Who to start · 2025-26
Jack Hughes vs Noel Acciari
Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Jack Hughes projects to 2.39 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Noel Acciari's 1.18.
Hughes had 77 points in 61 games; Acciari had 25 in 67 games.
This week Hughes has 2 games left with 1 soft matchup; Acciari has 1 left. In ESPN default points scoring we project Hughes for 5.3 to Acciari's 1.1 over the games left.
Jack Hughes has the better number in 25 of the 36 stats both are ranked on.
Hughes's biggest edges: Offensive-zone start % 79.3%, Power-play share 74.5%, Offensive-zone time 45.1%.
Acciari's biggest edges: On-ice PDO 1037, Draw Equity /100 +0.026, Faceoff win % 52.0%.
Head to head on the dot, Acciari leads Hughes 16–9.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Jack Hughes rates ahead, +8.0 to -2.8 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Hughes is cooling, 5 P in last 5 (1.65/GP before); Acciari is rising, ixG/60 0.91 (was 0.51).
- • Hughes, 2026-27 so far: 9 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 4 PPP, 35 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.
New Jersey Devils · Philadelphia Flyers · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Jack Hughes
+8.0
category z-score total
Noel Acciari
-2.8
category z-score total
Under Standard (6 categories), Jack Hughes has the edge (Hughes wins 5, Acciari wins 1 of 6 categories).
| Category | Hughes | Acciari |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.36 | 0.14 |
| Assists / game | 0.80 | 0.10 |
| Plus/minus / game | 0.00 | -0.11 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.40 | 0.00 |
| Shots on goal / game | 3.79 | 1.14 |
| Hits / game | 0.04 | 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: Hughes vs Acciari
Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2019-20 to 2026-27: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.
Hughes 7G 4A, 46 SOG · Acciari 2G 5A, 5 SOG
Hughes's offensive zone 6–11 · neutral 3–4 · Hughes's defensive zone 0–1 (2019-20 to 2026-27)
Hughes blocked 1 of Acciari's shots; Acciari blocked 1 of Hughes's.
On the ice against each other (Hughes's side)
23:53 at 5-on-5 over 4 games, 2025-26 to 2026-27, from Hughes's side
- Shot attempts
- 26–11
- 70.3%
- Expected goals
- 1.0–0.2
- 79.5%
- Goals
- 0–0
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Hughes | Acciari |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-01 | NJD 3–2 PHI | 1G 0A 5S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2026-04-09 | NJD 2–5 PIT | 1G 0A 5S | 0G 1A 0S |
| 2026-02-26 | NJD 1–4 PIT | 0G 1A 2S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2026-01-08 | NJD 1–4 PIT | 0G 1A 3S | 0G 1A 2S |
| 2025-02-04 | NJD 3–2 PIT | 2G 0A 5S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2024-12-21 | NJD 3–0 PIT | 0G 0A 2S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2024-03-19 | NJD 5–2 PIT | 0G 2A 4S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2023-03-07 | NJD 3–4 TOR | 0G 0A 6S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2023-01-05 | NJD 3–5 STL | 2G 0A 9S | 0G 1A 0S |
| 2020-02-11 | NJD 3–5 FLA | 1G 0A 3S | 1G 2A 1S |
| 2019-10-14 | NJD 4–6 FLA | 0G 0A 2S | 1G 0A 1S |
Faceoffs: Hughes vs Acciari
Model: Jack Hughes wins 35.3% 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.
| Hughes at | OZ left | OZ right | NZ left (att.) | NZ right (att.) | Centre | NZ left (def.) | NZ right (def.) | DZ left | DZ right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 34% | 35% | 35% | 36% | 36% | 35% | 36% | 36% | 38% |
| Road | 33% | 34% | 34% | 35% | 35% | 34% | 35% | 35% | 36% |
Head-to-head 2024-25 to 2026-27: Hughes 2–10 (16.7%). Blended with the model: 34.8%. The record is a bit unusual for this matchup (z -1.3); 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, 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
Jack Hughes
3games (2 left)
5.3proj. ESPN default pts
- Tue, Oct 20 vs COL
- Thu, Oct 22 vs ANA2.5 pts
- Sat, Oct 24 vs LAK2.8 ptsOpp allows 2nd-most FP to CLikely vs Darcy Kuemper (.891)
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 Jack Hughes or Noel Acciari in fantasy hockey?
- Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Jack Hughes projects to 2.39 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Noel Acciari's 1.18. Hughes had 77 points in 61 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, Jack Hughes or Noel Acciari?
- On 2025-26 numbers, Jack Hughes leads in 25 of 36 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Hughes and Acciari done against each other?
- In 11 games against each other in our data, Hughes's team went 4–7. Hughes had 11 points (7 goals) and Acciari had 7 (2 goals).
- Who wins more faceoffs, Hughes or Acciari?
- Against each other, Hughes has won 9 and Acciari 16 of their 25 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 →