Who to start · 2025-26
Claude Giroux vs Justin Danforth
Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Claude Giroux projects to 1.23 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Justin Danforth's 0.51.
Giroux had 49 points in 82 games; Danforth had 0 in 4 games.
This week Giroux has 3 games left with 2 tough matchups; Danforth has 2 left with 1 soft matchup. In ESPN default points scoring we project Giroux for 3.1 to Danforth's 2.1 over the games left.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Claude Giroux rates ahead, +2.0 to -7.7 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Giroux is steady, +1:09 PP TOI; Danforth has no recent trend.
- • 2026-27 so far: 9 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 1 PPP, 13 SOG.
- • Danforth has played 6 of the Sabres' 7 games since Oct 6 (in and out of the lineup).
- • 2026-27 so far: 6 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PPP, 1 SOG.
Ottawa Senators · Buffalo Sabres · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Claude Giroux
+2.0
category z-score total
Justin Danforth
-7.7
category z-score total
Under Standard (6 categories), Claude Giroux has the edge (Giroux wins 6, Danforth wins 0 of 6 categories).
| Category | Giroux | Danforth |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.15 | 0.00 |
| Assists / game | 0.48 | 0.00 |
| Plus/minus / game | 0.24 | -0.31 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.14 | 0.00 |
| Shots on goal / game | 1.59 | 0.40 |
| Hits / game | 1.08 | 0.68 |
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 Danforth
Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2023-24 to 2025-26: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.
Giroux 2G 4A, 13 SOG · Danforth 1G 2A, 5 SOG
Giroux's offensive zone 2–0 · neutral 0–1 · Giroux's defensive zone 0–0 (2024-25)
On the ice against each other (Giroux's side)
1:09 at 5-on-5 over 1 games, 2025-26, from Giroux's side
- Shot attempts
- 4–1
- 80.0%
- Expected goals
- 0.0–0.0
- 57.9%
- Goals
- 0–0
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Giroux | Danforth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-15 | OTT 4–8 BUF | 0G 0A 2S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2025-04-08 | OTT 2–5 CBJ | 0G 1A 2S | 1G 1A 1S |
| 2025-04-06 | OTT 4–0 CBJ | 0G 1A 1S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2025-03-29 | OTT 3–2 CBJ | 0G 0A 0S | 0G 0A 2S |
| 2024-02-13 | OTT 6–3 CBJ | 1G 2A 4S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2023-12-01 | OTT 2–4 CBJ | 1G 0A 4S | 0G 1A 0S |
Faceoffs: Giroux vs Danforth
Model: Claude Giroux wins 59.2% of draws against Justin Danforth on average (R shot vs R shot). Same-handed, so the dot decides who is on his strong side; the gap between the left and right dots is the real matchup.
| Giroux at | OZ left | OZ right | NZ left (att.) | NZ right (att.) | Centre | NZ left (def.) | NZ right (def.) | DZ left | DZ right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 51% | 67% | 52% | 68% | 60% | 52% | 68% | 53% | 69% |
| Road | 49% | 66% | 51% | 67% | 59% | 51% | 67% | 52% | 68% |
Head-to-head 2024-25: Giroux 2–1 (66.7%). Blended with the model: 59.3%. The record is normal luck for this matchup (z 0.3); 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)
Justin Danforth
2games
2.1proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Oct 21 vs PHI1.1 pts
- Sat, Oct 24 @ WSH1.1 ptsOpp allows 5th-most FP to RWLikely vs Logan Thompson (.912)
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Claude Giroux or Justin Danforth in fantasy hockey?
- Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Claude Giroux projects to 1.23 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Justin Danforth's 0.51. Giroux had 49 points in 82 games; Danforth had 0 in 4 games. Check this week's games and your league's scoring in the fantasy panel above, since more games usually decide a weekly start.
- How have Giroux and Danforth done against each other?
- In 6 games against each other in our data, Giroux's team went 3–3. Giroux had 6 points (2 goals) and Danforth had 3 (1 goals).
- Who wins more faceoffs, Giroux or Danforth?
- Against each other, Giroux has won 2 and Danforth 1 of their 3 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 →