Anthony Edwards vs Jaylen Brown: who to start in Week 1
Anthony Edwards 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 136.1 for Anthony Edwards. Over the season, Anthony Edwards leads in both formats: 45.4 fantasy points a game to 44.5, and 8th against 50th 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, 7:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #10
- 45.4 FP/G, slot 1.10, $34
- 9-cat leagues
- #8
- +4.5 z, slot 1.08, $39
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #13
- 44.5 FP/G, slot 2.01, $33
- 9-cat leagues
- #50
- +0.4 z, slot 5.02, $18
The call
Points leagues: Anthony Edwards. 45.4 fantasy points per game against 44.5, 10th on our board to 13th.
9-cat leagues: Anthony Edwards again, +4.5 in summed z-scores against +0.4 (8th to 50th).
Category by category, Anthony Edwards is ahead in 7 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Jaylen Brown in 2 (REB and AST).
Per 36 minutes, Anthony Edwards produces more: 46.8 fantasy points to 46.2, on 34.9 minutes a night against 34.7. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Anthony Edwards 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 136.1 for Anthony Edwards.
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 | Anthony Edwards | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 45.4 | 44.5 |
| Minutes | 34.9 | 34.7 |
| PointsPTS | 29.8 | 27.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 7.1 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 5.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 3.7 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.5% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.7% | 79.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 3.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 61 | 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 | Anthony Edwards | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.8 | 46.2 |
| Points | 30.8 | 28.8 |
| Rebounds | 5.4 | 7.3 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 5.3 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.8 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.0 | 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 | Anthony Edwards | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +2.3 | +2.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | +0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | -0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.3 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +2.1 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.3 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.4 | -2.2 |
| Total | +4.5 | +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
No punt changes the answer: Anthony Edwards stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Anthony Edwards | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.1 (#17) | -1.6 (#134) |
| REB | +4.8 (#9) | -0.3 (#65) |
| AST | +4.3 (#8) | -0.5 (#75) |
| STL | +3.3 (#12) | +0.4 (#51) |
| BLK | +4.3 (#8) | +0.9 (#40) |
| 3PM | +2.1 (#22) | -0.1 (#65) |
| FG% | +4.3 (#11) | +0.4 (#52) |
| FT% | +4.2 (#9) | +0.3 (#51) |
| TO | +6.0 (#8) | +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)
- Anthony Edwards: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
- Jaylen Brown: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Anthony Edwards: 66.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 45.4 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 Anthony Edwards playing tonight? · Is Jaylen Brown playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Brown
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Edwards or Jaylen Brown?
Points leagues: Anthony Edwards. 45.4 fantasy points per game against 44.5, 10th on our board to 13th. 9-cat leagues: Anthony Edwards again, +4.5 in summed z-scores against +0.4 (8th to 50th).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Edwards or Jaylen Brown?
Category by category, Anthony Edwards is ahead in 7 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Jaylen Brown in 2 (REB and AST).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Edwards or Jaylen Brown?
Anthony Edwards 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 136.1 for Anthony Edwards.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 7:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number