Jonathan Kuminga or Kyle Kuzma? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PFs ranked 27th and 28th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 5:55 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 23.8
- 9-cat
- #215
- Last 1 FP
- 22.7
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Kyle Kuzma. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.8 fantasy points to 23.8.
9-cat leagues: Kyle Kuzma again, -8.0 category value for the week to -8.9.
Kyle Kuzma has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Jonathan Kuminga's minutes are up: 29.5 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 23.5 on the board.
Kyle Kuzma played 27.1 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 26.2 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 | Jonathan Kuminga | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 29.5 (last 1) | 27.1 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 23.5 | 26.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 12.2 | 12.0 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 47.6 | 47.7 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -8.9 | -8.0 |
Schedule: Jonathan Kuminga Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR. Kyle Kuzma Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jonathan Kuminga | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 24.3 | 25.0 |
| Rebounds | 10.6 | 9.3 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 5.4 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 2.4 |
| Turnovers | 3.6 | 3.6 |
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 1 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma, 23.8 fantasy points per game to 23.8.
9-cat leagues: Kyle Kuzma again, 215th overall against 238th.
Jonathan Kuminga vs Kyle Kuzma: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jonathan Kuminga | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.8 | 23.8 |
| Minutes | 23.5 | 26.2 |
| PointsPTS | 12.2 | 12.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 4.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.6% | 47.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 72.4% | 72.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.8 |
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 Jonathan Kuminga playing tonight? · Is Kyle Kuzma playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Jonathan Kuminga or Kyle Kuzma in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Kyle Kuzma. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.8 fantasy points to 23.8. 9-cat leagues: Kyle Kuzma again, -8.0 category value for the week to -8.9. Kyle Kuzma has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Jonathan Kuminga's minutes are up: 29.5 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 23.5 on the board. Kyle Kuzma played 27.1 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 26.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jonathan Kuminga or Kyle Kuzma?
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma, 23.8 fantasy points per game to 23.8. 9-cat leagues: Kyle Kuzma again, 215th overall against 238th.
Who wins more categories, Jonathan Kuminga or Kyle Kuzma?
Jonathan Kuminga is ahead in 1 (rebounds); Kyle Kuzma in 6 (points, assists, blocks, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 5:55 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number