Brandon Miller vs DeMar DeRozan: who to start in Week 1
Brandon Miller plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), DeMar DeRozan 2. For that week alone, start Brandon Miller: 98.9 projected fantasy points to 61.7 for DeMar DeRozan. Over the season, Brandon Miller leads in points leagues (33.0 fantasy points a game to 30.9) and DeMar DeRozan in 9-cat leagues (66th against 67th). 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
- #63
- 33.0 FP/G, slot 6.03, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #67
- -0.4 z, slot 6.07, $13
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #76
- 30.9 FP/G, slot 7.04, $13
- 9-cat leagues
- #66
- -0.3 z, slot 6.06, $14
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Brandon Miller. 33.0 fantasy points per game against 30.9, 63rd on our board to 76th.
9-cat leagues: DeMar DeRozan instead, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (66th to 67th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Brandon Miller is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and 3PM) and DeMar DeRozan in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Brandon Miller produces more: 38.8 fantasy points to 35.6, on 30.6 minutes a night against 31.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandon Miller plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), DeMar DeRozan 2. For that week alone, start Brandon Miller: 98.9 projected fantasy points to 61.7 for DeMar DeRozan.
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 | Brandon Miller | DeMar DeRozan |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.0 | 30.9 |
| Minutes | 30.6 | 31.2 |
| PointsPTS | 20.0 | 18.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 2.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.2 | 4.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 3.1 | 0.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.7% | 49.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.8% | 86.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.5 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 65 | 77 |
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 | Brandon Miller | DeMar DeRozan |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.8 | 35.6 |
| Points | 23.5 | 21.2 |
| Rebounds | 5.6 | 3.4 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 3.7 | 0.7 |
| Turnovers | 3.0 | 1.4 |
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 | Brandon Miller | DeMar DeRozan |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | +0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.2 | +0.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.0 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +1.5 | -1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.6 | +0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.8 | +1.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.9 | +0.8 |
| Total | -0.4 | -0.3 |
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 assists, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Brandon Miller.
| Punt | Brandon Miller | DeMar DeRozan |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#107) | -0.6 (#88) |
| REB | +0.2 (#52) | +0.9 (#38) |
| AST | -0.3 (#69) | -0.6 (#79) |
| STL | -0.2 (#69) | -0.5 (#75) |
| BLK | -0.4 (#71) | +0.4 (#49) |
| 3PM | -2.0 (#138) | +0.6 (#47) |
| FG% | +1.5 (#35) | -0.7 (#76) |
| FT% | -1.3 (#107) | -1.6 (#118) |
| TO | +0.5 (#54) | -1.1 (#84) |
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)
- Brandon Miller: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
- DeMar DeRozan: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
Recent games
- Brandon Miller: 23.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 33.0 on the board.
- DeMar DeRozan: 29.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Brandon Miller playing tonight? · Is DeMar DeRozan playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Brandon Miller, DeMar DeRozan
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brandon Miller or DeMar DeRozan?
Points leagues: Brandon Miller. 33.0 fantasy points per game against 30.9, 63rd on our board to 76th. 9-cat leagues: DeMar DeRozan instead, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (66th to 67th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Brandon Miller or DeMar DeRozan?
Category by category, Brandon Miller is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and 3PM) and DeMar DeRozan in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandon Miller or DeMar DeRozan?
Brandon Miller plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), DeMar DeRozan 2. For that week alone, start Brandon Miller: 98.9 projected fantasy points to 61.7 for DeMar DeRozan.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number