Ace Bailey or Jonathan Kuminga? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 26th and 28th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- FP/G
- 24.5
- 9-cat
- #174
- Last 2 FP
- 23.4
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Ace Bailey. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 24.5 fantasy points to 24.2.
9-cat leagues: Ace Bailey again, -3.1 category value for the week to -4.7.
Ace Bailey's minutes are down: 23.0 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 27.1 on the board.
Jonathan Kuminga's minutes are up: 28.5 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 23.7 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.
Advertisement
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Ace Bailey | Jonathan Kuminga |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 1 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 23.0 (last 2) | 28.5 (last 2) |
| Minutes, board | 27.1 | 23.7 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 14.9 | 10.7 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 24.5 | 24.2 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -3.1 | -4.7 |
Schedule: Ace Bailey Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL. Jonathan Kuminga Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Ace Bailey | Jonathan Kuminga |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 13.2 | 12.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 5.5 |
| Assists | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.7 |
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 2 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Ace Bailey, 24.5 fantasy points per game to 24.2.
9-cat leagues: Ace Bailey again, 174th overall against 241st.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Ace Bailey | Jonathan Kuminga |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.5 | 24.2 |
| Minutes | 27.1 | 23.7 |
| PointsPTS | 13.2 | 12.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.4 | 5.5 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.6% | 46.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 72.5% | 67.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.7 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Ace Bailey playing tonight? · Is Jonathan Kuminga playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Ace Bailey or Jonathan Kuminga in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Ace Bailey. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 24.5 fantasy points to 24.2. 9-cat leagues: Ace Bailey again, -3.1 category value for the week to -4.7. Ace Bailey's minutes are down: 23.0 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 27.1 on the board. Jonathan Kuminga's minutes are up: 28.5 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 23.7 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Ace Bailey or Jonathan Kuminga?
Points leagues: Ace Bailey, 24.5 fantasy points per game to 24.2. 9-cat leagues: Ace Bailey again, 174th overall against 241st.
Who wins more categories, Ace Bailey or Jonathan Kuminga?
Ace Bailey is ahead in 5 (points, blocks, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers); Jonathan Kuminga in 4 (rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number