Jalen Brunson vs Josh Giddey: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 119.8 projected fantasy points to 119.5 for Jalen Brunson. Over the season, Josh Giddey leads in points leagues (39.9 fantasy points a game to 39.8) and Jalen Brunson in 9-cat leagues (52nd against 89th). 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, 2:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #30
- 39.8 FP/G, slot 3.06, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #52
- +0.4 z, slot 5.04, $17
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #29
- 39.9 FP/G, slot 3.05, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #89
- -1.0 z, slot 8.05, $10
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 39.9 fantasy points per game against 39.8, 29th on our board to 30th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson instead, +0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (52nd to 89th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 5 (PTS, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Josh Giddey in 4 (REB, AST, STL and BLK).
Per 36 minutes, Josh Giddey produces more: 45.5 fantasy points to 41.0, on 31.6 minutes a night against 34.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 119.8 projected fantasy points to 119.5 for Jalen Brunson.
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 | Jalen Brunson | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.8 | 39.9 |
| Minutes | 34.9 | 31.6 |
| PointsPTS | 25.7 | 16.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.4 | 8.2 |
| AssistsAST | 6.6 | 9.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.5 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.8% | 43.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.4% | 74.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 3.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 74 | 54 |
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 | Jalen Brunson | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.0 | 45.5 |
| Points | 26.5 | 18.3 |
| Rebounds | 3.5 | 9.4 |
| Assists | 6.8 | 10.2 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 4.2 |
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 | Jalen Brunson | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.6 | -0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | +1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | +2.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | -0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +0.9 | +0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | -1.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.0 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.6 | -2.4 |
| Total | +0.4 | -1.0 |
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, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Josh Giddey.
| Punt | Jalen Brunson | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.3 (#121) | -1.0 (#108) |
| REB | +1.5 (#30) | -2.4 (#156) |
| AST | -1.3 (#115) | -3.8 (#234) |
| STL | +1.1 (#31) | -0.9 (#89) |
| BLK | +1.6 (#30) | -0.8 (#81) |
| 3PM | -0.8 (#90) | -1.2 (#101) |
| FG% | +1.4 (#38) | -0.2 (#65) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#90) | -0.4 (#75) |
| TO | +1.0 (#48) | +1.3 (#42) |
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)
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
- Josh Giddey: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Brunson: 29.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 39.8 on the board.
- Josh Giddey: 41.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 39.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jalen Brunson playing tonight? · Is Josh Giddey playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Brunson, Josh Giddey
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Brunson or Josh Giddey?
Points leagues: Josh Giddey. 39.9 fantasy points per game against 39.8, 29th on our board to 30th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson instead, +0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (52nd to 89th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Brunson or Josh Giddey?
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 5 (PTS, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Josh Giddey in 4 (REB, AST, STL and BLK).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Brunson or Josh Giddey?
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 119.8 projected fantasy points to 119.5 for Jalen Brunson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 2:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number