Who to start · 2025-26
Josh Manson 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 Josh Manson's 1.48.
Manson had 31 points in 79 games; Nylander had 79 in 65 games.
This week Manson has 1 game left with 1 tough matchup; Nylander has 1 left. We project Nylander for 2.1 ESPN points to Manson's 1.1.
William Nylander has the better number in 20 of the 34 stats both are ranked on.
Manson's biggest edges: Hits 174, Plus/minus +42, Expected goals 56.9%.
Nylander's biggest edges: Goals above expected +5.0, Offensive-zone start % 66.1%, Ice time per game 19:25.
- • 2026-27 so far: 1 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 0 PPP, 1 SOG.
- • 2026-27 so far: 2 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 0 PPP, 6 SOG.
Fantasy value: your scoring
Josh Manson
1.48
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 | Manson | Nylander |
|---|---|---|
| Goals (+2) | 0.12 | 1.05 |
| Assists (+1) | 0.37 | 0.67 |
| Power-play points (+0.5) | 0.00 | 0.14 |
| Shorthanded points (+0.5) | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Shots on goal (+0.1) | 0.16 | 0.25 |
| Hits (+0.1) | 0.21 | 0.02 |
| Blocks (+0.5) | 0.62 | 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: Manson 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.
Manson 0G 5A, 13 SOG · Nylander 5G 9A, 31 SOG
On the ice against each other (Manson's side)
5:54 at 5-on-5 over 1 games, 2025-26, from Manson's side
- Shot attempts
- 5–2
- 71.4%
- Expected goals
- 0.1–0.1
- 59.3%
- Goals
- 0–0
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Manson | Nylander |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-12 | COL 3–4 TOR | 0G 0A 2S | 1G 1A 4S |
| 2025-03-08 | COL 7–4 TOR | 0G 1A 3S | 0G 2A 2S |
| 2024-02-24 | COL 3–4 TOR | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 3A 5S |
| 2024-01-13 | COL 5–3 TOR | 0G 1A 0S | 0G 0A 4S |
| 2021-11-28 | ANA 1–5 TOR | 0G 0A 3S | 1G 1A 4S |
| 2019-02-04 | ANA 1–6 TOR | 0G 1A 1S | 1G 1A 3S |
| 2018-02-05 | ANA 4–7 TOR | 0G 1A 3S | 2G 1A 5S |
| 2017-11-01 | ANA 1–3 TOR | 0G 1A 0S | 0G 0A 4S |
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.
Josh Manson
2games (1 left)
1.1proj. ESPN pts
- Wed, Sep 30 vs LAKOpp allows 3rd-most FP to DLikely vs Darcy Kuemper (.891)
- Sat, Oct 3 vs STL1.1 ptsOpp allows 4th-fewest FP to DSchedule edge +10.1 win%vs Jordan Binnington (.873)
William Nylander
3games (1 left)
2.1proj. ESPN pts
- Tue, Sep 29 vs MTLOpp allows 12th-most FP to RWLikely vs Jakub Dobes (.901)
- Wed, Sep 30 vs NYIB2BOpp allows 14th-most FP to RWSchedule edge −9.3 win%Likely vs Ilya Sorokin (.906)
- Sat, Oct 3 vs OTT2.1 ptsvs Linus Ullmark (.891)
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Josh Manson 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 Josh Manson's 1.48. Manson had 31 points in 79 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, Josh Manson or William Nylander?
- On 2025-26 numbers, William Nylander leads in 20 of 34 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Manson and Nylander done against each other?
- In 8 games against each other in our data, Manson's team went 2–6. Manson had 5 points (0 goals) and Nylander had 14 (5 goals).
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 →