Brandon Miller vs RJ Barrett: who to start in Week 1
Brandon Miller plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Miller: 98.4 projected fantasy points to 97.3 for RJ Barrett. Over the season, Brandon Miller leads in both formats: 32.8 fantasy points a game to 32.4, and 80th against 144th 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 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #62
- 32.8 FP/G, slot 6.02, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #80
- -0.9 z, slot 7.08, $10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #63
- 32.4 FP/G, slot 6.03, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #144
- -2.2 z, slot 12.12, $3
The call
Points leagues: Brandon Miller. 32.8 fantasy points per game against 32.4, 62nd on our board to 63rd.
9-cat leagues: Brandon Miller again, -0.9 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (80th to 144th).
Category by category, Brandon Miller is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and RJ Barrett in 4 (REB, AST, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Brandon Miller produces more: 38.8 fantasy points to 38.6, on 30.5 minutes a night against 30.2. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Brandon Miller plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Miller: 98.4 projected fantasy points to 97.3 for RJ Barrett.
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 | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.8 | 32.4 |
| Minutes | 30.5 | 30.2 |
| PointsPTS | 20.0 | 19.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.1 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 3.0 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.6% | 50.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.7% | 71.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 65 | 57 |
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 | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.8 | 38.6 |
| Points | 23.7 | 23.2 |
| Rebounds | 5.7 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 3.6 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.6 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 1.9 |
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 | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.7 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.3 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +1.4 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -2.2 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.0 | -1.4 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.0 | +0.3 |
| Total | -0.9 | -2.2 |
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 RJ Barrett.
| Punt | Brandon Miller | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#138) | -2.8 (#208) |
| REB | -0.4 (#68) | -2.4 (#158) |
| AST | -0.7 (#82) | -2.2 (#163) |
| STL | -0.7 (#82) | -1.3 (#110) |
| BLK | -1.0 (#92) | -1.8 (#120) |
| 3PM | -2.4 (#164) | -2.2 (#150) |
| FG% | +1.7 (#32) | -3.3 (#168) |
| FT% | -2.0 (#143) | -0.9 (#88) |
| TO | +0.1 (#59) | -2.5 (#125) |
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)
- Brandon Miller: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
- RJ Barrett: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- Brandon Miller: 28.7 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 32.8 on the board.
- RJ Barrett: 35.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.4 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 RJ Barrett playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Brandon Miller, RJ Barrett
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brandon Miller or RJ Barrett?
Points leagues: Brandon Miller. 32.8 fantasy points per game against 32.4, 62nd on our board to 63rd. 9-cat leagues: Brandon Miller again, -0.9 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (80th to 144th).
Who wins more categories, Brandon Miller or RJ Barrett?
Category by category, Brandon Miller is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and RJ Barrett in 4 (REB, AST, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandon Miller or RJ Barrett?
Brandon Miller plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Miller: 98.4 projected fantasy points to 97.3 for RJ Barrett.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number