Jalen Duren or Pascal Siakam? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 8th and 9th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 38.2
- 9-cat
- #27
- Last 10 FP
- 40.9
Day to day (Rest)
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Pascal Siakam. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 39.9 fantasy points to 38.2.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren instead, 5.7 category value for the week to -3.3, because his category mix is worth more there.
Jalen Duren played 29.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 28.2 on the board.
Pascal Siakam's minutes are down: 29.9 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.2 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 | Jalen Duren | Pascal Siakam |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 29.4 (last 5) | 29.9 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 28.2 | 33.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 12.7 | 22.9 |
| Injury | Day to day (Rest) | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 114.6 | 119.8 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 5.7 | -3.3 |
Schedule: Jalen Duren Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI. Pascal Siakam Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jalen Duren | Pascal Siakam |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 58.5 | 71.9 |
| Rebounds | 31.6 | 19.9 |
| Assists | 5.9 | 11.4 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 3.3 |
| Blocks | 2.5 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 5.1 |
| Turnovers | 5.6 | 6.7 |
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: Pascal Siakam, 39.9 fantasy points per game to 38.2.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren instead, 27th overall against 92nd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jalen Duren | Pascal Siakam |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.2 | 39.9 |
| Minutes | 28.2 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 19.5 | 24.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.5 | 6.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 3.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 65.0% | 48.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.7% | 69.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 2.2 |
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 Jalen Duren or Pascal Siakam in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Pascal Siakam. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 39.9 fantasy points to 38.2. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren instead, 5.7 category value for the week to -3.3, because his category mix is worth more there. Jalen Duren played 29.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 28.2 on the board. Pascal Siakam's minutes are down: 29.9 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 33.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jalen Duren or Pascal Siakam?
Points leagues: Pascal Siakam, 39.9 fantasy points per game to 38.2. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren instead, 27th overall against 92nd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Duren or Pascal Siakam?
Jalen Duren is ahead in 5 (rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Pascal Siakam in 4 (points, assists, steals, threes), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 8:41 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number