Fantasy basketball auction values 2026-27: $200 prices for points and 9-cat leagues

How the prices are built

The method is value over replacement. A 12-team league with 13 roster spots drafts 156 players. The 157th player on the board is replacement level, the best player still available after the draft. In points leagues that is Jonathan Kuminga at 23.2 fantasy points per game. In 9-cat it is Isaiah Stewart, with a z-score total of minus 2.7.

Every one of the 156 drafted players gets the $1 minimum. That takes $156 of the room's $2,400 (12 teams at $200). The other $2,244 is split by how far each player sits above replacement. On the points board that comes to about $1.48 for every fantasy point per game above 23.2. Nikola Jokić scored 62.1 per game, 38.9 above replacement, and that is where his $59 comes from. Dillon Brooks, rank 100, scored 29.0 per game, 5.8 above, and he is $10.

Two things follow. Prices track the size of the gap, not the rank. Jokić and Luka Dončić are 4.4 points per game apart and $7 apart, while Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards and Alperen Şengün sit within 0.1 points of each other and all price at $32. And the inputs are 2025-26 per-game box scores, so the price does not know about games missed, age or a new role. You adjust for those.

The top 20, priced in both formats

Source: Parlae fantasy basketball board and auction model, Oct 12 2026, from Sleeper's 2025-26 season totals.

The same name can be a different purchase in each format. Victor Wembanyama is $21 more in 9-cat, where his blocks z-score of 5.0 is the biggest single category number in the 9-cat top 60. Kawhi Leonard is $20 more, led by steals and free throws (2.4 and 1.8 z). Giannis Antetokounmpo goes the other way: his free throw z-score of minus 4.5 drops him to 50th in 9-cat and $18. Jaylen Brown's turnovers (minus 2.3 z) do the same to him.

Where the $2,400 goes

In points, the top 12 players price at $486 of the $2,400. Ranks 13 to 36 take $661, ranks 37 to 72 take $642, and the 84 players from 73 to 156 share $611. In 9-cat the same bands come to $575, $661, $614 and $550.

9-cat is more top-heavy. Its top 12 take $575, about 24% of the room, against $486, about 20%, in points. Jokić, Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander alone price at $201 in 9-cat, more than one team's whole budget. In points the top three come to $157. Ranks 13 to 36 get the same $661 in both formats.

At the bottom, only 12 players in each format price at $1 or $2. A full roster averages $200 divided by 13, about $15.38 a spot. On the points list, $15 buys ranks 65 to 69: Rudy Gobert, Immanuel Quickley, Nikola Vučević, Andrew Nembhard and Jarrett Allen. That is a sixth-round player on the board, and it is the right anchor for how far an average dollar goes.

Gaps outside the top 20

The format gaps continue further down. Paolo Banchero is $27 in points and $6 in 9-cat. Ja Morant ($20 and $2) and Stephon Castle ($19 and $2) end up near the $1 floor in 9-cat, both on turnovers, with Morant also shooting 41.0% from the field. Pascal Siakam is $26 and $10 after a 69.3% free throw rate.

The 9-cat side runs the other way. Trey Murphy is $23 in points and $36 in 9-cat. Stephen Curry is $25 and $37. Chet Holmgren is $20 and $32, OG Anunoby $13 and $24, Mikal Bridges $11 and $22, and Kel'el Ware $8 and $17. In a 9-cat room, those are the names where the price list says to keep bidding after a points manager would stop. The full split is in the points vs categories guide.

Real rooms do not spend like this

The model spends evenly by design. Real rooms rarely do. Early nominations tend to go over list as everyone has full budgets, and the last rounds go for $1 because nobody has money left. Treat every number here as a price list to bargain against, not a bid to make.

Early overspending is useful information. Every dollar paid over list for a star leaves the room, and ranks 37 to 156, worth $1,253 of the points pool, still have to be bought with what is left.

Then adjust for risk the price does not see. Joel Embiid ($33 points) played 38 games last season. Anthony Davis ($32) played 20. Lauri Markkanen ($28 points, $38 9-cat) played 42 and is listed GTD (neck) on Sleeper. Kevin Porter ($26 points, $33 9-cat) played 38. Jimmy Butler ($22 points, $31 9-cat) is listed Out (knee) on Sleeper. A per-game price is only paid back in the games a player suits up for. Pay less than list for these, or let someone else carry the risk.

On draft night

1. Print the right list. Use the points rankings or the 9-cat rankings for your format, or the cheat sheet, and write the dollar value next to each name.
2. Set a shape before the first nomination. Two top-12 players at an average points price ($486 divided by 12, $40.50 each) cost $81 and leave $119 for 11 spots, about $10.80 each. On the points list, that is the $11 tier, ranks 87 to 93.
3. Track the room. Keep a running count of how far over list the room is. When stars go over, the middle gets cheaper. Spend there.
4. Save $1s for the end. Ranks 145 to 156 price at $1 or $2, and replacement level at rank 157 is 23.2 points per game. Do not pay $4 for a player who will be there at $1.
5. Never chase a price. If bidding passes the list and you have no reason to believe the player beats last season's per-game line, stop and nominate the next name.