Brandon Miller or Nickeil Alexander-Walker? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 9th and 11th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 34.6
- 9-cat
- #25
- Last 1 FP
- 44.3
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 34.6 fantasy points to 33.0.
9-cat leagues: Nickeil Alexander-Walker again, 4.6 category value for the week to -0.7.
Brandon Miller has 1 back-to-back and Nickeil Alexander-Walker has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Brandon Miller's minutes are up: 35.6 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 30.6 on the board.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker's minutes are down: 29.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 33.2 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.
Brandon Miller rookie cardsNickeil Alexander-Walker rookie cards
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Brandon Miller | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 35.6 (last 1) | 29.7 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 30.6 | 33.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 21.2 | 18.2 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 66.0 | 69.1 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -0.7 | 4.6 |
Schedule: Brandon Miller Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA. Nickeil Alexander-Walker Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Brandon Miller | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 40.1 | 42.9 |
| Rebounds | 9.6 | 6.9 |
| Assists | 6.4 | 7.3 |
| Steals | 1.9 | 2.6 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 6.3 | 6.7 |
| Turnovers | 5.1 | 4.1 |
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: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 34.6 fantasy points per game to 33.0.
9-cat leagues: Nickeil Alexander-Walker again, 25th overall against 67th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Brandon Miller | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.0 | 34.6 |
| Minutes | 30.6 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 20.0 | 21.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 3.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.2 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 3.1 | 3.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.7% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.8% | 87.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.5 | 2.1 |
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 Miller playing tonight? · Is Nickeil Alexander-Walker playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Brandon Miller or Nickeil Alexander-Walker in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 34.6 fantasy points to 33.0. 9-cat leagues: Nickeil Alexander-Walker again, 4.6 category value for the week to -0.7. Brandon Miller has 1 back-to-back and Nickeil Alexander-Walker has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Brandon Miller's minutes are up: 35.6 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 30.6 on the board. Nickeil Alexander-Walker's minutes are down: 29.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 33.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Brandon Miller or Nickeil Alexander-Walker?
Points leagues: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 34.6 fantasy points per game to 33.0. 9-cat leagues: Nickeil Alexander-Walker again, 25th overall against 67th.
Who wins more categories, Brandon Miller or Nickeil Alexander-Walker?
Brandon Miller is ahead in 2 (rebounds, blocks); Nickeil Alexander-Walker in 7 (points, assists, steals, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number