Jalen Green or Peyton Watson? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 21st and 21st at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jalen Green. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 28.1 fantasy points to 28.0.
9-cat leagues: Peyton Watson instead, -3.1 category value for the week to -8.0, because his category mix is worth more there.
Jalen Green played 25.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 25.9 on the board.
Peyton Watson's minutes are down: 19.2 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 29.6 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.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Jalen Green | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 25.1 (last 5) | 19.2 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 25.9 | 29.6 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 18.9 | 18.4 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 56.1 | 56.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -8.0 | -3.1 |
Schedule: Jalen Green Wed @POR, Sat GSW. Peyton Watson Thu @PHI, Sat BKN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jalen Green | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 35.5 | 29.2 |
| Rebounds | 7.3 | 9.8 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 4.1 |
| Steals | 2.1 | 1.9 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 2.3 |
| Threes | 4.4 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 4.5 | 3.4 |
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: Jalen Green, 28.1 fantasy points per game to 28.0.
9-cat leagues: Peyton Watson instead, 108th overall against 212th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jalen Green | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.1 | 28.0 |
| Minutes | 25.9 | 29.6 |
| PointsPTS | 17.8 | 14.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.6 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.8 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.2% | 49.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.7% | 73.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 1.7 |
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 Green or Peyton Watson in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jalen Green. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 28.1 fantasy points to 28.0. 9-cat leagues: Peyton Watson instead, -3.1 category value for the week to -8.0, because his category mix is worth more there. Jalen Green played 25.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 25.9 on the board. Peyton Watson's minutes are down: 19.2 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 29.6 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jalen Green or Peyton Watson?
Points leagues: Jalen Green, 28.1 fantasy points per game to 28.0. 9-cat leagues: Peyton Watson instead, 108th overall against 212th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Green or Peyton Watson?
Jalen Green is ahead in 5 (points, assists, steals, threes, free throw percentage); Peyton Watson in 4 (rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number