Isaiah Jackson vs Jaylen Wells: who to start in Week 1
Isaiah Jackson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Wells 3. For that week alone, start Jaylen Wells: 64.7 projected fantasy points to 56.2 for Isaiah Jackson. Over the season, Jaylen Wells leads in both formats: 21.6 fantasy points a game to 18.7, and 200th against 206th 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #226
- 18.7 FP/G, slot 19.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #206
- -3.9 z, slot 18.02
- Points leagues
- #176
- 21.6 FP/G, slot 15.08
- 9-cat leagues
- #200
- -3.8 z, slot 17.08
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jaylen Wells. 21.6 fantasy points per game against 18.7, 176th on our board to 226th.
9-cat leagues: Jaylen Wells again, -3.8 in summed z-scores against -3.9 (200th to 206th).
Category by category, Isaiah Jackson is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Jaylen Wells in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Isaiah Jackson produces more: 39.5 fantasy points to 29.4, on 17.1 minutes a night against 26.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Isaiah Jackson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Wells 3. For that week alone, start Jaylen Wells: 64.7 projected fantasy points to 56.2 for Isaiah Jackson.
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 | Isaiah Jackson | Jaylen Wells |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 18.7 | 21.6 |
| Minutes | 17.1 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 7.1 | 12.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 3.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 64.6% | 44.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 63.8% | 73.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 55 | 69 |
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 | Isaiah Jackson | Jaylen Wells |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.5 | 29.4 |
| Points | 14.9 | 17.4 |
| Rebounds | 11.2 | 4.6 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 1.8 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 1.4 |
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 | Isaiah Jackson | Jaylen Wells |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.6 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | -1.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.6 | -0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.3 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.2 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | -0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +1.1 |
| Total | -3.9 | -3.8 |
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 points, assists, steals, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Isaiah Jackson.
| Punt | Isaiah Jackson | Jaylen Wells |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.3 (#184) | -3.2 (#230) |
| REB | -4.0 (#248) | -2.9 (#188) |
| AST | -2.6 (#180) | -2.9 (#193) |
| STL | -3.4 (#204) | -3.9 (#228) |
| BLK | -4.6 (#250) | -2.8 (#161) |
| 3PM | -2.1 (#145) | -4.2 (#233) |
| FG% | -5.8 (#288) | -3.4 (#172) |
| FT% | -2.9 (#175) | -3.3 (#187) |
| TO | -4.9 (#208) | -4.9 (#209) |
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 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Isaiah Jackson: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Jaylen Wells: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
Recent games
- Isaiah Jackson: 23.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 18.7 on the board.
- Jaylen Wells: 27.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Isaiah Jackson playing tonight? · Is Jaylen Wells playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Isaiah Jackson or Jaylen Wells?
Points leagues: Jaylen Wells. 21.6 fantasy points per game against 18.7, 176th on our board to 226th. 9-cat leagues: Jaylen Wells again, -3.8 in summed z-scores against -3.9 (200th to 206th).
Who wins more categories, Isaiah Jackson or Jaylen Wells?
Category by category, Isaiah Jackson is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Jaylen Wells in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Isaiah Jackson or Jaylen Wells?
Isaiah Jackson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Wells 3. For that week alone, start Jaylen Wells: 64.7 projected fantasy points to 56.2 for Isaiah Jackson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number