter Jr. Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Nikola Vučević | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 13.3 | 12.9 |
| Rebounds | 7.6 | 7.5 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 1.8 |
| Steals | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 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: Nikola Vučević, 29.0 fantasy points per game to 27.7.
9-cat leagues: Wendell Carter Jr. instead, 61st overall against 75th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Nikola Vučević vs Wendell Carter Jr.: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Nikola Vučević | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.0 | 27.7 |
| Minutes | 25.6 | 29.4 |
| PointsPTS | 13.3 | 12.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.6 | 7.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.0 | 1.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 55.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.8% | 81.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 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 Nikola Vučević playing tonight? · Is Wendell Carter Jr. playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Nikola Vučević or Wendell Carter Jr. in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Nikola Vučević. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.0 fantasy points to 27.7. 9-cat leagues: Wendell Carter Jr. instead, -0.0 category value for the week to -0.7, because his category mix is worth more there. Nikola Vučević's minutes are down: 4.5 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 25.6 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, Nikola Vučević or Wendell Carter Jr.?
Points leagues: Nikola Vučević, 29.0 fantasy points per game to 27.7. 9-cat leagues: Wendell Carter Jr. instead, 61st overall against 75th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Nikola Vučević or Wendell Carter Jr.?
Nikola Vučević is ahead in 4 (points, assists, threes, turnovers); Wendell Carter Jr. in 4 (steals, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 12:27 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number