Jaden McDaniels vs Mikal Bridges: who to start in Week 1
Jaden McDaniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Jaden McDaniels: 86.9 projected fantasy points to 85.8 for Mikal Bridges. Over the season, Jaden McDaniels leads in points leagues (29.0 fantasy points a game to 28.6) and Mikal Bridges in 9-cat leagues (45th against 46th). 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
- #95
- 29.0 FP/G, slot 8.11, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #46
- +0.6 z, slot 4.10, $19
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #101
- 28.6 FP/G, slot 9.05, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #45
- +0.6 z, slot 4.09, $19
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jaden McDaniels. 29.0 fantasy points per game against 28.6, 95th on our board to 101st.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges instead, +0.6 in summed z-scores against +0.6 (45th to 46th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jaden McDaniels is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Mikal Bridges in 3 (AST, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jaden McDaniels produces more: 33.1 fantasy points to 31.4, on 31.6 minutes a night against 32.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jaden McDaniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Jaden McDaniels: 86.9 projected fantasy points to 85.8 for Mikal Bridges.
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 | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.0 | 28.6 |
| Minutes | 31.6 | 32.8 |
| PointsPTS | 15.0 | 13.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 3.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 3.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.9% | 48.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.5% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 82 |
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 | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.1 | 31.4 |
| Points | 17.1 | 15.1 |
| Rebounds | 5.1 | 4.1 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 1.0 |
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 | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.3 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | +0.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.8 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +1.2 |
| 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 assists, steals, threes and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jaden McDaniels.
| Punt | Jaden McDaniels | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.8 (#39) | +1.0 (#36) |
| REB | +1.2 (#36) | +1.5 (#29) |
| AST | +1.0 (#34) | +0.5 (#42) |
| STL | -0.1 (#63) | -0.1 (#64) |
| BLK | -0.0 (#59) | +0.4 (#51) |
| 3PM | +0.7 (#41) | +0.3 (#53) |
| FG% | -0.3 (#66) | +0.7 (#44) |
| FT% | +0.3 (#55) | +0.4 (#51) |
| TO | +0.5 (#55) | -0.6 (#72) |
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).
- Mikal Bridges: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
Recent games
- Jaden McDaniels: 35.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 29.0 on the board.
- Mikal Bridges: 12.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.6 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 Mikal Bridges playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jaden McDaniels or Mikal Bridges?
Points leagues: Jaden McDaniels. 29.0 fantasy points per game against 28.6, 95th on our board to 101st. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges instead, +0.6 in summed z-scores against +0.6 (45th to 46th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jaden McDaniels or Mikal Bridges?
Category by category, Jaden McDaniels is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Mikal Bridges in 3 (AST, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jaden McDaniels or Mikal Bridges?
Jaden McDaniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Jaden McDaniels: 86.9 projected fantasy points to 85.8 for Mikal Bridges.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 4:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number