Derik Queen or Jaden McDaniels? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 16th and 23rd at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 11:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 29.2
- 9-cat
- #113
- Last 1 FP
- 28.5
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. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.2 fantasy points to 29.0.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 1.2 category value for the week to -3.1, 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 down: 18.1 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 24.5 on the board.
Jaden McDaniels's minutes are down: 28.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 31.6 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 | Derik Queen | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 18.1 (last 1) | 28.7 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 24.5 | 31.6 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 8.0 | 13.8 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 58.3 | 58.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -3.1 | 1.2 |
Schedule: Derik Queen Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN. Jaden McDaniels Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Derik Queen | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 23.2 | 30.0 |
| Rebounds | 14.5 | 9.0 |
| Assists | 7.0 | 5.2 |
| Steals | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| Blocks | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| Threes | 0.5 | 2.8 |
| Turnovers | 4.5 | 3.6 |
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 1 games of 2026-27. 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: Jaden McDaniels instead, 46th overall against 113th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Derik Queen vs Jaden McDaniels: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Derik Queen | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.2 | 29.0 |
| Minutes | 24.5 | 31.6 |
| PointsPTS | 11.6 | 15.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.2 | 4.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 0.3 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.4% | 52.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.7% | 83.5% |
| 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.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Derik Queen playing tonight? · Is Jaden McDaniels playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Derik Queen or Jaden McDaniels in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Derik Queen. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.2 fantasy points to 29.0. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 1.2 category value for the week to -3.1, 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 down: 18.1 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 24.5 on the board. Jaden McDaniels's minutes are down: 28.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 31.6 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Derik Queen or Jaden McDaniels?
Points leagues: Derik Queen, 29.2 fantasy points per game to 29.0. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 46th overall against 113th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Derik Queen or Jaden McDaniels?
Derik Queen is ahead in 2 (rebounds, assists); Jaden McDaniels in 7 (points, steals, blocks, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 11:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number