Tari Eason vs T.J. McConnell: who to start in Week 1
Tari Eason plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), T.J. McConnell 3. For that week alone, start Tari Eason: 68.3 projected fantasy points to 66.3 for T.J. McConnell. Over the season, Tari Eason leads in both formats: 22.8 fantasy points a game to 22.1, and 164th against 165th 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 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #161
- 22.8 FP/G, slot 14.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #164
- -2.8 z, slot 14.08
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #174
- 22.1 FP/G, slot 15.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #165
- -2.9 z, slot 14.09
Day to day (Hamstring)
The call
Points leagues: Tari Eason. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 22.1, 161st on our board to 174th.
9-cat leagues: Tari Eason again, -2.8 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (164th to 165th).
Category by category, Tari Eason is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, STL, BLK and 3PM) and T.J. McConnell in 4 (AST, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, T.J. McConnell produces more: 46.3 fantasy points to 33.6, on 17.2 minutes a night against 24.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Tari Eason plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), T.J. McConnell 3. For that week alone, start Tari Eason: 68.3 projected fantasy points to 66.3 for T.J. McConnell.
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 | Tari Eason | T.J. McConnell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.8 | 22.1 |
| Minutes | 24.4 | 17.2 |
| PointsPTS | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.9 | 2.2 |
| AssistsAST | 1.4 | 5.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.7% | 53.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.6% | 86.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 60 | 56 |
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 | Tari Eason | T.J. McConnell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.6 | 46.3 |
| Points | 14.6 | 19.6 |
| Rebounds | 8.8 | 4.6 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 10.7 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 2.4 |
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 | Tari Eason | T.J. McConnell |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.1 | -1.6 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | +0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | -0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.1 | +0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | +0.9 |
| Total | -2.8 | -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 points, rebounds, steals, blocks and threes flips the 9-cat answer to T.J. McConnell.
| Punt | Tari Eason | T.J. McConnell |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.7 (#147) | -1.7 (#145) |
| REB | -3.0 (#188) | -1.3 (#112) |
| AST | -1.7 (#129) | -3.7 (#229) |
| STL | -3.3 (#199) | -2.9 (#183) |
| BLK | -2.5 (#148) | -1.9 (#127) |
| 3PM | -2.6 (#166) | -1.6 (#117) |
| FG% | -1.9 (#116) | -3.9 (#203) |
| FT% | -2.7 (#162) | -3.0 (#175) |
| TO | -3.6 (#159) | -3.9 (#171) |
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)
- Tari Eason: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
- T.J. McConnell: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN), listed DTD.
Recent games
- Tari Eason: 6.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 22.8 on the board.
- T.J. McConnell: 24.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Tari Eason playing tonight? · Is T.J. McConnell playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Tari Eason
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Tari Eason or T.J. McConnell?
Points leagues: Tari Eason. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 22.1, 161st on our board to 174th. 9-cat leagues: Tari Eason again, -2.8 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (164th to 165th).
Who wins more categories, Tari Eason or T.J. McConnell?
Category by category, Tari Eason is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, STL, BLK and 3PM) and T.J. McConnell in 4 (AST, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Tari Eason or T.J. McConnell?
Tari Eason plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), T.J. McConnell 3. For that week alone, start Tari Eason: 68.3 projected fantasy points to 66.3 for T.J. McConnell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number