RJ Barrett vs Tari Eason: who to start in Week 1
RJ Barrett plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tari Eason 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 97.3 projected fantasy points to 69.8 for Tari Eason. Over the season, RJ Barrett leads in both formats: 32.4 fantasy points a game to 23.3, and 144th against 145th 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 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #63
- 32.4 FP/G, slot 6.03, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #144
- -2.2 z, slot 12.12, $3
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #154
- 23.3 FP/G, slot 13.10, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #145
- -2.2 z, slot 13.01, $3
The call
Points leagues: RJ Barrett. 32.4 fantasy points per game against 23.3, 63rd on our board to 154th.
9-cat leagues: RJ Barrett again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (144th to 145th).
Category by category, RJ Barrett is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FG%) and Tari Eason in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, RJ Barrett produces more: 38.6 fantasy points to 33.7, on 30.2 minutes a night against 24.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
RJ Barrett plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tari Eason 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 97.3 projected fantasy points to 69.8 for Tari Eason.
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 | RJ Barrett | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.4 | 23.3 |
| Minutes | 30.2 | 24.8 |
| PointsPTS | 19.5 | 10.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.4 | 5.8 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 1.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.1% | 43.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 71.0% | 84.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 60 |
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 | RJ Barrett | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.6 | 33.7 |
| Points | 23.2 | 15.3 |
| Rebounds | 6.4 | 8.4 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 1.8 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.9 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 1.8 |
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 | RJ Barrett | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | +0.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | +0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.4 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +0.8 |
| Total | -2.2 | -2.2 |
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 points, rebounds, assists, threes and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Tari Eason.
| Punt | RJ Barrett | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.8 (#208) | -1.2 (#119) |
| REB | -2.4 (#158) | -2.3 (#154) |
| AST | -2.2 (#163) | -1.1 (#105) |
| STL | -1.3 (#110) | -3.0 (#182) |
| BLK | -1.8 (#120) | -2.0 (#131) |
| 3PM | -2.2 (#150) | -1.9 (#133) |
| FG% | -3.3 (#168) | -1.5 (#101) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#88) | -2.4 (#153) |
| TO | -2.5 (#125) | -3.1 (#144) |
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)
- RJ Barrett: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
- Tari Eason: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- RJ Barrett: 35.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.4 on the board.
- Tari Eason: 20.3 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is RJ Barrett playing tonight? · Is Tari Eason playing tonight?
Rookie cards: RJ Barrett, Tari Eason
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, RJ Barrett or Tari Eason?
Points leagues: RJ Barrett. 32.4 fantasy points per game against 23.3, 63rd on our board to 154th. 9-cat leagues: RJ Barrett again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (144th to 145th).
Who wins more categories, RJ Barrett or Tari Eason?
Category by category, RJ Barrett is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FG%) and Tari Eason in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, RJ Barrett or Tari Eason?
RJ Barrett plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tari Eason 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 97.3 projected fantasy points to 69.8 for Tari Eason.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number