Jalen Green vs Mikal Bridges: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Green plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 82.4 projected fantasy points to 54.8 for Jalen Green. Over the season, Mikal Bridges leads in both formats: 27.5 fantasy points a game to 27.4, and 64th against 219th 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #110
- 27.4 FP/G, slot 10.02, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #219
- -4.1 z, slot 19.03
- Points leagues
- #109
- 27.5 FP/G, slot 10.01, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #64
- -0.2 z, slot 6.04, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Mikal Bridges. 27.5 fantasy points per game against 27.4, 109th on our board to 110th.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -4.1 (64th to 219th).
Category by category, Jalen Green is ahead in 2 (PTS and 3PM) and Mikal Bridges in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Green produces more: 38.2 fantasy points to 30.7, on 25.8 minutes a night against 32.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Green plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 82.4 projected fantasy points to 54.8 for Jalen Green.
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 Green | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 27.4 | 27.5 |
| Minutes | 25.8 | 32.2 |
| PointsPTS | 17.3 | 12.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.5 | 3.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.9 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 2.2 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.8% | 46.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.7% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.2 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 32 | 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 Green | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.2 | 30.7 |
| Points | 24.1 | 14.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 3.1 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 1.1 |
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 Green | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.2 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.0 | -1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.1 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.6 | +0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.8 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | +1.1 |
| Total | -4.1 | -0.2 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Mikal Bridges stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Jalen Green | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -4.3 (#292) | +0.3 (#48) |
| REB | -3.2 (#207) | +0.8 (#41) |
| AST | -3.8 (#234) | -0.2 (#61) |
| STL | -4.1 (#242) | -0.8 (#84) |
| BLK | -3.5 (#196) | -0.4 (#67) |
| 3PM | -4.8 (#264) | -0.4 (#72) |
| FG% | -2.6 (#144) | +0.3 (#55) |
| FT% | -3.8 (#214) | -0.4 (#73) |
| TO | -3.7 (#163) | -1.4 (#93) |
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 Green: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
- Mikal Bridges: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
Recent games
- Jalen Green: 17.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 27.4 on the board.
- Mikal Bridges: 10.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 27.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jalen Green playing tonight? · Is Mikal Bridges playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Green
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Green or Mikal Bridges?
Points leagues: Mikal Bridges. 27.5 fantasy points per game against 27.4, 109th on our board to 110th. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -4.1 (64th to 219th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Green or Mikal Bridges?
Category by category, Jalen Green is ahead in 2 (PTS and 3PM) and Mikal Bridges in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Green or Mikal Bridges?
Jalen Green plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 82.4 projected fantasy points to 54.8 for Jalen Green.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number