Jaden McDaniels vs Saddiq Bey: who to start in Week 1
Jaden McDaniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Saddiq Bey 3. For that week alone, start Saddiq Bey: 87.8 projected fantasy points to 87.6 for Jaden McDaniels. Over the season, Saddiq Bey leads in points leagues (29.3 fantasy points a game to 29.2) and Jaden McDaniels in 9-cat leagues (43rd against 71st). 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, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #92
- 29.2 FP/G, slot 8.08, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #43
- +0.7 z, slot 4.07, $20
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #91
- 29.3 FP/G, slot 8.07, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #71
- -0.6 z, slot 6.11, $12
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Saddiq Bey. 29.3 fantasy points per game against 29.2, 91st on our board to 92nd.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, +0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (43rd to 71st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jaden McDaniels is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Saddiq Bey in 5 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Saddiq Bey produces more: 34.8 fantasy points to 33.4, on 30.2 minutes a night against 31.5. 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), Saddiq Bey 3. For that week alone, start Saddiq Bey: 87.8 projected fantasy points to 87.6 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 | Saddiq Bey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.2 | 29.3 |
| Minutes | 31.5 | 30.2 |
| PointsPTS | 15.0 | 17.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.6 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 2.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.1% | 46.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.0% | 85.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 72 |
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 | Saddiq Bey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.4 | 34.8 |
| Points | 17.1 | 20.9 |
| Rebounds | 5.2 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 2.7 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 1.3 |
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 | Saddiq Bey |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | +0.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.7 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +1.0 |
| Total | +0.7 | -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 blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Saddiq Bey.
| Punt | Jaden McDaniels | Saddiq Bey |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.9 (#34) | -0.8 (#100) |
| REB | +1.2 (#33) | -0.5 (#75) |
| AST | +1.1 (#34) | +0.0 (#52) |
| STL | +0.3 (#56) | -0.2 (#67) |
| BLK | -0.0 (#60) | +0.4 (#50) |
| 3PM | +0.8 (#40) | -1.2 (#104) |
| FG% | +0.0 (#60) | -0.1 (#64) |
| FT% | +0.4 (#50) | -1.3 (#109) |
| TO | +0.4 (#53) | -1.6 (#101) |
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)
- Jaden McDaniels: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
- Saddiq Bey: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jaden McDaniels: 33.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 29.2 on the board.
- Saddiq Bey: 21.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 29.3 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 Saddiq Bey playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jaden McDaniels or Saddiq Bey?
Points leagues: Saddiq Bey. 29.3 fantasy points per game against 29.2, 91st on our board to 92nd. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, +0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (43rd to 71st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jaden McDaniels or Saddiq Bey?
Category by category, Jaden McDaniels is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Saddiq Bey in 5 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jaden McDaniels or Saddiq Bey?
Jaden McDaniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Saddiq Bey 3. For that week alone, start Saddiq Bey: 87.8 projected fantasy points to 87.6 for Jaden McDaniels.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number