Keldon Johnson vs Kyle Filipowski: who to start in Week 1
Keldon Johnson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Filipowski 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Filipowski: 71.7 projected fantasy points to 67.5 for Keldon Johnson. Over the season, Kyle Filipowski leads in both formats: 23.9 fantasy points a game to 22.5, and 169th against 170th 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, 4:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #158
- 22.5 FP/G, slot 14.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #170
- -2.9 z, slot 15.02
- Points leagues
- #148
- 23.9 FP/G, slot 13.04, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #169
- -2.9 z, slot 15.01
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Kyle Filipowski. 23.9 fantasy points per game against 22.5, 148th on our board to 158th.
9-cat leagues: Kyle Filipowski again, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (169th to 170th).
Category by category, Keldon Johnson is ahead in 5 (PTS, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Kyle Filipowski in 4 (REB, AST, STL and BLK).
Per 36 minutes, Kyle Filipowski produces more: 39.8 fantasy points to 35.4, on 21.6 minutes a night against 22.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Keldon Johnson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Filipowski 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Filipowski: 71.7 projected fantasy points to 67.5 for Keldon Johnson.
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 | Keldon Johnson | Kyle Filipowski |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.5 | 23.9 |
| Minutes | 22.9 | 21.6 |
| PointsPTS | 12.7 | 10.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 6.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.3 | 2.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.1% | 48.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.9% | 75.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 77 |
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 | Keldon Johnson | Kyle Filipowski |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.4 | 39.8 |
| Points | 20.0 | 17.1 |
| Rebounds | 8.4 | 10.6 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 2.7 |
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 | Keldon Johnson | Kyle Filipowski |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | +0.3 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | -0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | +0.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +0.3 |
| Total | -2.9 | -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 rebounds, assists, steals and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Keldon Johnson.
| Punt | Keldon Johnson | Kyle Filipowski |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.3 (#187) | -1.8 (#155) |
| REB | -2.8 (#182) | -3.4 (#220) |
| AST | -1.8 (#142) | -2.3 (#166) |
| STL | -2.0 (#144) | -2.7 (#173) |
| BLK | -1.9 (#127) | -2.7 (#158) |
| 3PM | -2.4 (#163) | -2.1 (#140) |
| FG% | -3.8 (#194) | -3.4 (#171) |
| FT% | -2.9 (#176) | -2.5 (#162) |
| TO | -4.2 (#185) | -3.3 (#153) |
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)
- Keldon Johnson: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
- Kyle Filipowski: 3 games (Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL).
Recent games
- Keldon Johnson: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 22.5 on the board.
- Kyle Filipowski: 3.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 23.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Keldon Johnson playing tonight? · Is Kyle Filipowski playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Keldon Johnson or Kyle Filipowski?
Points leagues: Kyle Filipowski. 23.9 fantasy points per game against 22.5, 148th on our board to 158th. 9-cat leagues: Kyle Filipowski again, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (169th to 170th).
Who wins more categories, Keldon Johnson or Kyle Filipowski?
Category by category, Keldon Johnson is ahead in 5 (PTS, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Kyle Filipowski in 4 (REB, AST, STL and BLK).
Who should I start in Week 1, Keldon Johnson or Kyle Filipowski?
Keldon Johnson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Filipowski 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Filipowski: 71.7 projected fantasy points to 67.5 for Keldon Johnson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number