Jay Huff vs Keldon Johnson: who to start in Week 1
Jay Huff plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 68.2 projected fantasy points to 68.0 for Jay Huff. Over the season, Keldon Johnson leads in points leagues (22.7 fantasy points a game to 22.7) and Jay Huff in 9-cat leagues (92nd against 169th). 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, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #164
- 22.7 FP/G, slot 14.08
- 9-cat leagues
- #92
- -1.1 z, slot 8.08, $9
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #163
- 22.7 FP/G, slot 14.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #169
- -2.9 z, slot 15.01
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Keldon Johnson. 22.7 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 163rd on our board to 164th.
9-cat leagues: Jay Huff instead, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (92nd to 169th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jay Huff is ahead in 4 (AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Keldon Johnson in 4 (PTS, REB, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Jay Huff produces more: 38.9 fantasy points to 35.4, on 21.0 minutes a night against 23.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jay Huff plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 68.2 projected fantasy points to 68.0 for Jay Huff.
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 | Jay Huff | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.7 | 22.7 |
| Minutes | 21.0 | 23.1 |
| PointsPTS | 9.5 | 13.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.0 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.9 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.6% | 51.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.8% | 79.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 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 | Jay Huff | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.9 | 35.4 |
| Points | 16.4 | 20.2 |
| Rebounds | 6.8 | 8.2 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 3.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 1.4 |
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 | Jay Huff | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -1.4 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.5 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +1.2 |
| Total | -1.1 | -2.9 |
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 blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Keldon Johnson.
| Punt | Jay Huff | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.0 (#58) | -2.4 (#186) |
| REB | -0.4 (#68) | -2.8 (#181) |
| AST | -0.1 (#57) | -1.8 (#141) |
| STL | +0.2 (#60) | -2.0 (#142) |
| BLK | -3.8 (#221) | -2.0 (#129) |
| 3PM | -1.0 (#93) | -2.6 (#162) |
| FG% | -1.1 (#89) | -3.7 (#194) |
| FT% | -1.3 (#105) | -3.0 (#174) |
| TO | -2.5 (#124) | -4.3 (#187) |
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)
- Jay Huff: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
- Keldon Johnson: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jay Huff: 25.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.7 on the board.
- Keldon Johnson: 20.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 22.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jay Huff playing tonight? · Is Keldon Johnson playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jay Huff or Keldon Johnson?
Points leagues: Keldon Johnson. 22.7 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 163rd on our board to 164th. 9-cat leagues: Jay Huff instead, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (92nd to 169th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jay Huff or Keldon Johnson?
Category by category, Jay Huff is ahead in 4 (AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Keldon Johnson in 4 (PTS, REB, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jay Huff or Keldon Johnson?
Jay Huff plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 68.2 projected fantasy points to 68.0 for Jay Huff.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number