Giannis Antetokounmpo vs Jalen Brunson: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Giannis Antetokounmpo in points leagues (49.1 fantasy points a game to 40.5) and Jalen Brunson in 9-cat leagues (49th against 50th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #5
- 49.1 FP/G, slot 1.05, $39
- 9-cat leagues
- #50
- +0.5 z, slot 5.02, $18
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #26
- 40.5 FP/G, slot 3.02, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #49
- +0.6 z, slot 5.01, $19
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Giannis Antetokounmpo. 49.1 fantasy points per game against 40.5, 5th on our board to 26th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson instead, +0.6 in summed z-scores against +0.5 (49th to 50th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Giannis Antetokounmpo is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Jalen Brunson in 4 (AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Giannis Antetokounmpo produces more: 61.3 fantasy points to 41.7, on 28.9 minutes a night against 35.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Giannis Antetokounmpo plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Giannis Antetokounmpo: 147.4 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Jalen Brunson.
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 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 49.1 | 40.5 |
| Minutes | 28.9 | 35.0 |
| PointsPTS | 27.6 | 26.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 9.8 | 3.3 |
| AssistsAST | 5.4 | 6.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.4 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 62.4% | 46.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 65.0% | 84.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.2 | 2.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 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 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 61.3 | 41.7 |
| Points | 34.4 | 26.8 |
| Rebounds | 12.2 | 3.4 |
| Assists | 6.8 | 7.0 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 0.5 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 4.0 | 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 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.9 | +1.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.8 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.9 | +1.5 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.0 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.2 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +3.6 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -4.5 | +0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.7 | -0.6 |
| Total | +0.5 | +0.6 |
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, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
| Punt | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#134) | -1.1 (#110) |
| REB | -2.1 (#140) | +1.8 (#25) |
| AST | -0.7 (#80) | -1.1 (#97) |
| STL | +0.5 (#47) | +1.2 (#32) |
| BLK | +0.1 (#65) | +1.9 (#27) |
| 3PM | +1.7 (#29) | -0.6 (#86) |
| FG% | -5.2 (#257) | +1.3 (#40) |
| FT% | +4.9 (#7) | -0.4 (#74) |
| TO | +2.1 (#34) | +1.3 (#45) |
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)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL), listed DTD.
Recent games
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 44.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 49.1 on the board.
- Jalen Brunson: 39.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 40.5 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 Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jalen Brunson in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Giannis Antetokounmpo. 49.1 fantasy points per game against 40.5, 5th on our board to 26th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson instead, +0.6 in summed z-scores against +0.5 (49th to 50th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jalen Brunson?
Category by category, Giannis Antetokounmpo is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Jalen Brunson in 4 (AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jalen Brunson?
Giannis Antetokounmpo plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Giannis Antetokounmpo: 147.4 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Jalen Brunson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number