Aaron Nesmith or Christian Braun? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 28th and 31st at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 23.5
- 9-cat
- #190
- Last 10 FP
- 23.7
Day to day (Rest)
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Aaron Nesmith. Aaron Nesmith has 3 games counted to 2 for Christian Braun, for 70.6 projected fantasy points against 47.4.
9-cat leagues: Christian Braun instead, -5.6 category value for the week to -10.7, because his category mix is worth more there.
Aaron Nesmith played 30.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 29.7 on the board.
Christian Braun's minutes are up: 33.8 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.8 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Aaron Nesmith | Christian Braun |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 30.8 (last 5) | 33.8 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 29.7 | 31.8 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 13.6 | 11.1 |
| Injury | Day to day (Rest) | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 70.6 | 47.4 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -10.7 | -5.6 |
Schedule: Aaron Nesmith Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN. Christian Braun Thu @OKC, Sat NOP.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Aaron Nesmith | Christian Braun |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 41.4 | 23.9 |
| Rebounds | 12.5 | 9.6 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 5.5 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 7.0 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 4.2 | 2.0 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 5 games of 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Christian Braun, 23.7 fantasy points per game to 23.5.
9-cat leagues: Christian Braun again, 162nd overall against 190th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Aaron Nesmith | Christian Braun |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.5 | 23.7 |
| Minutes | 29.7 | 31.8 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 12.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 2.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.4% | 51.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.9% | 78.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.0 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
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Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Common questions
Should I start Aaron Nesmith or Christian Braun in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Aaron Nesmith. Aaron Nesmith has 3 games counted to 2 for Christian Braun, for 70.6 projected fantasy points against 47.4. 9-cat leagues: Christian Braun instead, -5.6 category value for the week to -10.7, because his category mix is worth more there. Aaron Nesmith played 30.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 29.7 on the board. Christian Braun's minutes are up: 33.8 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.8 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Aaron Nesmith or Christian Braun?
Points leagues: Christian Braun, 23.7 fantasy points per game to 23.5. 9-cat leagues: Christian Braun again, 162nd overall against 190th.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Nesmith or Christian Braun?
Aaron Nesmith is ahead in 4 (points, blocks, threes, free throw percentage); Christian Braun in 5 (rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 8:41 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number