De'Aaron Fox vs Jaylen Brown: who to start in Week 2
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jaylen Brown 3. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 130.9 projected fantasy points to 103.9 for De'Aaron Fox. Over the season, Jaylen Brown leads in points leagues (43.6 fantasy points a game to 34.6) and De'Aaron Fox in 9-cat leagues (53rd against 54th). 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 28, 2:33 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #50
- 34.6 FP/G, slot 5.02, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #53
- +0.2 z, slot 5.05, $16
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #14
- 43.6 FP/G, slot 2.02, $32
- 9-cat leagues
- #54
- +0.2 z, slot 5.06, $16
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jaylen Brown. 43.6 fantasy points per game against 34.6, 14th on our board to 50th.
9-cat leagues: De'Aaron Fox instead, +0.2 in summed z-scores against +0.2 (53rd to 54th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FG% and TO) and Jaylen Brown in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jaylen Brown produces more: 45.0 fantasy points to 40.7, on 34.9 minutes a night against 30.7. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jaylen Brown 3. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 130.9 projected fantasy points to 103.9 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 | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.6 | 43.6 |
| Minutes | 30.7 | 34.9 |
| PointsPTS | 18.0 | 27.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 6.5 | 5.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.8% | 46.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.8% | 78.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 3.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 71 |
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 | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.7 | 45.0 |
| Points | 21.1 | 27.9 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 6.9 |
| Assists | 7.6 | 5.2 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 3.5 |
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | +1.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.7 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.3 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | -1.9 |
| Total | +0.2 | +0.2 |
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 assists, steals, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jaylen Brown.
| Punt | De'Aaron Fox | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.2 (#61) | -1.8 (#158) |
| REB | +0.9 (#37) | -0.4 (#76) |
| AST | -1.4 (#122) | -0.7 (#82) |
| STL | -0.6 (#78) | -0.0 (#59) |
| BLK | +1.0 (#38) | +0.6 (#42) |
| 3PM | -0.1 (#59) | -0.4 (#77) |
| FG% | -0.3 (#70) | +0.5 (#50) |
| FT% | +0.4 (#48) | +0.2 (#54) |
| TO | +0.9 (#45) | +2.1 (#32) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- De'Aaron Fox: 3 games (Tue SAC, Wed @UTA, Sat MIN), 1 back-to-back.
- Jaylen Brown: 3 games (Wed @IND, Fri NYK, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Aaron Fox: 35.0 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 34.6 on the board.
- Jaylen Brown: 37.5 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 43.6 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 Jaylen Brown playing tonight?
Rookie cards: De'Aaron Fox, Jaylen Brown
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Aaron Fox or Jaylen Brown?
Points leagues: Jaylen Brown. 43.6 fantasy points per game against 34.6, 14th on our board to 50th. 9-cat leagues: De'Aaron Fox instead, +0.2 in summed z-scores against +0.2 (53rd to 54th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Aaron Fox or Jaylen Brown?
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FG% and TO) and Jaylen Brown in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 2, De'Aaron Fox or Jaylen Brown?
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jaylen Brown 3. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 130.9 projected fantasy points to 103.9 for De'Aaron Fox.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 28, 2026 at 2:33 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number