Jaren Jackson Jr. vs Mikal Bridges: who to start in Week 1
Jaren Jackson Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Jaren Jackson Jr.: 102.4 projected fantasy points to 85.8 for Mikal Bridges. Over the season, Jaren Jackson Jr. leads in both formats: 34.1 fantasy points a game to 28.6, and 44th against 45th 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 22, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #53
- 34.1 FP/G, slot 5.05, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #44
- +0.6 z, slot 4.08, $19
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #101
- 28.6 FP/G, slot 9.05, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #45
- +0.6 z, slot 4.09, $19
The call
Points leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr.. 34.1 fantasy points per game against 28.6, 53rd on our board to 101st.
9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. again, +0.6 in summed z-scores against +0.6 (44th to 45th).
Category by category, Jaren Jackson Jr. is ahead in 3 (PTS, REB and BLK) and Mikal Bridges in 4 (AST, STL, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jaren Jackson Jr. produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 31.4, on 30.1 minutes a night against 32.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jaren Jackson Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Jaren Jackson Jr.: 102.4 projected fantasy points to 85.8 for Mikal Bridges.
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 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.1 | 28.6 |
| Minutes | 30.1 | 32.8 |
| PointsPTS | 19.1 | 13.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.6 | 3.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 3.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.1% | 48.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.4% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 48 | 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 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.7 | 31.4 |
| Points | 22.8 | 15.1 |
| Rebounds | 6.7 | 4.1 |
| Assists | 2.3 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.8 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 1.0 |
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 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | +0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.6 | +0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | +1.2 |
| 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, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Mikal Bridges.
| Punt | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.1 (#52) | +1.0 (#36) |
| REB | +0.6 (#43) | +1.5 (#29) |
| AST | +1.4 (#28) | +0.5 (#42) |
| STL | +0.3 (#53) | -0.1 (#64) |
| BLK | -1.1 (#92) | +0.4 (#51) |
| 3PM | +0.4 (#50) | +0.3 (#53) |
| FG% | +0.7 (#46) | +0.7 (#44) |
| FT% | +0.6 (#45) | +0.4 (#51) |
| TO | +1.3 (#44) | -0.6 (#72) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jaren Jackson Jr.: 3 games (Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL).
- Mikal Bridges: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
Recent games
- Jaren Jackson Jr.: 28.0 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 34.1 on the board.
- Mikal Bridges: 12.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jaren Jackson Jr. playing tonight? · Is Mikal Bridges playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Mikal Bridges?
Points leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr.. 34.1 fantasy points per game against 28.6, 53rd on our board to 101st. 9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. again, +0.6 in summed z-scores against +0.6 (44th to 45th).
Who wins more categories, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Mikal Bridges?
Category by category, Jaren Jackson Jr. is ahead in 3 (PTS, REB and BLK) and Mikal Bridges in 4 (AST, STL, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Mikal Bridges?
Jaren Jackson Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mikal Bridges 3. For that week alone, start Jaren Jackson Jr.: 102.4 projected fantasy points to 85.8 for Mikal Bridges.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number