Brandin Podziemski or Dillon Brooks? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 19th and 22nd at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 28.0
- 9-cat
- #106
- Last 1 FP
- 32.9
Out (Back)
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Brandin Podziemski is listed Out (Back) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands.
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Dillon Brooks. Dillon Brooks has 1 game counted to 0 for Brandin Podziemski, for 28.0 projected fantasy points against 0.0.
9-cat leagues: Brandin Podziemski instead, 0.0 category value for the week to -3.1, because his category mix is worth more there.
Brandin Podziemski's minutes are up: 32.9 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 28.7 on the board.
Dillon Brooks's minutes are down: 26.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 30.2 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.
Brandin Podziemski rookie cards
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Brandin Podziemski | Dillon Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 0 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Minutes, last games | 32.9 (last 1) | 26.7 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 28.7 | 30.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 18.6 | 14.8 |
| Injury | Out (Back) | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 0.0 | 28.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 0.0 | -3.1 |
Schedule: Brandin Podziemski Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX. Dillon Brooks Wed @POR, Sat GSW.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Brandin Podziemski | Dillon Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 0.0 | 19.6 |
| Rebounds | 0.0 | 3.6 |
| Assists | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Steals | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| Turnovers | 0.0 | 1.8 |
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 1 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Brandin Podziemski, 28.0 fantasy points per game to 28.0.
9-cat leagues: Brandin Podziemski again, 106th overall against 175th.
Brandin Podziemski vs Dillon Brooks: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Brandin Podziemski | Dillon Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.0 | 28.0 |
| Minutes | 28.7 | 30.2 |
| PointsPTS | 14.1 | 19.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.9 | 3.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 1.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.1% | 43.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.6% | 82.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.8 |
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 Brandin Podziemski playing tonight? · Is Dillon Brooks playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Brandin Podziemski or Dillon Brooks in Week 1?
Brandin Podziemski is listed Out (Back) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands. Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Dillon Brooks. Dillon Brooks has 1 game counted to 0 for Brandin Podziemski, for 28.0 projected fantasy points against 0.0. 9-cat leagues: Brandin Podziemski instead, 0.0 category value for the week to -3.1, because his category mix is worth more there. Brandin Podziemski's minutes are up: 32.9 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 28.7 on the board. Dillon Brooks's minutes are down: 26.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 30.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Brandin Podziemski or Dillon Brooks?
Points leagues: Brandin Podziemski, 28.0 fantasy points per game to 28.0. 9-cat leagues: Brandin Podziemski again, 106th overall against 175th.
Who wins more categories, Brandin Podziemski or Dillon Brooks?
Brandin Podziemski is ahead in 5 (rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage); Dillon Brooks in 3 (points, threes, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number