Who to start · 2025-26
Anthony Cirelli vs William Nylander
Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, William Nylander projects to 2.36 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Anthony Cirelli's 1.67.
Cirelli had 52 points in 71 games; Nylander had 79 in 65 games.
This week Cirelli has 1 game left; Nylander has 1 left. We project Nylander for 2.1 ESPN points to Cirelli's 1.5.
William Nylander has the better number in 19 of the 34 stats both are ranked on.
Cirelli's biggest edges: Plus/minus +38, Expected goals 57.0%, Sequence xG 56.9%.
Nylander's biggest edges: Transition attempts /60 1.67, Hardest shot 92.6, Power-play share 71.2%.
Head to head on the dot, Cirelli leads Nylander 16–14.
- • 2026-27 so far: 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PPP, 3 SOG.
- • 2026-27 so far: 2 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 0 PPP, 6 SOG.
Fantasy value: your scoring
Anthony Cirelli
1.67
fantasy points per game
William Nylander
2.36
fantasy points per game
Under ESPN default points, William Nylander has the edge.
| Points per game from | Cirelli | Nylander |
|---|---|---|
| Goals (+2) | 0.61 | 1.05 |
| Assists (+1) | 0.38 | 0.67 |
| Power-play points (+0.5) | 0.03 | 0.14 |
| Shorthanded points (+0.5) | 0.03 | 0.00 |
| Shots on goal (+0.1) | 0.18 | 0.25 |
| Hits (+0.1) | 0.07 | 0.02 |
| Blocks (+0.5) | 0.37 | 0.24 |
Per-game rates from the selected sample; blended mixes last season with this season, weighting this season more as games are played. Categories are scored as z-scores against qualified players at the same position. Your custom weights are saved in this browser only.
Head-to-head: Cirelli vs Nylander
Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2017-18 to 2025-26: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.
Cirelli 6G 13A, 67 SOG · Nylander 16G 18A, 115 SOG
Cirelli's offensive zone 2–3 · neutral 3–5 · Cirelli's defensive zone 11–6 (2017-18 to 2024-25)
Cirelli blocked 4 of Nylander's shots; Nylander blocked 0 of Cirelli's.
On the ice against each other (Cirelli's side)
6:59 at 5-on-5 over 2 games, 2025-26, from Cirelli's side
- Shot attempts
- 14–5
- 73.7%
- Expected goals
- 0.7–0.2
- 76.7%
- Goals
- 1–0
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Cirelli | Nylander |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-07 | TBL 5–2 TOR | 0G 2A 5S | 0G 1A 2S |
| 2025-12-08 | TBL 0–2 TOR | 0G 0A 4S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2025-04-09 | TBL 3–4 TOR | 0G 1A 5S | 0G 0A 3S |
| 2025-01-20 | TBL 3–5 TOR | 0G 0A 2S | 1G 0A 3S |
| 2024-11-30 | TBL 3–5 TOR | 0G 0A 5S | 1G 0A 4S |
| 2024-10-21 | TBL 2–5 TOR | 0G 0A 2S | 2G 1A 5S |
| 2024-04-03 | TBL 4–1 TOR | 0G 0A 0S | 0G 0A 5S |
| 2023-11-06 | TBL 5–6 TOR | 0G 0A 2S | 0G 1A 3S |
| 2023-10-21 | TBL 3–4 TOR | 0G 0A 2S | 1G 1A 6S |
| 2023-04-29 · PO | TBL 1–2 TOR | 0G 1A 4S | 0G 0A 3S |
| 2023-04-27 · PO | TBL 4–2 TOR | 1G 1A 4S | 0G 0A 4S |
| 2023-04-24 · PO | TBL 4–5 TOR | 0G 0A 0S | 0G 3A 3S |
Latest 12 of 35 meetings.
Every stat, side by side
Season values; bars are percentiles at each player's position (longer is better). Click a stat for its explainer.
Fantasy box score
Possession & shot quality (5-on-5 on-ice)
Transition, turnovers & faceoffs
Usage
Special teams & discipline
This week's schedule
Sep 28 to Oct 4. More games usually wins a weekly start/sit. Chips show how many fantasy points the opponent allows to the player's position (soft or tough), the Schedule Edge from rest and travel, and the likely opposing goalie with his save percentage. Projections use ESPN default points for the games left.
Anthony Cirelli
2games (1 left)
1.5proj. ESPN pts
- Thu, Oct 1 @ NYR
- Sat, Oct 3 vs WSH1.5 ptsSchedule edge +9.3 win%
William Nylander
3games (1 left)
2.1proj. ESPN pts
- Tue, Sep 29 vs MTL
- Wed, Sep 30 vs NYIB2BSchedule edge −9.3 win%
- Sat, Oct 3 vs OTT2.1 pts
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Anthony Cirelli or William Nylander in fantasy hockey?
- Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, William Nylander projects to 2.36 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Anthony Cirelli's 1.67. Cirelli had 52 points in 71 games; Nylander had 79 in 65 games. Check this week's games and your league's scoring in the fantasy panel above, since more games usually decide a weekly start.
- Who is better, Anthony Cirelli or William Nylander?
- On 2025-26 numbers, William Nylander leads in 19 of 34 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Cirelli and Nylander done against each other?
- In 35 games against each other in our data, Cirelli's team went 15–20. Cirelli had 19 points (6 goals) and Nylander had 34 (16 goals).
- Who wins more faceoffs, Cirelli or Nylander?
- Against each other, Cirelli has won 16 and Nylander 14 of their 30 head-to-head draws.
2025-26 regular season from NHL play-by-play, shift charts and NHL EDGE, processed by Edgehalla. Head-to-head covers every loaded season (play-by-play from 2019-20; on-ice matchups from 2025-26).Compare other players →