Derik Queen or Dillon Brooks? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 18th and 23rd at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 29.2
- 9-cat
- #130
- Last 10 FP
- 34.0
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Derik Queen. Derik Queen has 3 games counted to 2 for Dillon Brooks, for 87.6 projected fantasy points against 58.0.
9-cat leagues: Dillon Brooks instead, -5.2 category value for the week to -6.1, because his category mix is worth more there.
Derik Queen has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Derik Queen's minutes are up: 32.7 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 25.0 on the board.
Dillon Brooks played 29.9 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 30.4 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 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Derik Queen | Dillon Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Minutes, last games | 32.7 (last 5) | 29.9 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 25.0 | 30.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 14.3 | 18.1 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 87.6 | 58.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -6.1 | -5.2 |
Schedule: Derik Queen Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN. Dillon Brooks Wed @POR, Sat GSW.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Derik Queen | Dillon Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 35.1 | 40.4 |
| Rebounds | 21.2 | 7.3 |
| Assists | 11.0 | 3.5 |
| Steals | 3.1 | 2.0 |
| Blocks | 2.7 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 0.9 | 4.5 |
| Turnovers | 7.0 | 3.5 |
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: Derik Queen, 29.2 fantasy points per game to 29.0.
9-cat leagues: Derik Queen again, 130th overall against 155th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Derik Queen | Dillon Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.2 | 29.0 |
| Minutes | 25.0 | 30.4 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 20.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.1 | 3.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 1.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 0.3 | 2.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.3% | 43.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.5% | 84.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 1.8 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
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Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Common questions
Should I start Derik Queen or Dillon Brooks in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Derik Queen. Derik Queen has 3 games counted to 2 for Dillon Brooks, for 87.6 projected fantasy points against 58.0. 9-cat leagues: Dillon Brooks instead, -5.2 category value for the week to -6.1, because his category mix is worth more there. Derik Queen has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Derik Queen's minutes are up: 32.7 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 25.0 on the board. Dillon Brooks played 29.9 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 30.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Derik Queen or Dillon Brooks?
Points leagues: Derik Queen, 29.2 fantasy points per game to 29.0. 9-cat leagues: Derik Queen again, 130th overall against 155th.
Who wins more categories, Derik Queen or Dillon Brooks?
Derik Queen is ahead in 5 (rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage); Dillon Brooks in 4 (points, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number