Jake LaRavia vs Keldon Johnson: who to start in Week 1
Jake LaRavia plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 68.2 projected fantasy points to 58.9 for Jake LaRavia. Over the season, Keldon Johnson leads in both formats: 22.7 fantasy points a game to 19.6, and 169th against 172nd 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 22, 11:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #211
- 19.6 FP/G, slot 18.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #172
- -3.0 z, slot 15.04
- Points leagues
- #163
- 22.7 FP/G, slot 14.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #169
- -2.9 z, slot 15.01
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Keldon Johnson. 22.7 fantasy points per game against 19.6, 163rd on our board to 211th.
9-cat leagues: Keldon Johnson again, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -3.0 (169th to 172nd).
Category by category, Jake LaRavia is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and BLK) and Keldon Johnson in 6 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Keldon Johnson produces more: 35.4 fantasy points to 28.6, on 23.1 minutes a night against 24.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jake LaRavia plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 68.2 projected fantasy points to 58.9 for Jake LaRavia.
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 | Jake LaRavia | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 19.6 | 22.7 |
| Minutes | 24.7 | 23.1 |
| PointsPTS | 8.3 | 13.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.8 | 1.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.6% | 51.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.3% | 79.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 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 | Jake LaRavia | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.6 | 35.4 |
| Points | 12.1 | 20.2 |
| Rebounds | 5.6 | 8.2 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 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 | Jake LaRavia | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.7 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +1.2 |
| Total | -3.0 | -2.9 |
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, rebounds, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jake LaRavia.
| Punt | Jake LaRavia | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#138) | -2.4 (#186) |
| REB | -2.3 (#149) | -2.8 (#181) |
| AST | -2.1 (#152) | -1.8 (#141) |
| STL | -3.7 (#215) | -2.0 (#142) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#161) | -2.0 (#129) |
| 3PM | -2.4 (#152) | -2.6 (#162) |
| FG% | -3.2 (#166) | -3.7 (#194) |
| FT% | -2.8 (#166) | -3.0 (#174) |
| TO | -4.1 (#178) | -4.3 (#187) |
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)
- Jake LaRavia: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
- Keldon Johnson: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jake LaRavia: 17.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 19.6 on the board.
- Keldon Johnson: 20.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 22.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jake LaRavia playing tonight? · Is Keldon Johnson playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jake LaRavia or Keldon Johnson?
Points leagues: Keldon Johnson. 22.7 fantasy points per game against 19.6, 163rd on our board to 211th. 9-cat leagues: Keldon Johnson again, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -3.0 (169th to 172nd).
Who wins more categories, Jake LaRavia or Keldon Johnson?
Category by category, Jake LaRavia is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and BLK) and Keldon Johnson in 6 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jake LaRavia or Keldon Johnson?
Jake LaRavia plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 68.2 projected fantasy points to 58.9 for Jake LaRavia.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 11:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number