Brandin Podziemski vs Tre Jones: who to start in Week 1
Brandin Podziemski plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tre Jones 3. For that week alone, start Tre Jones: 83.3 projected fantasy points to 83.0 for Brandin Podziemski. Over the season, Tre Jones leads in both formats: 27.8 fantasy points a game to 27.7, and 77th against 116th 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, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #108
- 27.7 FP/G, slot 9.12, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #116
- -1.6 z, slot 10.08, $7
Day to day (Back)
- Points leagues
- #107
- 27.8 FP/G, slot 9.11, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #77
- -0.7 z, slot 7.05, $12
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Tre Jones. 27.8 fantasy points per game against 27.7, 107th on our board to 108th.
9-cat leagues: Tre Jones again, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (77th to 116th).
Category by category, Brandin Podziemski is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and 3PM) and Tre Jones in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Tre Jones produces more: 38.3 fantasy points to 35.0, on 26.1 minutes a night against 28.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandin Podziemski plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tre Jones 3. For that week alone, start Tre Jones: 83.3 projected fantasy points to 83.0 for Brandin Podziemski.
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 | Tre Jones |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 27.7 | 27.8 |
| Minutes | 28.5 | 26.1 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 14.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.1 | 3.1 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 5.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 0.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.5% | 55.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.7% | 83.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 65 |
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 | Tre Jones |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.0 | 38.3 |
| Points | 17.5 | 19.3 |
| Rebounds | 6.5 | 4.3 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 7.0 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 0.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 1.8 |
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 | Tre Jones |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.3 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | +1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.6 | -0.7 |
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 field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Brandin Podziemski.
| Punt | Brandin Podziemski | Tre Jones |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#118) | -0.3 (#69) |
| REB | -1.4 (#114) | +0.4 (#48) |
| AST | -1.7 (#132) | -1.5 (#120) |
| STL | -1.8 (#134) | -1.0 (#94) |
| BLK | -0.7 (#77) | +0.3 (#52) |
| 3PM | -1.9 (#134) | +0.3 (#56) |
| FG% | -1.2 (#95) | -2.1 (#124) |
| FT% | -1.7 (#121) | -1.2 (#99) |
| TO | -2.0 (#110) | -1.4 (#94) |
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)
- Brandin Podziemski: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Tre Jones: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brandin Podziemski: 31.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 27.7 on the board.
- Tre Jones: 16.6 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 27.8 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 Tre Jones playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Brandin Podziemski, Tre Jones
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brandin Podziemski or Tre Jones?
Points leagues: Tre Jones. 27.8 fantasy points per game against 27.7, 107th on our board to 108th. 9-cat leagues: Tre Jones again, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (77th to 116th).
Who wins more categories, Brandin Podziemski or Tre Jones?
Category by category, Brandin Podziemski is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and 3PM) and Tre Jones in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandin Podziemski or Tre Jones?
Brandin Podziemski plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tre Jones 3. For that week alone, start Tre Jones: 83.3 projected fantasy points to 83.0 for Brandin Podziemski.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number