Donovan Mitchell vs Jaylen Brown: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jaylen Brown in points leagues (45.2 fantasy points a game to 44.3) and Donovan Mitchell in 9-cat leagues (7th against 56th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #12
- 44.3 FP/G, slot 1.12, $32
- 9-cat leagues
- #7
- +4.3 z, slot 1.07, $39
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #10
- 45.2 FP/G, slot 1.10, $34
- 9-cat leagues
- #56
- +0.3 z, slot 5.08, $17
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jaylen Brown. 45.2 fantasy points per game against 44.3, 10th on our board to 12th.
9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell instead, +4.3 in summed z-scores against +0.3 (7th to 56th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Donovan Mitchell is ahead in 6 (AST, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Jaylen Brown in 3 (PTS, REB and BLK).
Per 36 minutes, Donovan Mitchell produces more: 47.7 fantasy points to 47.3, on 33.5 minutes a night against 34.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Donovan Mitchell plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Brown 4. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 181.0 projected fantasy points to 88.6 for Donovan Mitchell.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Donovan Mitchell | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 44.3 | 45.2 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 34.4 |
| PointsPTS | 27.9 | 28.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 5.7 | 5.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 3.2 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.3% | 47.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.5% | 79.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.8 | 3.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 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 | Donovan Mitchell | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 47.7 | 47.3 |
| Points | 30.0 | 30.0 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 7.3 |
| Assists | 6.1 | 5.4 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.4 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 3.0 | 3.8 |
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 | Donovan Mitchell | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +2.0 | +2.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.0 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +1.3 | -0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +1.6 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.2 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.2 | -2.3 |
| Total | +4.3 | +0.3 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Donovan Mitchell stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Donovan Mitchell | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.2 (#16) | -2.0 (#156) |
| REB | +5.0 (#8) | -0.4 (#69) |
| AST | +3.1 (#13) | -0.7 (#79) |
| STL | +2.9 (#14) | +0.2 (#56) |
| BLK | +5.3 (#6) | +0.8 (#43) |
| 3PM | +2.4 (#19) | -0.2 (#70) |
| FG% | +4.8 (#9) | +0.3 (#58) |
| FT% | +2.8 (#16) | +0.2 (#58) |
| TO | +5.7 (#7) | +2.6 (#25) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Donovan Mitchell: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
- Jaylen Brown: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Donovan Mitchell: 40.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 44.3 on the board.
- Jaylen Brown: 44.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 45.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Donovan Mitchell or Jaylen Brown in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jaylen Brown. 45.2 fantasy points per game against 44.3, 10th on our board to 12th. 9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell instead, +4.3 in summed z-scores against +0.3 (7th to 56th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Donovan Mitchell or Jaylen Brown?
Category by category, Donovan Mitchell is ahead in 6 (AST, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Jaylen Brown in 3 (PTS, REB and BLK).
Who should I start in Week 1, Donovan Mitchell or Jaylen Brown?
Donovan Mitchell plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Brown 4. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 181.0 projected fantasy points to 88.6 for Donovan Mitchell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number