Jalen Brunson vs Yaxel Lendeborg: who to start in Week 3
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Yaxel Lendeborg 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 118.8 projected fantasy points to 109.4 for Yaxel Lendeborg. Over the season, Jalen Brunson leads in both formats: 39.6 fantasy points a game to 36.5, and 76th against 75th 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 Nov 3, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #27
- 39.6 FP/G, slot 3.03, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #76
- -0.6 z, slot 7.04, $12
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #45
- 36.5 FP/G, slot 4.09, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #75
- -0.6 z, slot 7.03, $12
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson. 39.6 fantasy points per game against 36.5, 27th on our board to 45th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson again, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (76th to 75th).
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Yaxel Lendeborg in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Yaxel Lendeborg produces more: 41.2 fantasy points to 40.8, on 31.9 minutes a night against 35.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Yaxel Lendeborg 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 118.8 projected fantasy points to 109.4 for Yaxel Lendeborg.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Jalen Brunson | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.6 | 36.5 |
| Minutes | 35.0 | 31.9 |
| PointsPTS | 25.6 | 21.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 7.0 |
| AssistsAST | 6.3 | 3.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.3% | 50.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.8% | 76.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.2 | 3.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 74 | 0 |
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 | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.8 | 41.2 |
| Points | 26.3 | 24.3 |
| Rebounds | 3.2 | 7.9 |
| Assists | 6.5 | 4.4 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 2.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 3.8 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Jalen Brunson | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.6 | +0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.3 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +0.9 | +0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.4 | -1.8 |
| Total | -0.6 | -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 points, assists, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Yaxel Lendeborg.
| Punt | Jalen Brunson | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.3 (#187) | -1.5 (#138) |
| REB | +0.5 (#42) | -1.3 (#110) |
| AST | -2.1 (#157) | -0.8 (#86) |
| STL | -0.1 (#58) | -0.2 (#64) |
| BLK | +0.3 (#49) | -0.4 (#74) |
| 3PM | -1.7 (#131) | -1.5 (#117) |
| FG% | +0.4 (#48) | -1.3 (#103) |
| FT% | -0.8 (#81) | -0.1 (#61) |
| TO | -0.2 (#64) | +1.1 (#44) |
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 438 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Mon BKN, Wed CHI, Sat @CLE).
- Yaxel Lendeborg: 3 games (Mon PHX, Thu MIA, Sat ORL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Brunson: 37.6 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 39.6 on the board.
- Yaxel Lendeborg: 35.9 fantasy points a game over his last 8 of 2026-27, against 36.5 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jalen Brunson playing tonight? · Is Yaxel Lendeborg playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Brunson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Brunson or Yaxel Lendeborg?
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson. 39.6 fantasy points per game against 36.5, 27th on our board to 45th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson again, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (76th to 75th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Brunson or Yaxel Lendeborg?
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Yaxel Lendeborg in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Jalen Brunson or Yaxel Lendeborg?
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Yaxel Lendeborg 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 118.8 projected fantasy points to 109.4 for Yaxel Lendeborg.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number