Jaren Jackson Jr. vs Paul George: who to start in Week 1
Jaren Jackson Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Jaren Jackson Jr.: 104.5 projected fantasy points to 70.2 for Paul George. Over the season, Paul George leads in both formats: 35.1 fantasy points a game to 34.8, and 21st against 42nd 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, 2:27 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #48
- 34.8 FP/G, slot 4.12, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #42
- +1.0 z, slot 4.06, $21
- Points leagues
- #47
- 35.1 FP/G, slot 4.11, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #21
- +2.8 z, slot 2.09, $31
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Paul George. 35.1 fantasy points per game against 34.8, 47th on our board to 48th.
9-cat leagues: Paul George again, +2.8 in summed z-scores against +1.0 (21st to 42nd).
Category by category, Jaren Jackson Jr. is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%) and Paul George in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jaren Jackson Jr. produces more: 41.4 fantasy points to 41.0, on 30.3 minutes a night against 30.8. 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), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Jaren Jackson Jr.: 104.5 projected fantasy points to 70.2 for Paul George.
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. | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.8 | 35.1 |
| Minutes | 30.3 | 30.8 |
| PointsPTS | 19.4 | 18.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.9 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 3.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.0% | 44.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.5% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 48 | 37 |
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. | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.4 | 41.0 |
| Points | 23.0 | 21.5 |
| Rebounds | 7.0 | 6.3 |
| Assists | 2.4 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 2.1 |
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 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.1 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.0 | +2.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.8 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | +0.1 |
| Total | +1.0 | +2.8 |
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 steals flips the 9-cat answer to Jaren Jackson Jr..
| Punt | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.4 (#47) | +2.3 (#14) |
| REB | +0.8 (#40) | +3.0 (#18) |
| AST | +1.6 (#26) | +2.7 (#17) |
| STL | +0.8 (#39) | +0.4 (#51) |
| BLK | -1.0 (#90) | +3.4 (#15) |
| 3PM | +0.7 (#41) | +1.2 (#35) |
| FG% | +0.9 (#43) | +3.9 (#12) |
| FT% | +0.9 (#40) | +2.3 (#21) |
| TO | +1.6 (#39) | +2.7 (#29) |
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).
- Paul George: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Jaren Jackson Jr.: 37.3 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 34.8 on the board.
- Paul George: 46.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 35.1 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 Paul George playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Paul George
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Paul George?
Points leagues: Paul George. 35.1 fantasy points per game against 34.8, 47th on our board to 48th. 9-cat leagues: Paul George again, +2.8 in summed z-scores against +1.0 (21st to 42nd).
Who wins more categories, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Paul George?
Category by category, Jaren Jackson Jr. is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%) and Paul George in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Paul George?
Jaren Jackson Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paul George 2. For that week alone, start Jaren Jackson Jr.: 104.5 projected fantasy points to 70.2 for Paul George.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 2:27 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number