Brandin Podziemski vs John Collins: who to start in Week 2
Brandin Podziemski plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), John Collins 3. For that week alone, start Brandin Podziemski: 114.1 projected fantasy points to 76.4 for John Collins. Over the season, Brandin Podziemski leads in both formats: 28.5 fantasy points a game to 25.5, and 87th against 88th 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 27, 2:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #97
- 28.5 FP/G, slot 9.01, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #87
- -1.0 z, slot 8.03, $10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #130
- 25.5 FP/G, slot 11.10, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #88
- -1.0 z, slot 8.04, $10
The call
Points leagues: Brandin Podziemski. 28.5 fantasy points per game against 25.5, 97th on our board to 130th.
9-cat leagues: Brandin Podziemski again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (87th to 88th).
Category by category, Brandin Podziemski is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and John Collins in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Brandin Podziemski produces more: 35.4 fantasy points to 33.3, on 29.0 minutes a night against 27.6. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Brandin Podziemski plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), John Collins 3. For that week alone, start Brandin Podziemski: 114.1 projected fantasy points to 76.4 for John Collins.
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 | Brandin Podziemski | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.5 | 25.5 |
| Minutes | 29.0 | 27.6 |
| PointsPTS | 14.3 | 13.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.0 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 1.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.4% | 54.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.0% | 74.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 69 |
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 | Brandin Podziemski | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.4 | 33.3 |
| Points | 17.8 | 18.0 |
| Rebounds | 6.3 | 7.5 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 1.3 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 1.7 |
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 | Brandin Podziemski | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.4 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.3 | +0.0 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | +1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.0 | -1.0 |
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
Punting points, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to John Collins.
| Punt | Brandin Podziemski | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#86) | -0.6 (#81) |
| REB | -0.8 (#84) | -1.1 (#100) |
| AST | -1.2 (#109) | +0.2 (#50) |
| STL | -1.5 (#121) | -0.4 (#71) |
| BLK | -0.2 (#63) | -1.4 (#108) |
| 3PM | -1.4 (#109) | -0.9 (#87) |
| FG% | -0.5 (#74) | -2.3 (#133) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#104) | -0.8 (#85) |
| TO | -1.3 (#92) | -1.8 (#107) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Brandin Podziemski: 4 games (Mon @DEN, Wed @MIN, Fri LAL, Sun LAC).
- John Collins: 3 games (Tue @NYK, Wed CHA, Fri @BKN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brandin Podziemski: 34.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 28.5 on the board.
- John Collins: 28.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 25.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Brandin Podziemski playing tonight? · Is John Collins playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Brandin Podziemski, John Collins
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brandin Podziemski or John Collins?
Points leagues: Brandin Podziemski. 28.5 fantasy points per game against 25.5, 97th on our board to 130th. 9-cat leagues: Brandin Podziemski again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (87th to 88th).
Who wins more categories, Brandin Podziemski or John Collins?
Category by category, Brandin Podziemski is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and John Collins in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Brandin Podziemski or John Collins?
Brandin Podziemski plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), John Collins 3. For that week alone, start Brandin Podziemski: 114.1 projected fantasy points to 76.4 for John Collins.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 2:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number