Davion Mitchell vs Keldon Johnson: who to start in Week 1
Davion Mitchell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Davion Mitchell: 72.5 projected fantasy points to 68.2 for Keldon Johnson. Over the season, Davion Mitchell leads in points leagues (24.2 fantasy points a game to 22.7) and Keldon Johnson in 9-cat leagues (169th against 170th). 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
- #145
- 24.2 FP/G, slot 13.01, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #170
- -2.9 z, slot 15.02
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #163
- 22.7 FP/G, slot 14.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #169
- -2.9 z, slot 15.01
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Davion Mitchell. 24.2 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 145th on our board to 163rd.
9-cat leagues: Keldon Johnson instead, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (169th to 170th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Davion Mitchell is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, BLK and 3PM) and Keldon Johnson in 5 (PTS, REB, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Keldon Johnson produces more: 35.4 fantasy points to 30.2, on 23.1 minutes a night against 28.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Davion Mitchell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Davion Mitchell: 72.5 projected fantasy points to 68.2 for Keldon Johnson.
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 | Davion Mitchell | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.2 | 22.7 |
| Minutes | 28.8 | 23.1 |
| PointsPTS | 9.4 | 13.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.5 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 6.8 | 1.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 69.1% | 79.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 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 | Davion Mitchell | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 30.2 | 35.4 |
| Points | 11.8 | 20.2 |
| Rebounds | 3.1 | 8.2 |
| Assists | 8.4 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 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 | Davion Mitchell | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.5 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | +1.6 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.4 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.0 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +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, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Davion Mitchell.
| Punt | Davion Mitchell | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#155) | -2.4 (#186) |
| REB | -1.6 (#117) | -2.8 (#181) |
| AST | -4.6 (#274) | -1.8 (#141) |
| STL | -2.8 (#176) | -2.0 (#142) |
| BLK | -2.1 (#134) | -2.0 (#129) |
| 3PM | -2.6 (#167) | -2.6 (#162) |
| FG% | -3.3 (#170) | -3.7 (#194) |
| FT% | -2.7 (#160) | -3.0 (#174) |
| TO | -3.2 (#143) | -4.3 (#187) |
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)
- Davion Mitchell: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
- Keldon Johnson: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Davion Mitchell: 25.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 24.2 on the board.
- Keldon Johnson: 20.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 22.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Davion Mitchell playing tonight? · Is Keldon Johnson playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Davion Mitchell or Keldon Johnson?
Points leagues: Davion Mitchell. 24.2 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 145th on our board to 163rd. 9-cat leagues: Keldon Johnson instead, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (169th to 170th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Davion Mitchell or Keldon Johnson?
Category by category, Davion Mitchell is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, BLK and 3PM) and Keldon Johnson in 5 (PTS, REB, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Davion Mitchell or Keldon Johnson?
Davion Mitchell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Davion Mitchell: 72.5 projected fantasy points to 68.2 for Keldon Johnson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number