Alex Sarr vs Jaylen Brown: who to start in Week 1
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Brown 4. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 177.9 projected fantasy points to 104.7 for Alex Sarr. Over the season, Jaylen Brown leads in both formats: 44.5 fantasy points a game to 34.9, and 50th against 52nd in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 23, 9:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #49
- 34.9 FP/G, slot 5.01, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #52
- +0.3 z, slot 5.04, $17
- Points leagues
- #13
- 44.5 FP/G, slot 2.01, $33
- 9-cat leagues
- #50
- +0.4 z, slot 5.02, $18
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jaylen Brown. 44.5 fantasy points per game against 34.9, 13th on our board to 49th.
9-cat leagues: Jaylen Brown again, +0.4 in summed z-scores against +0.3 (50th to 52nd).
Category by category, Alex Sarr is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and TO) and Jaylen Brown in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Alex Sarr produces more: 46.6 fantasy points to 46.2, on 27.0 minutes a night against 34.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Brown 4. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 177.9 projected fantasy points to 104.7 for Alex Sarr.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Alex Sarr | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.9 | 44.5 |
| Minutes | 27.0 | 34.7 |
| PointsPTS | 15.7 | 27.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.5 | 7.1 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 5.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.5% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 69.2% | 79.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 3.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 48 | 71 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Alex Sarr | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.6 | 46.2 |
| Points | 20.9 | 28.8 |
| Rebounds | 10.0 | 7.3 |
| Assists | 3.6 | 5.3 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 2.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.7 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Alex Sarr | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | +2.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | +0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.4 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | -2.2 |
| Total | +0.3 | +0.4 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
Punting points, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Alex Sarr.
| Punt | Alex Sarr | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.4 (#48) | -1.6 (#134) |
| REB | -0.7 (#81) | -0.3 (#65) |
| AST | +0.7 (#40) | -0.5 (#75) |
| STL | +0.9 (#37) | +0.4 (#51) |
| BLK | -2.4 (#146) | +0.9 (#40) |
| 3PM | +0.9 (#40) | -0.1 (#65) |
| FG% | +0.2 (#59) | +0.4 (#52) |
| FT% | +1.2 (#35) | +0.3 (#51) |
| TO | -0.1 (#62) | +2.7 (#27) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Alex Sarr: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Jaylen Brown: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Alex Sarr: 19.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 34.9 on the board.
- Jaylen Brown: 38.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 44.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Alex Sarr playing tonight? · Is Jaylen Brown playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Alex Sarr, Jaylen Brown
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Alex Sarr or Jaylen Brown?
Points leagues: Jaylen Brown. 44.5 fantasy points per game against 34.9, 13th on our board to 49th. 9-cat leagues: Jaylen Brown again, +0.4 in summed z-scores against +0.3 (50th to 52nd).
Who wins more categories, Alex Sarr or Jaylen Brown?
Category by category, Alex Sarr is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and TO) and Jaylen Brown in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Alex Sarr or Jaylen Brown?
Alex Sarr plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Brown 4. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 177.9 projected fantasy points to 104.7 for Alex Sarr.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 9:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number