Kyle Kuzma or Tari Eason? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PFs ranked 27th and 29th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 23.9
- 9-cat
- #216
- Last 10 FP
- 21.4
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
- FP/G
- 23.9
- 9-cat
- #153
- Last 10 FP
- 24.0
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 Kyle Kuzma. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.9 fantasy points to 23.9.
9-cat leagues: Tari Eason instead, -7.7 category value for the week to -12.3, because his category mix is worth more there.
Kyle Kuzma has 1 back-to-back and Tari Eason has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Kyle Kuzma's minutes are down: 23.0 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 26.2 on the board.
Tari Eason played 25.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 25.8 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 | Kyle Kuzma | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 23.0 (last 5) | 25.0 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 26.2 | 25.8 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 15.7 | 13.2 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 71.8 | 71.6 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -12.3 | -7.7 |
Schedule: Kyle Kuzma Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI. Tari Eason Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Kyle Kuzma | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 39.0 | 31.3 |
| Rebounds | 13.6 | 18.8 |
| Assists | 8.0 | 4.5 |
| Steals | 2.0 | 3.6 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 3.6 | 4.7 |
| Turnovers | 5.2 | 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: Kyle Kuzma, 23.9 fantasy points per game to 23.9.
9-cat leagues: Tari Eason instead, 153rd overall against 216th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Kyle Kuzma | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.9 | 23.9 |
| Minutes | 26.2 | 25.8 |
| PointsPTS | 13.0 | 10.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 6.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.2% | 41.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 72.6% | 77.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.4 |
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 Kyle Kuzma or Tari Eason in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Kyle Kuzma. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.9 fantasy points to 23.9. 9-cat leagues: Tari Eason instead, -7.7 category value for the week to -12.3, because his category mix is worth more there. Kyle Kuzma has 1 back-to-back and Tari Eason has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Kyle Kuzma's minutes are down: 23.0 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 26.2 on the board. Tari Eason played 25.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 25.8 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Kyle Kuzma or Tari Eason?
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma, 23.9 fantasy points per game to 23.9. 9-cat leagues: Tari Eason instead, 153rd overall against 216th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Kyle Kuzma or Tari Eason?
Kyle Kuzma is ahead in 3 (points, assists, field goal percentage); Tari Eason in 6 (rebounds, steals, blocks, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number