Who to start · 2025-26
Claude Giroux vs Connor McDavid
Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Connor McDavid projects to 3.76 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Claude Giroux's 1.23.
Giroux had 49 points in 82 games; McDavid had 138 in 82 games.
This week Giroux has 3 games left with 2 tough matchups; McDavid has 2 left with 2 tough matchups. In ESPN default points scoring we project McDavid for 6.1 to Giroux's 3.1 over the games left.
Connor McDavid has the better number in 23 of the 36 stats both are ranked on.
Giroux's biggest edges: Turnover Ledger /60 +0.041, Hardest shot 88.9, Faceoff win % 63.1%.
McDavid's biggest edges: Top skating speed 24.6, Goals above expected +0.6, Transition attempts /60 2.12.
Head to head on the dot, Giroux leads McDavid 21–17.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Connor McDavid rates ahead, +21.0 to +2.0 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Giroux is steady, +1:09 PP TOI; McDavid is rising, 14 P in last 5 (2.00/GP before).
- • 2026-27 so far: 9 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 1 PPP, 13 SOG.
- • 2026-27 so far: 9 GP, 6 G, 20 A, 8 PPP, 22 SOG.
Ottawa Senators · Edmonton Oilers · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Claude Giroux
+2.0
category z-score total
Connor McDavid
+21.0
category z-score total
Under Standard (6 categories), Connor McDavid has the edge (Giroux wins 1, McDavid wins 5 of 6 categories).
| Category | Giroux | McDavid |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.15 | 0.62 |
| Assists / game | 0.48 | 1.52 |
| Plus/minus / game | 0.24 | 0.84 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.14 | 0.74 |
| Shots on goal / game | 1.59 | 3.25 |
| Hits / game | 1.08 | 0.85 |
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: Giroux vs McDavid
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.
Giroux 4G 9A, 34 SOG · McDavid 11G 19A, 62 SOG
Giroux's offensive zone 9–9 · neutral 4–2 · Giroux's defensive zone 8–6 (2017-18 to 2025-26)
On the ice against each other (Giroux's side)
16:21 at 5-on-5 over 2 games, 2025-26, from Giroux's side
- Shot attempts
- 16–14
- 53.3%
- Expected goals
- 0.5–0.7
- 39.5%
- Goals
- 1–0
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Giroux | McDavid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-03 | OTT 4–5 EDM | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 2A 4S |
| 2025-10-21 | OTT 2–3 EDM | 0G 0A 0S | 1G 0A 3S |
| 2024-12-22 | OTT 1–3 EDM | 0G 0A 3S | 0G 1A 2S |
| 2024-11-19 | OTT 2–5 EDM | 0G 0A 1S | 2G 1A 5S |
| 2024-03-24 | OTT 5–3 EDM | 0G 1A 1S | 0G 2A 3S |
| 2024-01-06 | OTT 1–3 EDM | 0G 0A 0S | 0G 1A 8S |
| 2023-03-14 | OTT 3–6 EDM | 0G 0A 4S | 1G 1A 4S |
| 2023-02-11 | OTT 3–6 EDM | 1G 0A 3S | 1G 2A 4S |
| 2022-03-01 | PHI 0–3 EDM | 0G 0A 4S | 1G 1A 7S |
| 2021-10-27 | PHI 5–3 EDM | 1G 1A 2S | 1G 1A 9S |
| 2019-10-16 | PHI 3–6 EDM | 0G 2A 2S | 1G 4A 1S |
| 2019-02-02 | PHI 5–4 EDM | 1G 2A 5S | 1G 1A 5S |
Latest 12 of 15 meetings.
Faceoffs: Giroux vs McDavid
Model: Claude Giroux wins 60.5% of draws against Connor McDavid on average (R shot vs L shot). Opposite-handed, so they are both strong or both weak at every dot and the dot barely matters.
| Giroux at | OZ left | OZ right | NZ left (att.) | NZ right (att.) | Centre | NZ left (def.) | NZ right (def.) | DZ left | DZ right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 60% | 60% | 61% | 61% | 61% | 61% | 61% | 62% | 62% |
| Road | 59% | 59% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 61% | 61% |
Head-to-head 2023-24 to 2025-26: Giroux 7–6 (53.8%). Blended with the model: 60.3%. The record is normal luck for this matchup (z -0.5); 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
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
Claude Giroux
3games
3.1proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Oct 21 vs FLA1.0 ptsOpp allows 10th-fewest FP to RWLikely vs Akira Schmid (.892)
- Sat, Oct 24 vs NYR1.0 ptsOpp allows 7th-fewest FP to RWLikely vs Dylan Garand (.948)
Connor McDavid
3games (2 left)
6.1proj. ESPN default pts
- Tue, Oct 20 vs MINOpp allows 14th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Jesper Wallstedt (.916)
- Thu, Oct 22 vs CAR2.9 pts
- Sat, Oct 24 vs TOR3.2 ptsOpp allows 10th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Sergei Bobrovsky (.877)
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Claude Giroux or Connor McDavid in fantasy hockey?
- Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Connor McDavid projects to 3.76 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Claude Giroux's 1.23. Giroux had 49 points in 82 games; McDavid had 138 in 82 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, Claude Giroux or Connor McDavid?
- On 2025-26 numbers, Connor McDavid leads in 23 of 36 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Giroux and McDavid done against each other?
- In 15 games against each other in our data, Giroux's team went 5–10. Giroux had 13 points (4 goals) and McDavid had 30 (11 goals).
- Who wins more faceoffs, Giroux or McDavid?
- Against each other, Giroux has won 21 and McDavid 17 of their 38 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 →