Jalen Brunson vs Reed Sheppard: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Reed Sheppard 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 117.8 projected fantasy points to 81.1 for Reed Sheppard. Over the season, Jalen Brunson leads in both formats: 39.3 fantasy points a game to 27.0, and 60th against 61st 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #31
- 39.3 FP/G, slot 3.07, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #60
- -0.0 z, slot 5.12, $15
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #113
- 27.0 FP/G, slot 10.05, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #61
- -0.1 z, slot 6.01, $15
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson. 39.3 fantasy points per game against 27.0, 31st on our board to 113th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson again, -0.0 in summed z-scores against -0.1 (60th to 61st).
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, FG% and FT%) and Reed Sheppard in 4 (STL, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Brunson produces more: 40.3 fantasy points to 37.7, on 35.1 minutes a night against 25.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Reed Sheppard 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 117.8 projected fantasy points to 81.1 for Reed Sheppard.
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 | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.3 | 27.0 |
| Minutes | 35.1 | 25.8 |
| PointsPTS | 25.3 | 13.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.4 | 3.0 |
| AssistsAST | 6.4 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 2.5 | 2.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.6% | 42.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.3% | 80.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 74 | 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 | Jalen Brunson | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.3 | 37.7 |
| Points | 26.0 | 18.5 |
| Rebounds | 3.4 | 4.2 |
| Assists | 6.6 | 5.1 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 3.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 2.3 |
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 | Jalen Brunson | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.6 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | +1.4 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | +1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.9 | +1.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.6 | +0.2 |
| Total | -0.0 | -0.1 |
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, assists, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Reed Sheppard.
| Punt | Jalen Brunson | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.7 (#148) | +0.3 (#53) |
| REB | +1.0 (#39) | +1.1 (#38) |
| AST | -1.6 (#128) | -0.3 (#64) |
| STL | +0.8 (#39) | -1.7 (#130) |
| BLK | +0.9 (#38) | -0.0 (#59) |
| 3PM | -1.2 (#100) | -1.5 (#112) |
| FG% | +0.9 (#45) | +1.0 (#40) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#87) | -0.3 (#70) |
| TO | +0.7 (#50) | -0.4 (#70) |
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)
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
- Reed Sheppard: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Brunson: 29.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 39.3 on the board.
- Reed Sheppard: 27.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 27.0 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 Reed Sheppard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Brunson, Reed Sheppard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Brunson or Reed Sheppard?
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson. 39.3 fantasy points per game against 27.0, 31st on our board to 113th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson again, -0.0 in summed z-scores against -0.1 (60th to 61st).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Brunson or Reed Sheppard?
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, FG% and FT%) and Reed Sheppard in 4 (STL, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Brunson or Reed Sheppard?
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Reed Sheppard 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 117.8 projected fantasy points to 81.1 for Reed Sheppard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number