Jaren Jackson Jr. vs LeBron James: who to start in Week 1
Jaren Jackson Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.8 projected fantasy points to 104.5 for Jaren Jackson Jr.. Over the season, LeBron James leads in both formats: 41.4 fantasy points a game to 34.8, and 40th against 41st 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, 6:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #50
- 34.8 FP/G, slot 5.02, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #41
- +0.9 z, slot 4.05, $21
- Points leagues
- #19
- 41.4 FP/G, slot 2.07, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #40
- +0.9 z, slot 4.04, $21
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 34.8, 19th on our board to 50th.
9-cat leagues: LeBron James again, +0.9 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (40th to 41st).
Category by category, Jaren Jackson Jr. is ahead in 4 (BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and LeBron James in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, LeBron James produces more: 44.9 fantasy points to 41.4, on 33.2 minutes a night against 30.3. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Jaren Jackson Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.8 projected fantasy points to 104.5 for Jaren Jackson Jr..
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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Jaren Jackson Jr. | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.8 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 30.3 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 19.4 | 20.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.9 | 6.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 7.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.0% | 50.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.5% | 74.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 3.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 48 | 60 |
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 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.4 | 44.9 |
| Points | 23.0 | 22.0 |
| Rebounds | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Assists | 2.4 | 7.7 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 3.2 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Jaren Jackson Jr. | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.0 | +0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.8 | -0.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | -1.4 |
| Total | +0.9 | +0.9 |
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, steals and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jaren Jackson Jr..
| Punt | Jaren Jackson Jr. | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.3 (#51) | +0.2 (#55) |
| REB | +0.8 (#42) | +0.4 (#48) |
| AST | +1.6 (#27) | -0.9 (#96) |
| STL | +0.8 (#38) | +0.2 (#58) |
| BLK | -1.1 (#94) | +0.9 (#40) |
| 3PM | +0.7 (#43) | +1.3 (#33) |
| FG% | +0.9 (#44) | -0.0 (#62) |
| FT% | +0.9 (#40) | +1.8 (#28) |
| TO | +1.6 (#39) | +2.3 (#33) |
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)
- Jaren Jackson Jr.: 3 games (Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL).
- LeBron James: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jaren Jackson Jr.: 37.3 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 34.8 on the board.
- LeBron James: 41.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 41.4 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jaren Jackson Jr. playing tonight? · Is LeBron James playing tonight?
Rookie cards: LeBron James
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jaren Jackson Jr. or LeBron James?
Points leagues: LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 34.8, 19th on our board to 50th. 9-cat leagues: LeBron James again, +0.9 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (40th to 41st).
Who wins more categories, Jaren Jackson Jr. or LeBron James?
Category by category, Jaren Jackson Jr. is ahead in 4 (BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and LeBron James in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jaren Jackson Jr. or LeBron James?
Jaren Jackson Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.8 projected fantasy points to 104.5 for Jaren Jackson Jr..
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 6:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number