Jaren Jackson Jr. or Onyeka Okongwu? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 13th and 14th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 21, 8:56 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 33.8
- 9-cat
- #32
- Last 10 FP
- 27.6
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jaren Jackson Jr.. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 34.5 fantasy points to 33.8.
9-cat leagues: Onyeka Okongwu instead, 2.7 category value for the week to 1.6, because his category mix is worth more there.
Onyeka Okongwu has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Jaren Jackson Jr.'s minutes are down: 27.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 30.3 on the board.
Onyeka Okongwu played 30.7 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 31.0 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 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 27.4 (last 5) | 30.7 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 30.3 | 31.0 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 22.4 | 11.7 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 69.1 | 67.6 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 1.6 | 2.7 |
Schedule: Jaren Jackson Jr. Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL. Onyeka Okongwu Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 38.8 | 30.4 |
| Rebounds | 11.3 | 15.2 |
| Assists | 3.9 | 6.2 |
| Steals | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 2.9 | 2.1 |
| Threes | 3.5 | 3.9 |
| 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: Jaren Jackson Jr., 34.5 fantasy points per game to 33.8.
9-cat leagues: Onyeka Okongwu instead, 32nd overall against 42nd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.5 | 33.8 |
| Minutes | 30.3 | 31.0 |
| PointsPTS | 19.4 | 15.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.7 | 7.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 3.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.6% | 48.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.3% | 75.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.2 | 1.7 |
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 Jaren Jackson Jr. playing tonight? · Is Onyeka Okongwu playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Jaren Jackson Jr. or Onyeka Okongwu in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jaren Jackson Jr.. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 34.5 fantasy points to 33.8. 9-cat leagues: Onyeka Okongwu instead, 2.7 category value for the week to 1.6, because his category mix is worth more there. Onyeka Okongwu has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Jaren Jackson Jr.'s minutes are down: 27.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 30.3 on the board. Onyeka Okongwu played 30.7 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 31.0 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Onyeka Okongwu?
Points leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr., 34.5 fantasy points per game to 33.8. 9-cat leagues: Onyeka Okongwu instead, 32nd overall against 42nd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Onyeka Okongwu?
Jaren Jackson Jr. is ahead in 3 (points, blocks, free throw percentage); Onyeka Okongwu in 5 (rebounds, assists, threes, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 21, 2026 at 8:56 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number