De'Aaron Fox vs Jaren Jackson Jr.: who to start in Week 1
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaren Jackson Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Jaren Jackson Jr.: 103.6 projected fantasy points to 103.5 for De'Aaron Fox. Over the season, Jaren Jackson Jr. leads in both formats: 34.5 fantasy points a game to 34.5, and 42nd against 66th 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 21, 4:56 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #52
- 34.5 FP/G, slot 5.04, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #66
- -0.3 z, slot 6.06, $14
- Points leagues
- #51
- 34.5 FP/G, slot 5.03, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #42
- +0.8 z, slot 4.06, $20
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr.. 34.5 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 51st on our board to 52nd.
9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. again, +0.8 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (42nd to 66th).
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Jaren Jackson Jr. in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jaren Jackson Jr. produces more: 41.0 fantasy points to 40.0, on 30.3 minutes a night against 31.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaren Jackson Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Jaren Jackson Jr.: 103.6 projected fantasy points to 103.5 for De'Aaron Fox.
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Jaren Jackson Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.5 | 34.5 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 30.3 |
| PointsPTS | 18.3 | 19.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.0 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 6.2 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.3% | 47.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.5% | 80.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 48 |
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Jaren Jackson Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.0 | 41.0 |
| Points | 21.2 | 23.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 6.7 |
| Assists | 7.2 | 2.3 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.7 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 2.6 |
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Jaren Jackson Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | +0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.3 | -0.9 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +1.5 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| Total | -0.3 | +0.8 |
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 blocks flips the 9-cat answer to De'Aaron Fox.
| Punt | De'Aaron Fox | Jaren Jackson Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#92) | +0.2 (#56) |
| REB | +0.4 (#53) | +0.7 (#43) |
| AST | -1.8 (#134) | +1.5 (#28) |
| STL | -1.0 (#96) | +0.5 (#46) |
| BLK | +0.5 (#48) | -0.9 (#85) |
| 3PM | -0.5 (#77) | +0.6 (#44) |
| FG% | -0.8 (#80) | +0.9 (#44) |
| FT% | +0.0 (#62) | +0.7 (#42) |
| TO | +0.2 (#55) | +1.2 (#44) |
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 390 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- De'Aaron Fox: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
- Jaren Jackson Jr.: 3 games (Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL).
Recent games
- De'Aaron Fox: 31.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 34.5 on the board.
- Jaren Jackson Jr.: 39.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 34.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is De'Aaron Fox playing tonight? · Is Jaren Jackson Jr. playing tonight?
Rookie cards: De'Aaron Fox
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Aaron Fox or Jaren Jackson Jr.?
Points leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr.. 34.5 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 51st on our board to 52nd. 9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. again, +0.8 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (42nd to 66th).
Who wins more categories, De'Aaron Fox or Jaren Jackson Jr.?
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Jaren Jackson Jr. in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Aaron Fox or Jaren Jackson Jr.?
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaren Jackson Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Jaren Jackson Jr.: 103.6 projected fantasy points to 103.5 for De'Aaron Fox.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 21, 2026 at 4:56 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number