Brandon Ingram or Jimmy Butler III? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 5th and 6th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 12:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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The Week 1 call
Brandon Ingram is listed Out (Heel) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands.
Jimmy Butler III is listed Out (Knee) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands.
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): a dead heat at 0.0 projected fantasy points each.
Brandon Ingram played 33.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 33.8 on the board.
Jimmy Butler III's minutes are down: 27.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.1 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Brandon Ingram | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 0 | 0 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 33.4 (last 5) | 27.1 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 33.8 | 31.1 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 16.6 | 18.3 |
| Injury | Out (Heel) | Out (Knee) |
| Projected fantasy points | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Schedule: Brandon Ingram Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC. Jimmy Butler III Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Brandon Ingram | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Rebounds | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Assists | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Steals | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Blocks | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 0.0 | 0.0 |
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: Jimmy Butler III, 37.4 fantasy points per game to 35.7.
9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III again, 17th overall against 77th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Brandon Ingram | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.7 | 37.4 |
| Minutes | 33.8 | 31.1 |
| PointsPTS | 21.5 | 20.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.6 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.7% | 51.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.0% | 86.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.6 |
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 Brandon Ingram playing tonight? · Is Jimmy Butler III playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Brandon Ingram or Jimmy Butler III in Week 1?
Brandon Ingram is listed Out (Heel) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands. Jimmy Butler III is listed Out (Knee) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands. Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): a dead heat at 0.0 projected fantasy points each. Brandon Ingram played 33.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 33.8 on the board. Jimmy Butler III's minutes are down: 27.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.1 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Brandon Ingram or Jimmy Butler III?
Points leagues: Jimmy Butler III, 37.4 fantasy points per game to 35.7. 9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III again, 17th overall against 77th.
Who wins more categories, Brandon Ingram or Jimmy Butler III?
Brandon Ingram is ahead in 3 (points, blocks, threes); Jimmy Butler III in 5 (assists, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 12:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number