Reed Sheppard or Zach LaVine? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 22nd and 26th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 27.0
- 9-cat
- #65
- Last 10 FP
- 28.0
3 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 Reed Sheppard. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 27.0 fantasy points to 27.0.
9-cat leagues: Reed Sheppard again, -0.6 category value for the week to -5.4.
Reed Sheppard has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Reed Sheppard's minutes are down: 22.0 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 26.2 on the board.
Zach LaVine's minutes are down: 25.6 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.4 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.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Reed Sheppard | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 22.0 (last 5) | 25.6 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 26.2 | 31.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 17.7 | 18.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 81.1 | 80.9 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -0.6 | -5.4 |
Schedule: Reed Sheppard Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL. Zach LaVine Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Reed Sheppard | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 40.6 | 57.5 |
| Rebounds | 8.7 | 8.3 |
| Assists | 10.1 | 6.8 |
| Steals | 4.5 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 2.0 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 8.3 | 7.6 |
| Turnovers | 4.5 | 5.7 |
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: Reed Sheppard, 27.0 fantasy points per game to 27.0.
9-cat leagues: Reed Sheppard again, 65th overall against 119th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Reed Sheppard | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 27.0 | 27.0 |
| Minutes | 26.2 | 31.4 |
| PointsPTS | 13.5 | 19.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.9 | 2.8 |
| AssistsAST | 3.4 | 2.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.8 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.0% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.2% | 88.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.9 |
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 Reed Sheppard or Zach LaVine in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Reed Sheppard. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 27.0 fantasy points to 27.0. 9-cat leagues: Reed Sheppard again, -0.6 category value for the week to -5.4. Reed Sheppard has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Reed Sheppard's minutes are down: 22.0 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 26.2 on the board. Zach LaVine's minutes are down: 25.6 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Reed Sheppard or Zach LaVine?
Points leagues: Reed Sheppard, 27.0 fantasy points per game to 27.0. 9-cat leagues: Reed Sheppard again, 65th overall against 119th.
Who wins more categories, Reed Sheppard or Zach LaVine?
Reed Sheppard is ahead in 6 (rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, threes, turnovers); Zach LaVine in 3 (points, field goal percentage, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number