Devin Booker vs Jalen Brunson: who to start in Week 1
Devin Booker plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 119.5 projected fantasy points to 79.1 for Devin Booker. Over the season, Jalen Brunson leads in points leagues (39.8 fantasy points a game to 39.5) and Devin Booker in 9-cat leagues (50th against 52nd). 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, 4:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #31
- 39.5 FP/G, slot 3.07, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #50
- +0.4 z, slot 5.02, $18
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #30
- 39.8 FP/G, slot 3.06, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #52
- +0.4 z, slot 5.04, $17
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson. 39.8 fantasy points per game against 39.5, 30th on our board to 31st.
9-cat leagues: Devin Booker instead, +0.4 in summed z-scores against +0.4 (50th to 52nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Devin Booker is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Jalen Brunson in 3 (AST, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Devin Booker produces more: 42.8 fantasy points to 41.0, on 33.2 minutes a night against 34.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Devin Booker plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 119.5 projected fantasy points to 79.1 for Devin Booker.
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 | Devin Booker | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.5 | 39.8 |
| Minutes | 33.2 | 34.9 |
| PointsPTS | 25.9 | 25.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 3.4 |
| AssistsAST | 5.8 | 6.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.9% | 45.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.2% | 85.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.1 | 2.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 74 |
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 | Devin Booker | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.8 | 41.0 |
| Points | 28.0 | 26.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.2 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 6.3 | 6.8 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 3.3 | 2.4 |
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 | Devin Booker | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.6 | +1.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.1 | +1.5 |
| StealsSTL | -0.6 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -1.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +2.1 | +1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.5 | -0.6 |
| Total | +0.4 | +0.4 |
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 rebounds, steals, blocks and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Brunson.
| Punt | Devin Booker | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#119) | -1.3 (#121) |
| REB | +1.4 (#33) | +1.5 (#30) |
| AST | -0.8 (#89) | -1.3 (#115) |
| STL | +0.9 (#34) | +1.1 (#31) |
| BLK | +1.2 (#37) | +1.6 (#30) |
| 3PM | +0.0 (#59) | -0.8 (#90) |
| FG% | +1.4 (#37) | +1.4 (#38) |
| FT% | -1.9 (#132) | -0.9 (#90) |
| TO | +2.0 (#37) | +1.0 (#48) |
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)
- Devin Booker: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
Recent games
- Devin Booker: 34.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 39.5 on the board.
- Jalen Brunson: 29.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 39.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Devin Booker playing tonight? · Is Jalen Brunson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Devin Booker, Jalen Brunson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Devin Booker or Jalen Brunson?
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson. 39.8 fantasy points per game against 39.5, 30th on our board to 31st. 9-cat leagues: Devin Booker instead, +0.4 in summed z-scores against +0.4 (50th to 52nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Devin Booker or Jalen Brunson?
Category by category, Devin Booker is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Jalen Brunson in 3 (AST, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Devin Booker or Jalen Brunson?
Devin Booker plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 119.5 projected fantasy points to 79.1 for Devin Booker.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 4:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number