Austin Reaves vs Jalen Brunson: who to start in Week 1
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 117.8 projected fantasy points to 117.5 for Austin Reaves. Over the season, Jalen Brunson leads in points leagues (39.3 fantasy points a game to 39.2) and Austin Reaves in 9-cat leagues (16th against 59th). 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #32
- 39.2 FP/G, slot 3.08, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #16
- +3.1 z, slot 2.04, $34
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #30
- 39.3 FP/G, slot 3.06, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #59
- -0.0 z, slot 5.11, $15
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson. 39.3 fantasy points per game against 39.2, 30th on our board to 32nd.
9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves instead, +3.1 in summed z-scores against -0.0 (16th to 59th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Austin Reaves is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Jalen Brunson in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Austin Reaves produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 40.3, on 34.6 minutes a night against 35.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 117.8 projected fantasy points to 117.5 for Austin Reaves.
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 | Austin Reaves | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.2 | 39.3 |
| Minutes | 34.6 | 35.1 |
| PointsPTS | 23.5 | 25.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 3.4 |
| AssistsAST | 5.7 | 6.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.7% | 45.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.9% | 83.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.2 | 2.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 51 | 74 |
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 | Austin Reaves | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.7 | 40.3 |
| Points | 24.5 | 26.0 |
| Rebounds | 4.7 | 3.4 |
| Assists | 6.0 | 6.6 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 3.3 | 2.4 |
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 | Austin Reaves | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.3 | +1.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.1 | +1.4 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -1.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.9 | +0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.7 | -0.6 |
| Total | +3.1 | -0.0 |
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: Austin Reaves stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Austin Reaves | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.8 (#21) | -1.6 (#146) |
| REB | +3.9 (#10) | +1.0 (#37) |
| AST | +2.0 (#24) | -1.6 (#129) |
| STL | +2.6 (#18) | +0.8 (#40) |
| BLK | +3.8 (#12) | +1.0 (#38) |
| 3PM | +2.3 (#22) | -1.1 (#98) |
| FG% | +2.9 (#22) | +1.0 (#42) |
| FT% | +1.1 (#37) | -0.9 (#90) |
| TO | +4.8 (#14) | +0.7 (#50) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Austin Reaves: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
Recent games
- Austin Reaves: 42.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 39.2 on the board.
- Jalen Brunson: 29.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 39.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Austin Reaves playing tonight? · Is Jalen Brunson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Brunson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Austin Reaves or Jalen Brunson?
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson. 39.3 fantasy points per game against 39.2, 30th on our board to 32nd. 9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves instead, +3.1 in summed z-scores against -0.0 (16th to 59th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Austin Reaves or Jalen Brunson?
Category by category, Austin Reaves is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Jalen Brunson in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Austin Reaves or Jalen Brunson?
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 117.8 projected fantasy points to 117.5 for Austin Reaves.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number