Who to start · 2025-26
Auston Matthews vs Noel Acciari
Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Auston Matthews projects to 2.99 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Noel Acciari's 1.18.
Matthews had 53 points in 60 games; Acciari had 25 in 67 games.
This week Matthews has 2 games left with 2 tough matchups; Acciari has 1 left. In ESPN default points scoring we project Matthews for 5.4 to Acciari's 1.1 over the games left.
Auston Matthews has the better number in 22 of the 36 stats both are ranked on.
Matthews's biggest edges: Ascension score 85, Power-play share 71.5%, Offensive-zone start % 58.9%.
Acciari's biggest edges: Goals above expected +2.1, Luck Meter +53, Plus/minus +14.
Head to head on the dot, Matthews leads Acciari 27–20.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Auston Matthews rates ahead, +9.6 to -2.8 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Matthews is rising, 8 P in last 5 (1.05/GP before); Acciari is rising, ixG/60 0.91 (was 0.51).
- • Matthews, 2026-27 so far: 11 GP, 8 G, 10 A, 7 PPP, 33 SOG.
- • Matthews, last 10 games (Sep 30–Oct 20): 8 G, 10 A, 7 PPP, 30 SOG.
- • Acciari, 2026-27 so far: 12 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 0 PPP, 10 SOG.
- • Acciari, last 10 games (Oct 3–Oct 21): 1 G, 0 A, 0 PPP, 9 SOG.
Toronto Maple Leafs · Philadelphia Flyers · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Auston Matthews
+9.6
category z-score total
Noel Acciari
-2.8
category z-score total
Under Standard (6 categories), Auston Matthews has the edge (Matthews wins 5, Acciari wins 1 of 6 categories).
| Category | Matthews | Acciari |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.57 | 0.14 |
| Assists / game | 0.63 | 0.10 |
| Plus/minus / game | 0.15 | -0.11 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.38 | 0.00 |
| Shots on goal / game | 3.45 | 1.14 |
| Hits / game | 0.63 | 1.76 |
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 scoring choice is shared with Who Should I Start: saved on this device, and on your account when you are signed in.
Head-to-head: Matthews vs Acciari
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.
Matthews 12G 11A, 127 SOG · Acciari 3G 5A, 24 SOG
Matthews's offensive zone 15–9 · neutral 6–8 · Matthews's defensive zone 6–3 (2017-18 to 2025-26)
Matthews blocked 1 of Acciari's shots; Acciari blocked 1 of Matthews's.
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Matthews | Acciari |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-23 | TOR 6–3 PIT | 0G 0A 3S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2025-11-03 | TOR 4–3 PIT | 1G 1A 4S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2025-03-02 | TOR 6–5 PIT | 1G 1A 6S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2024-12-07 | TOR 2–5 PIT | 0G 2A 4S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2024-10-12 | TOR 4–2 PIT | 0G 0A 8S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2023-11-25 | TOR 2–3 PIT | 0G 0A 3S | 1G 0A 4S |
| 2023-01-03 | TOR 5–6 STL | 1G 1A 3S | 0G 2A 0S |
| 2022-12-27 | TOR 5–4 STL | 0G 1A 5S | 0G 0A 2S |
| 2022-04-23 | TOR 2–3 FLA | 0G 0A 7S | 0G 0A 2S |
| 2022-03-27 | TOR 5–2 FLA | 1G 1A 3S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2020-02-27 | TOR 5–3 FLA | 1G 1A 6S | 1G 0A 5S |
| 2020-02-03 | TOR 3–5 FLA | 1G 0A 7S | 0G 0A 1S |
Latest 12 of 28 meetings.
Faceoffs: Matthews vs Acciari
Model: Auston Matthews wins 54.7% of draws against Noel Acciari on average (L shot vs R shot). Opposite-handed, so they are both strong or both weak at every dot and the dot barely matters.
| Matthews at | OZ left | OZ right | NZ left (att.) | NZ right (att.) | Centre | NZ left (def.) | NZ right (def.) | DZ left | DZ right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 52% | 56% | 53% | 57% | 55% | 53% | 57% | 54% | 58% |
| Road | 51% | 55% | 52% | 56% | 54% | 52% | 56% | 53% | 57% |
Head-to-head 2023-24 to 2025-26: Matthews 5–3 (62.5%). Blended with the model: 54.8%. The record is normal luck for this matchup (z 0.4); pair-specific edges are about ±2 points, so the model carries most of the weight.
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, Luck & trend, NHL EDGE tracking continue below
Every stat, side by side (continued)
Transition, turnovers & faceoffs
Usage
Special teams & discipline
This week's schedule
Oct 19 to Oct 25. 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 cover the games left: Edgehalla's rest-of-season rates per game, adjusted for each opponent's scoring allowed, in ESPN default points.
Scored in ESPN default points (G 2, A 1, PPP 0.5, SHP 0.5, SOG 0.1, HIT 0.1, BLK 0.5). Use your league's scoring
Auston Matthews
4games (2 left)
5.4proj. ESPN default pts
- Mon, Oct 19 vs SJSOpp allows 4th-most FP to CLikely vs Yaroslav Askarov (.884)
- Tue, Oct 20 @ CBJB2B
- Thu, Oct 22 vs NYR2.7 ptsOpp allows 6th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Dylan Garand (.948)
- Sat, Oct 24 @ EDM2.7 pts
Noel Acciari
3games (1 left)
1.1proj. ESPN default pts
- Mon, Oct 19 vs COLOpp allows 15th-most FP to CLikely vs Mackenzie Blackwood (.903)
- Wed, Oct 21 @ BUFOpp allows 14th-most FP to CLikely vs Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (.910)
- Sat, Oct 24 vs ANA1.1 ptsOpp allows 11th-most FP to CLikely vs Lukas Dostal (.888)
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Auston Matthews or Noel Acciari in fantasy hockey?
- Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Auston Matthews projects to 2.99 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Noel Acciari's 1.18. Matthews had 53 points in 60 games; Acciari had 25 in 67 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, Auston Matthews or Noel Acciari?
- On 2025-26 numbers, Auston Matthews leads in 22 of 36 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Matthews and Acciari done against each other?
- In 28 games against each other in our data, Matthews's team went 13–15. Matthews had 23 points (12 goals) and Acciari had 8 (3 goals).
- Who wins more faceoffs, Matthews or Acciari?
- Against each other, Matthews has won 27 and Acciari 20 of their 47 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 →