Jalen Williams or Paul George? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PFs ranked 8th and 11th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jalen Williams. Jalen Williams has 3 games counted to 2 for Paul George, for 99.8 projected fantasy points against 67.3.
9-cat leagues: Paul George instead, 3.0 category value for the week to -1.9, because his category mix is worth more there.
Jalen Williams played 27.3 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 28.4 on the board.
Paul George played 29.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 30.7 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 Williams | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 27.3 (last 5) | 29.1 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 28.4 | 30.7 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 15.3 | 15.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 99.8 | 67.3 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -1.9 | 3.0 |
Schedule: Jalen Williams Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC. Paul George Tue @DET, Fri NYK.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jalen Williams | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 51.2 | 34.6 |
| Rebounds | 13.8 | 10.6 |
| Assists | 16.5 | 7.2 |
| Steals | 3.5 | 3.4 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 5.4 |
| Turnovers | 5.7 | 3.5 |
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: Paul George, 33.7 fantasy points per game to 33.3.
9-cat leagues: Paul George again, 33rd overall against 83rd.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jalen Williams | Paul George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.3 | 33.7 |
| Minutes | 28.4 | 30.7 |
| PointsPTS | 17.1 | 17.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.6 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.7 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.4% | 43.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.7% | 82.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 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 Williams or Paul George in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jalen Williams. Jalen Williams has 3 games counted to 2 for Paul George, for 99.8 projected fantasy points against 67.3. 9-cat leagues: Paul George instead, 3.0 category value for the week to -1.9, because his category mix is worth more there. Jalen Williams played 27.3 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 28.4 on the board. Paul George played 29.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 30.7 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jalen Williams or Paul George?
Points leagues: Paul George, 33.7 fantasy points per game to 33.3. 9-cat leagues: Paul George again, 33rd overall against 83rd.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Williams or Paul George?
Jalen Williams is ahead in 3 (assists, field goal percentage, free throw percentage); Paul George in 5 (rebounds, steals, blocks, threes, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number