Christian Braun vs Julius Randle: who to start in Week 3
Christian Braun plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Julius Randle 4. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 149.6 projected fantasy points to 75.7 for Christian Braun. Over the season, Julius Randle leads in both formats: 37.4 fantasy points a game to 25.2, and 100th against 101st 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 Nov 3, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #145
- 25.2 FP/G, slot 13.01, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #101
- -1.3 z, slot 9.05, $8
- Points leagues
- #39
- 37.4 FP/G, slot 4.03, $22
- 9-cat leagues
- #100
- -1.3 z, slot 9.04, $8
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Julius Randle. 37.4 fantasy points per game against 25.2, 39th on our board to 145th.
9-cat leagues: Julius Randle again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (100th to 101st).
Category by category, Christian Braun is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Julius Randle in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Julius Randle produces more: 40.3 fantasy points to 27.4, on 33.4 minutes a night against 33.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Christian Braun plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Julius Randle 4. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 149.6 projected fantasy points to 75.7 for Christian Braun.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Christian Braun | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.2 | 37.4 |
| Minutes | 33.1 | 33.4 |
| PointsPTS | 12.9 | 21.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.6 | 7.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 5.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.3% | 46.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.6% | 80.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 3.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 44 | 79 |
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 | Christian Braun | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 27.4 | 40.3 |
| Points | 14.0 | 22.6 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 7.6 |
| Assists | 2.8 | 5.4 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.3 | 3.4 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Christian Braun | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | -0.4 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.6 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | -1.5 |
| Total | -1.3 | -1.3 |
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 points, rebounds, assists, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Christian Braun.
| Punt | Christian Braun | Julius Randle |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#90) | -2.2 (#177) |
| REB | -0.9 (#95) | -2.0 (#135) |
| AST | -0.8 (#87) | -2.1 (#151) |
| STL | -1.7 (#126) | -1.2 (#105) |
| BLK | -0.6 (#83) | -0.5 (#77) |
| 3PM | -1.0 (#93) | -1.2 (#99) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#132) | -1.1 (#93) |
| FT% | -1.3 (#105) | -1.5 (#118) |
| TO | -2.4 (#125) | +0.2 (#57) |
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 438 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Christian Braun: 3 games (Mon POR, Wed TOR, Sat @IND).
- Julius Randle: 4 games (Mon @NYK, Wed CHA, Sat @ATL, Sun @DAL), 2 back-to-backs.
Recent games
- Christian Braun: 29.0 fantasy points a game over his last 6 of 2026-27, against 25.2 on the board.
- Julius Randle: 36.3 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 37.4 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Christian Braun playing tonight? · Is Julius Randle playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Christian Braun, Julius Randle
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Christian Braun or Julius Randle?
Points leagues: Julius Randle. 37.4 fantasy points per game against 25.2, 39th on our board to 145th. 9-cat leagues: Julius Randle again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (100th to 101st).
Who wins more categories, Christian Braun or Julius Randle?
Category by category, Christian Braun is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Julius Randle in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Christian Braun or Julius Randle?
Christian Braun plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Julius Randle 4. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 149.6 projected fantasy points to 75.7 for Christian Braun.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number