Christian Braun vs Keldon Johnson: who to start in Week 1
Christian Braun plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 67.5 projected fantasy points to 46.5 for Christian Braun. Over the season, Christian Braun leads in points leagues (23.3 fantasy points a game to 22.5) and Keldon Johnson in 9-cat leagues (170th against 171st). 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #152
- 23.3 FP/G, slot 13.08, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #171
- -2.9 z, slot 15.03
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #158
- 22.5 FP/G, slot 14.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #170
- -2.9 z, slot 15.02
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Christian Braun. 23.3 fantasy points per game against 22.5, 152nd on our board to 158th.
9-cat leagues: Keldon Johnson instead, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (170th to 171st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Christian Braun is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and BLK) and Keldon Johnson in 6 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Keldon Johnson produces more: 35.4 fantasy points to 26.3, on 22.9 minutes a night against 31.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Christian Braun plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 67.5 projected fantasy points to 46.5 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Christian Braun | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.3 | 22.5 |
| Minutes | 31.9 | 22.9 |
| PointsPTS | 11.6 | 12.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.9 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 1.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.4% | 52.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.2% | 79.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 44 | 82 |
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 | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 26.3 | 35.4 |
| Points | 13.2 | 20.0 |
| Rebounds | 5.5 | 8.4 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 1.5 |
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 | Christian Braun | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.3 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +1.2 |
| Total | -2.9 | -2.9 |
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, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Christian Braun.
| Punt | Christian Braun | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.1 (#173) | -2.3 (#187) |
| REB | -2.7 (#173) | -2.8 (#182) |
| AST | -2.5 (#175) | -1.8 (#142) |
| STL | -2.1 (#150) | -2.0 (#144) |
| BLK | -2.3 (#147) | -1.9 (#127) |
| 3PM | -2.3 (#152) | -2.4 (#163) |
| FG% | -3.6 (#181) | -3.8 (#194) |
| FT% | -2.8 (#172) | -2.9 (#176) |
| TO | -4.1 (#178) | -4.2 (#185) |
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)
- Christian Braun: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- Keldon Johnson: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Christian Braun: 16.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.3 on the board.
- Keldon Johnson: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 22.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Christian Braun playing tonight? · Is Keldon Johnson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Christian Braun
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Christian Braun or Keldon Johnson?
Points leagues: Christian Braun. 23.3 fantasy points per game against 22.5, 152nd on our board to 158th. 9-cat leagues: Keldon Johnson instead, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (170th to 171st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Christian Braun or Keldon Johnson?
Category by category, Christian Braun is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and BLK) and Keldon Johnson in 6 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Christian Braun or Keldon Johnson?
Christian Braun plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 67.5 projected fantasy points to 46.5 for Christian Braun.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number