Brook Lopez vs Tari Eason: who to start in Week 1
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tari Eason 3. For that week alone, start Tari Eason: 68.3 projected fantasy points to 60.8 for Brook Lopez. Over the season, Tari Eason leads in both formats: 22.8 fantasy points a game to 20.3, and 164th against 166th 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, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #203
- 20.3 FP/G, slot 17.11
- 9-cat leagues
- #166
- -2.9 z, slot 14.10
- Points leagues
- #161
- 22.8 FP/G, slot 14.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #164
- -2.8 z, slot 14.08
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Tari Eason. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 20.3, 161st on our board to 203rd.
9-cat leagues: Tari Eason again, -2.8 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (164th to 166th).
Category by category, Brook Lopez is ahead in 3 (BLK, FG% and TO) and Tari Eason in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL).
Per 36 minutes, Tari Eason produces more: 33.6 fantasy points to 33.0, on 24.4 minutes a night against 22.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tari Eason 3. For that week alone, start Tari Eason: 68.3 projected fantasy points to 60.8 for Brook Lopez.
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 | Brook Lopez | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.3 | 22.8 |
| Minutes | 22.1 | 24.4 |
| PointsPTS | 9.0 | 9.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.1 | 5.9 |
| AssistsAST | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.4% | 41.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.6% | 77.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 60 |
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 | Brook Lopez | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.0 | 33.6 |
| Points | 14.6 | 14.6 |
| Rebounds | 6.7 | 8.8 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.8 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 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 | Brook Lopez | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | +0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.1 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.0 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +0.7 |
| Total | -2.9 | -2.8 |
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, rebounds and steals flips the 9-cat answer to Brook Lopez.
| Punt | Brook Lopez | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#136) | -1.7 (#147) |
| REB | -2.2 (#145) | -3.0 (#188) |
| AST | -1.7 (#131) | -1.7 (#129) |
| STL | -1.9 (#137) | -3.3 (#199) |
| BLK | -4.1 (#234) | -2.5 (#148) |
| 3PM | -2.7 (#173) | -2.6 (#166) |
| FG% | -2.5 (#136) | -1.9 (#116) |
| FT% | -2.8 (#169) | -2.7 (#162) |
| TO | -4.3 (#188) | -3.6 (#159) |
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)
- Brook Lopez: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Tari Eason: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brook Lopez: 35.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.3 on the board.
- Tari Eason: 6.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 22.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Brook Lopez playing tonight? · Is Tari Eason playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Tari Eason
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brook Lopez or Tari Eason?
Points leagues: Tari Eason. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 20.3, 161st on our board to 203rd. 9-cat leagues: Tari Eason again, -2.8 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (164th to 166th).
Who wins more categories, Brook Lopez or Tari Eason?
Category by category, Brook Lopez is ahead in 3 (BLK, FG% and TO) and Tari Eason in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brook Lopez or Tari Eason?
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tari Eason 3. For that week alone, start Tari Eason: 68.3 projected fantasy points to 60.8 for Brook Lopez.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number