Jaxson Hayes vs Micah Potter: who to start in Week 1
Jaxson Hayes plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Micah Potter 2. For that week alone, start Jaxson Hayes: 55.1 projected fantasy points to 36.9 for Micah Potter. Over the season, Micah Potter leads in points leagues (18.5 fantasy points a game to 18.4) and Jaxson Hayes in 9-cat leagues (196th against 199th). 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, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #228
- 18.4 FP/G, slot 19.12
- 9-cat leagues
- #196
- -3.6 z, slot 17.04
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #225
- 18.5 FP/G, slot 19.09
- 9-cat leagues
- #199
- -3.7 z, slot 17.07
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Micah Potter. 18.5 fantasy points per game against 18.4, 225th on our board to 228th.
9-cat leagues: Jaxson Hayes instead, -3.6 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (196th to 199th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jaxson Hayes is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Micah Potter in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Jaxson Hayes plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Micah Potter 2. For that week alone, start Jaxson Hayes: 55.1 projected fantasy points to 36.9 for Micah Potter.
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 | Jaxson Hayes | Micah Potter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 18.4 | 18.5 |
| Minutes | 18.8 | 18.9 |
| PointsPTS | 7.4 | 9.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 75.1% | 52.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 61.1% | 84.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 66 | 47 |
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 | Jaxson Hayes | Micah Potter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.2 | 35.2 |
| Points | 14.1 | 17.9 |
| Rebounds | 8.0 | 9.2 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 2.6 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.0 | 1.9 |
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 | Jaxson Hayes | Micah Potter |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.6 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.9 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.7 | +0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.4 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.7 | +1.1 |
| Total | -3.6 | -3.7 |
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, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Micah Potter.
| Punt | Jaxson Hayes | Micah Potter |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.1 (#169) | -2.5 (#197) |
| REB | -3.3 (#214) | -3.4 (#216) |
| AST | -2.3 (#167) | -2.6 (#181) |
| STL | -2.4 (#161) | -2.2 (#151) |
| BLK | -4.9 (#271) | -3.2 (#179) |
| 3PM | -2.0 (#137) | -3.5 (#206) |
| FG% | -6.1 (#295) | -4.3 (#222) |
| FT% | -2.3 (#145) | -4.0 (#222) |
| TO | -5.6 (#233) | -5.0 (#214) |
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)
- Jaxson Hayes: 3 games (Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL).
- Micah Potter: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
Recent games
- Jaxson Hayes: 38.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 18.4 on the board.
- Micah Potter: 6.6 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 18.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jaxson Hayes playing tonight? · Is Micah Potter playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jaxson Hayes or Micah Potter?
Points leagues: Micah Potter. 18.5 fantasy points per game against 18.4, 225th on our board to 228th. 9-cat leagues: Jaxson Hayes instead, -3.6 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (196th to 199th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jaxson Hayes or Micah Potter?
Category by category, Jaxson Hayes is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Micah Potter in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jaxson Hayes or Micah Potter?
Jaxson Hayes plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Micah Potter 2. For that week alone, start Jaxson Hayes: 55.1 projected fantasy points to 36.9 for Micah Potter.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number