Jalen Johnson or Jaylen Brown? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PFs ranked 2nd and 2nd at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 48.3
- 9-cat
- #17
- Last 10 FP
- 39.7
Day to day (Rest)
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
- 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 3 for Jalen Johnson, for 181.0 projected fantasy points against 144.8.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Johnson instead, 9.3 category value for the week to 1.1, because his category mix is worth more there.
Jalen Johnson has 1 back-to-back and Jaylen Brown has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Jalen Johnson's minutes are down: 32.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 35.2 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 | Jalen Johnson | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 4 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 32.1 (last 5) | 35.0 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 35.2 | 34.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 17.0 | 22.2 |
| Injury | Day to day (Rest) | Day to day (Rest) |
| Projected fantasy points | 144.8 | 181.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 9.3 | 1.1 |
Schedule: Jalen Johnson Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU. Jaylen Brown Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jalen Johnson | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 67.5 | 114.8 |
| Rebounds | 30.8 | 27.7 |
| Assists | 23.6 | 20.5 |
| Steals | 3.7 | 4.1 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Threes | 5.0 | 7.9 |
| Turnovers | 10.2 | 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: Jalen Johnson, 48.3 fantasy points per game to 45.2.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Johnson again, 17th overall against 56th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jalen Johnson | Jaylen Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 48.3 | 45.2 |
| Minutes | 35.2 | 34.4 |
| PointsPTS | 22.5 | 28.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.3 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 7.9 | 5.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 47.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.8% | 79.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.4 | 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 Jalen Johnson or Jaylen Brown in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jaylen Brown. Jaylen Brown has 4 games counted to 3 for Jalen Johnson, for 181.0 projected fantasy points against 144.8. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Johnson instead, 9.3 category value for the week to 1.1, because his category mix is worth more there. Jalen Johnson has 1 back-to-back and Jaylen Brown has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Jalen Johnson's minutes are down: 32.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 35.2 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, Jalen Johnson or Jaylen Brown?
Points leagues: Jalen Johnson, 48.3 fantasy points per game to 45.2. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Johnson again, 17th overall against 56th.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Johnson or Jaylen Brown?
Jalen Johnson is ahead in 6 (rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, turnovers); Jaylen Brown in 3 (points, threes, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number