Franz Wagner or Jaren Jackson Jr.? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 8th and 13th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 21, 8:56 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 34.5
- 9-cat
- #42
- Last 10 FP
- 39.1
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jaren Jackson Jr.. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 34.5 fantasy points to 33.9.
9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. again, 1.6 category value for the week to -0.8.
Franz Wagner's minutes are down: 21.6 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 30.0 on the board.
Jaren Jackson Jr.'s minutes are down: 27.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 30.3 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 | Franz Wagner | Jaren Jackson Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 21.6 (last 5) | 27.4 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 30.0 | 30.3 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 22.0 | 22.4 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 67.8 | 69.1 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -0.8 | 1.6 |
Schedule: Franz Wagner Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK. Jaren Jackson Jr. Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Franz Wagner | Jaren Jackson Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 41.1 | 38.8 |
| Rebounds | 10.4 | 11.3 |
| Assists | 6.6 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 2.9 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 3.4 | 4.5 |
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: Jaren Jackson Jr., 34.5 fantasy points per game to 33.9.
9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. again, 42nd overall against 72nd.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Franz Wagner | Jaren Jackson Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.9 | 34.5 |
| Minutes | 30.0 | 30.3 |
| PointsPTS | 20.6 | 19.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.2 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.1% | 47.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.3% | 80.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 2.2 |
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 Franz Wagner playing tonight? · Is Jaren Jackson Jr. playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Franz Wagner or Jaren Jackson Jr. in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jaren Jackson Jr.. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 34.5 fantasy points to 33.9. 9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. again, 1.6 category value for the week to -0.8. Franz Wagner's minutes are down: 21.6 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 30.0 on the board. Jaren Jackson Jr.'s minutes are down: 27.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 30.3 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Franz Wagner or Jaren Jackson Jr.?
Points leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr., 34.5 fantasy points per game to 33.9. 9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. again, 42nd overall against 72nd.
Who wins more categories, Franz Wagner or Jaren Jackson Jr.?
Franz Wagner is ahead in 5 (points, assists, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Jaren Jackson Jr. in 4 (rebounds, steals, blocks, threes), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 21, 2026 at 8:56 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number