Jaden McDaniels vs Jaylen Brown: who to start in Week 1
Jaden McDaniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Brown 4. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 180.1 projected fantasy points to 86.9 for Jaden McDaniels. Over the season, Jaylen Brown leads in points leagues (45.0 fantasy points a game to 29.0) and Jaden McDaniels in 9-cat leagues (46th against 47th). 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, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #95
- 29.0 FP/G, slot 8.11, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #46
- +0.6 z, slot 4.10, $19
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #12
- 45.0 FP/G, slot 1.12, $34
- 9-cat leagues
- #47
- +0.6 z, slot 4.11, $18
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jaylen Brown. 45.0 fantasy points per game against 29.0, 12th on our board to 95th.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, +0.6 in summed z-scores against +0.6 (46th to 47th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jaden McDaniels is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Jaylen Brown in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Jaylen Brown produces more: 47.0 fantasy points to 33.1, on 34.4 minutes a night against 31.6. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Jaden McDaniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Brown 4. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 180.1 projected fantasy points to 86.9 for Jaden McDaniels.
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 | Jaden McDaniels | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.0 | 45.0 |
| Minutes | 31.6 | 34.4 |
| PointsPTS | 15.0 | 28.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 7.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 5.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.9% | 47.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.5% | 79.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 3.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 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 | Jaden McDaniels | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.1 | 47.0 |
| Points | 17.1 | 29.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.1 | 7.3 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 5.4 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.7 |
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 | Jaden McDaniels | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.3 | +2.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | +0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | -0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.8 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | -2.1 |
| Total | +0.6 | +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 steals, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jaylen Brown.
| Punt | Jaden McDaniels | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.8 (#39) | -1.5 (#129) |
| REB | +1.2 (#36) | -0.1 (#57) |
| AST | +1.0 (#34) | -0.4 (#70) |
| STL | -0.1 (#63) | +0.5 (#46) |
| BLK | -0.0 (#59) | +1.0 (#39) |
| 3PM | +0.7 (#41) | +0.0 (#60) |
| FG% | -0.3 (#66) | +0.6 (#48) |
| FT% | +0.3 (#55) | +0.5 (#50) |
| TO | +0.5 (#55) | +2.8 (#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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jaden McDaniels: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
- Jaylen Brown: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jaden McDaniels: 35.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 29.0 on the board.
- Jaylen Brown: 41.6 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 45.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jaden McDaniels playing tonight? · Is Jaylen Brown playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jaylen Brown
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jaden McDaniels or Jaylen Brown?
Points leagues: Jaylen Brown. 45.0 fantasy points per game against 29.0, 12th on our board to 95th. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, +0.6 in summed z-scores against +0.6 (46th to 47th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jaden McDaniels or Jaylen Brown?
Category by category, Jaden McDaniels is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Jaylen Brown in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jaden McDaniels or Jaylen Brown?
Jaden McDaniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaylen Brown 4. For that week alone, start Jaylen Brown: 180.1 projected fantasy points to 86.9 for Jaden McDaniels.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number