Grayson Allen or Jaden McDaniels? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 16th and 17th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 3:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 29.0
- 9-cat
- #46
- Last 1 FP
- 35.1
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 Jaden McDaniels. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.0 fantasy points to 28.9.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels again, 1.2 category value for the week to -0.8.
Grayson Allen has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Grayson Allen played 28.8 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 28.8 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 | Grayson Allen | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 28.8 (last 1) | 28.7 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 28.8 | 31.6 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 11.3 | 13.8 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 57.8 | 58.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -0.8 | 1.2 |
Schedule: Grayson Allen Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA. Jaden McDaniels Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Grayson Allen | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 33.5 | 30.0 |
| Rebounds | 6.1 | 9.0 |
| Assists | 7.7 | 5.2 |
| Steals | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 1.9 |
| Threes | 6.5 | 2.8 |
| Turnovers | 3.6 | 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: Jaden McDaniels, 29.0 fantasy points per game to 28.9.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels again, 46th overall against 69th.
Grayson Allen vs Jaden McDaniels: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Grayson Allen | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.9 | 29.0 |
| Minutes | 28.8 | 31.6 |
| PointsPTS | 16.8 | 15.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 4.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 2.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 3.2 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.5% | 52.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.8% | 83.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 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 Grayson Allen playing tonight? · Is Jaden McDaniels playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Grayson Allen or Jaden McDaniels in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jaden McDaniels. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 29.0 fantasy points to 28.9. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels again, 1.2 category value for the week to -0.8. Grayson Allen has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Grayson Allen played 28.8 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 28.8 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, Grayson Allen or Jaden McDaniels?
Points leagues: Jaden McDaniels, 29.0 fantasy points per game to 28.9. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels again, 46th overall against 69th.
Who wins more categories, Grayson Allen or Jaden McDaniels?
Grayson Allen is ahead in 5 (points, assists, steals, threes, free throw percentage); Jaden McDaniels in 3 (rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 3:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number