Darius Acuff Jr. or Jalen Brunson? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), PGs ranked 7th and 9th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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The Week 3 call
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Darius Acuff Jr.. Darius Acuff Jr. has 3 games counted to 2 for Jalen Brunson, for 116.7 projected fantasy points against 80.2.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson instead, -0.5 category value for the week to -8.6, because his category mix is worth more there.
Darius Acuff Jr. played 36.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 36.5 on the board.
Jalen Brunson played 34.6 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 35.0 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 3 (Nov 2-8), side by side
| This week | Darius Acuff Jr. | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 36.8 (last 5) | 34.6 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 36.5 | 35.0 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 22.5 | 22.7 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 116.7 | 80.2 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -8.6 | -0.5 |
Schedule: Darius Acuff Jr. Mon @DAL, Wed LAL, Fri SAS, Sun MIA. Jalen Brunson Mon BKN, Wed CHI, Sat @CLE.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Darius Acuff Jr. | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 79.0 | 51.8 |
| Rebounds | 11.0 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 19.0 | 12.7 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 9.5 | 5.0 |
| Turnovers | 10.0 | 4.6 |
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 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson, 40.1 fantasy points per game to 38.9.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson again, 64th overall against 170th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Darius Acuff Jr. | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.9 | 40.1 |
| Minutes | 36.5 | 35.0 |
| PointsPTS | 26.3 | 25.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.7 | 3.2 |
| AssistsAST | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 3.2 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 39.6% | 44.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.2% | 81.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.3 | 2.3 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 3 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Darius Acuff Jr. playing tonight? · Is Jalen Brunson playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Darius Acuff Jr. or Jalen Brunson in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Darius Acuff Jr.. Darius Acuff Jr. has 3 games counted to 2 for Jalen Brunson, for 116.7 projected fantasy points against 80.2. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson instead, -0.5 category value for the week to -8.6, because his category mix is worth more there. Darius Acuff Jr. played 36.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 36.5 on the board. Jalen Brunson played 34.6 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 35.0 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Darius Acuff Jr. or Jalen Brunson?
Points leagues: Jalen Brunson, 40.1 fantasy points per game to 38.9. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson again, 64th overall against 170th.
Who wins more categories, Darius Acuff Jr. or Jalen Brunson?
Darius Acuff Jr. is ahead in 4 (points, rebounds, threes, free throw percentage); Jalen Brunson in 4 (steals, blocks, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number