Jaren Jackson Jr. or Zion Williamson? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 10th and 13th 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
- 35.2
- 9-cat
- #101
- Last 10 FP
- 30.5
3 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 Zion Williamson. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 35.2 fantasy points to 34.5.
9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. instead, 1.6 category value for the week to -2.6, because his category mix is worth more there.
Zion Williamson 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.
Zion Williamson played 28.3 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 29.7 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 27.4 (last 5) | 28.3 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 30.3 | 29.7 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 22.4 | 12.7 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 69.1 | 70.3 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 1.6 | -2.6 |
Schedule: Jaren Jackson Jr. Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL. Zion Williamson Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 38.8 | 42.0 |
| Rebounds | 11.3 | 11.4 |
| Assists | 3.9 | 6.4 |
| Steals | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| Blocks | 2.9 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 3.5 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 4.5 | 4.1 |
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: Zion Williamson, 35.2 fantasy points per game to 34.5.
9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. instead, 42nd overall against 101st, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.5 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 30.3 | 29.7 |
| PointsPTS | 19.4 | 21.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 3.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.6% | 60.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.3% | 71.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.2 | 2.0 |
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 Zion Williamson playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Jaren Jackson Jr. or Zion Williamson in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Zion Williamson. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 35.2 fantasy points to 34.5. 9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. instead, 1.6 category value for the week to -2.6, because his category mix is worth more there. Zion Williamson 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. Zion Williamson played 28.3 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 29.7 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Zion Williamson?
Points leagues: Zion Williamson, 35.2 fantasy points per game to 34.5. 9-cat leagues: Jaren Jackson Jr. instead, 42nd overall against 101st, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Zion Williamson?
Jaren Jackson Jr. is ahead in 4 (steals, blocks, threes, free throw percentage); Zion Williamson in 4 (points, assists, 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