Jalen Brunson vs Norman Powell: who to start in Week 2
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Norman Powell 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 118.5 projected fantasy points to 94.5 for Norman Powell. Over the season, Jalen Brunson leads in both formats: 39.5 fantasy points a game to 31.5, and 67th against 68th 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 26, 2:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #29
- 39.5 FP/G, slot 3.05, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #67
- -0.3 z, slot 6.07, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #70
- 31.5 FP/G, slot 6.10, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #68
- -0.3 z, slot 6.08, $13
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson. 39.5 fantasy points per game against 31.5, 29th on our board to 70th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (67th to 68th).
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and BLK) and Norman Powell in 6 (REB, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Brunson produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 38.4, on 34.9 minutes a night against 29.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Norman Powell 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 118.5 projected fantasy points to 94.5 for Norman Powell.
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 | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.5 | 31.5 |
| Minutes | 34.9 | 29.5 |
| PointsPTS | 25.5 | 21.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 3.5 |
| AssistsAST | 6.3 | 2.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.4 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.4% | 45.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.4% | 83.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 74 | 58 |
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 | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.7 | 38.4 |
| Points | 26.2 | 26.0 |
| Rebounds | 3.4 | 4.3 |
| Assists | 6.5 | 2.8 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 2.4 |
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 | Jalen Brunson | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.6 | +0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.0 | -1.0 |
| AssistsAST | +1.3 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | +0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.8 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | -0.1 |
| Total | -0.3 | -0.3 |
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, assists and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Norman Powell.
| Punt | Jalen Brunson | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#166) | -1.3 (#125) |
| REB | +0.7 (#41) | +0.6 (#45) |
| AST | -1.9 (#144) | +0.1 (#52) |
| STL | +0.3 (#56) | -1.0 (#98) |
| BLK | +0.5 (#44) | +0.6 (#41) |
| 3PM | -1.4 (#109) | -1.5 (#118) |
| FG% | +0.6 (#47) | +0.5 (#52) |
| FT% | -0.8 (#89) | -1.2 (#105) |
| TO | +0.4 (#56) | -0.3 (#68) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Tue DET, Wed @CHI, Fri @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Norman Powell: 3 games (Mon @BOS, Wed NYK, Fri @BOS).
Recent games
- Jalen Brunson: 34.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 39.5 on the board.
- Norman Powell: 30.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 31.5 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 Norman Powell playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Brunson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Brunson or Norman Powell?
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson. 39.5 fantasy points per game against 31.5, 29th on our board to 70th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (67th to 68th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Brunson or Norman Powell?
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and BLK) and Norman Powell in 6 (REB, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Jalen Brunson or Norman Powell?
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Norman Powell 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 118.5 projected fantasy points to 94.5 for Norman Powell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number