Donovan Mitchell or Jaylen Brown? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 1st and 2nd at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 45.2
- 9-cat
- #56
- Last 10 FP
- 44.8
Day to day (Rest)
4 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 Jaylen Brown. Jaylen Brown has 4 games counted to 2 for Donovan Mitchell, for 181.0 projected fantasy points against 88.6.
9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell instead, 8.6 category value for the week to 1.1, because his category mix is worth more there.
Jaylen Brown has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Donovan Mitchell played 32.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 33.5 on the board.
Jaylen Brown played 35.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 34.4 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 | Donovan Mitchell | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 4 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 32.4 (last 5) | 35.0 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 33.5 | 34.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.6 | 22.2 |
| Injury | None listed | Day to day (Rest) |
| Projected fantasy points | 88.6 | 181.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 8.6 | 1.1 |
Schedule: Donovan Mitchell Thu @PHI, Sat BKN. Jaylen Brown Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Donovan Mitchell | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 55.8 | 114.8 |
| Rebounds | 9.0 | 27.7 |
| Assists | 11.4 | 20.5 |
| Steals | 3.0 | 4.1 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 1.5 |
| Threes | 6.4 | 7.9 |
| Turnovers | 5.7 | 14.6 |
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 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Jaylen Brown, 45.2 fantasy points per game to 44.3.
9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell instead, 7th overall against 56th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Donovan Mitchell | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 44.3 | 45.2 |
| Minutes | 33.5 | 34.4 |
| PointsPTS | 27.9 | 28.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 5.7 | 5.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 3.2 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.3% | 47.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.5% | 79.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.8 | 3.6 |
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 Donovan Mitchell or Jaylen Brown in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jaylen Brown. Jaylen Brown has 4 games counted to 2 for Donovan Mitchell, for 181.0 projected fantasy points against 88.6. 9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell instead, 8.6 category value for the week to 1.1, because his category mix is worth more there. Jaylen Brown has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Donovan Mitchell played 32.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 33.5 on the board. Jaylen Brown played 35.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 34.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Donovan Mitchell or Jaylen Brown?
Points leagues: Jaylen Brown, 45.2 fantasy points per game to 44.3. 9-cat leagues: Donovan Mitchell instead, 7th overall against 56th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Donovan Mitchell or Jaylen Brown?
Donovan Mitchell is ahead in 6 (assists, steals, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Jaylen Brown in 3 (points, rebounds, blocks), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number