Jaylen Brown vs LaMelo Ball: who to start in Week 2
Jaylen Brown plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), LaMelo Ball 4. For that week alone, start LaMelo Ball: 149.9 projected fantasy points to 133.3 for Jaylen Brown. Over the season, Jaylen Brown leads in points leagues (44.4 fantasy points a game to 37.5) and LaMelo Ball in 9-cat leagues (37th against 38th). 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, 10:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #12
- 44.4 FP/G, slot 1.12, $34
- 9-cat leagues
- #38
- +1.0 z, slot 4.02, $21
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #38
- 37.5 FP/G, slot 4.02, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #37
- +1.0 z, slot 4.01, $21
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jaylen Brown. 44.4 fantasy points per game against 37.5, 12th on our board to 38th.
9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball instead, +1.0 in summed z-scores against +1.0 (37th to 38th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jaylen Brown is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%) and LaMelo Ball in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, LaMelo Ball produces more: 48.6 fantasy points to 46.2, on 27.8 minutes a night against 34.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jaylen Brown plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), LaMelo Ball 4. For that week alone, start LaMelo Ball: 149.9 projected fantasy points to 133.3 for Jaylen Brown.
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 | Jaylen Brown | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 44.4 | 37.5 |
| Minutes | 34.6 | 27.8 |
| PointsPTS | 27.6 | 19.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.8 | 4.7 |
| AssistsAST | 5.1 | 6.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 3.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.9% | 40.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.3% | 88.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.5 | 2.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 71 | 72 |
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 | Jaylen Brown | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.2 | 48.6 |
| Points | 28.7 | 25.5 |
| Rebounds | 7.1 | 6.0 |
| Assists | 5.3 | 9.0 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 4.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.7 | 3.5 |
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 | Jaylen Brown | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +2.0 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.7 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | +0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | +2.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -2.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | +0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.1 | -1.1 |
| Total | +1.0 | +1.0 |
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 assists, steals, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jaylen Brown.
| Punt | Jaylen Brown | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#108) | +0.4 (#48) |
| REB | +0.5 (#47) | +1.6 (#27) |
| AST | +0.1 (#51) | -0.8 (#87) |
| STL | +0.7 (#42) | +0.2 (#57) |
| BLK | +1.6 (#31) | +2.1 (#26) |
| 3PM | +0.5 (#48) | -1.3 (#104) |
| FG% | +1.0 (#42) | +3.8 (#14) |
| FT% | +0.8 (#42) | +0.2 (#55) |
| TO | +3.2 (#22) | +2.2 (#34) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Jaylen Brown: 3 games (Wed @IND, Fri NYK, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
- LaMelo Ball: 4 games (Mon @CLE, Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sat @SAS), 2 back-to-backs.
Recent games
- Jaylen Brown: 37.5 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 44.4 on the board.
- LaMelo Ball: 32.7 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 37.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jaylen Brown playing tonight? · Is LaMelo Ball playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jaylen Brown, LaMelo Ball
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jaylen Brown or LaMelo Ball?
Points leagues: Jaylen Brown. 44.4 fantasy points per game against 37.5, 12th on our board to 38th. 9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball instead, +1.0 in summed z-scores against +1.0 (37th to 38th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jaylen Brown or LaMelo Ball?
Category by category, Jaylen Brown is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%) and LaMelo Ball in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Jaylen Brown or LaMelo Ball?
Jaylen Brown plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), LaMelo Ball 4. For that week alone, start LaMelo Ball: 149.9 projected fantasy points to 133.3 for Jaylen Brown.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 10:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number