Ausar Thompson vs Jaden McDaniels: who to start in Week 1
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaden McDaniels 3. For that week alone, start Jaden McDaniels: 86.9 projected fantasy points to 86.8 for Ausar Thompson. Over the season, Jaden McDaniels leads in both formats: 29.0 fantasy points a game to 28.9, and 46th against 74th 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 22, 2:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #96
- 28.9 FP/G, slot 8.12, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #74
- -0.6 z, slot 7.02, $12
- Points leagues
- #95
- 29.0 FP/G, slot 8.11, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #46
- +0.6 z, slot 4.10, $19
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jaden McDaniels. 29.0 fantasy points per game against 28.9, 95th on our board to 96th.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels again, +0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (46th to 74th).
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, STL and TO) and Jaden McDaniels in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Ausar Thompson produces more: 39.5 fantasy points to 33.1, on 26.4 minutes a night against 31.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaden McDaniels 3. For that week alone, start Jaden McDaniels: 86.9 projected fantasy points to 86.8 for Ausar Thompson.
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 | Ausar Thompson | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.9 | 29.0 |
| Minutes | 26.4 | 31.6 |
| PointsPTS | 9.9 | 15.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.1 | 4.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.2 | 2.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.9 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 0.1 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.4% | 52.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.1% | 83.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 73 |
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 | Ausar Thompson | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.5 | 33.1 |
| Points | 13.6 | 17.1 |
| Rebounds | 8.3 | 5.1 |
| Assists | 4.4 | 3.0 |
| Steals | 2.6 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 2.1 |
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 | Ausar Thompson | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.2 | -0.5 |
| StealsSTL | +2.6 | +0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | +0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.6 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| Total | -0.6 | +0.6 |
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 threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Ausar Thompson.
| Punt | Ausar Thompson | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.5 (#47) | +0.8 (#39) |
| REB | -1.2 (#98) | +1.2 (#36) |
| AST | -0.4 (#71) | +1.0 (#34) |
| STL | -3.3 (#197) | -0.1 (#63) |
| BLK | -1.3 (#104) | -0.0 (#59) |
| 3PM | +1.0 (#37) | +0.7 (#41) |
| FG% | -1.8 (#114) | -0.3 (#66) |
| FT% | +1.1 (#38) | +0.3 (#55) |
| TO | -0.9 (#80) | +0.5 (#55) |
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)
- Ausar Thompson: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
- Jaden McDaniels: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
Ausar Thompson or Jaden McDaniels: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Ausar Thompson: 31.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.9 on the board.
- Jaden McDaniels: 28.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Ausar Thompson playing tonight? · Is Jaden McDaniels playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ausar Thompson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ausar Thompson or Jaden McDaniels?
Points leagues: Jaden McDaniels. 29.0 fantasy points per game against 28.9, 95th on our board to 96th. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels again, +0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (46th to 74th).
Who wins more categories, Ausar Thompson or Jaden McDaniels?
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, STL and TO) and Jaden McDaniels in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ausar Thompson or Jaden McDaniels?
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaden McDaniels 3. For that week alone, start Jaden McDaniels: 86.9 projected fantasy points to 86.8 for Ausar Thompson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 2:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number