Al Horford vs Jarace Walker: who to start in Week 1
Al Horford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jarace Walker 3. For that week alone, start Jarace Walker: 63.9 projected fantasy points to 63.8 for Al Horford. Over the season, Jarace Walker leads in points leagues (21.3 fantasy points a game to 21.3) and Al Horford in 9-cat leagues (149th against 263rd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 24, 4:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #184
- 21.3 FP/G, slot 16.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #149
- -2.3 z, slot 13.05, $2
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #182
- 21.3 FP/G, slot 16.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #263
- -5.2 z, slot 22.11
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jarace Walker. 21.3 fantasy points per game against 21.3, 182nd on our board to 184th.
9-cat leagues: Al Horford instead, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -5.2 (149th to 263rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Al Horford is ahead in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Jarace Walker in 4 (PTS, REB, STL and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Al Horford produces more: 36.1 fantasy points to 31.0, on 21.2 minutes a night against 24.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Al Horford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jarace Walker 3. For that week alone, start Jarace Walker: 63.9 projected fantasy points to 63.8 for Al Horford.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Al Horford | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.3 | 21.3 |
| Minutes | 21.2 | 24.7 |
| PointsPTS | 7.5 | 10.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 5.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.2% | 41.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.6% | 74.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 76 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Al Horford | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.1 | 31.0 |
| Points | 12.7 | 15.4 |
| Rebounds | 8.2 | 7.2 |
| Assists | 4.1 | 3.5 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 3.0 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Al Horford | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.5 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.9 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | -0.3 |
| Total | -2.3 | -5.2 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
No punt changes the answer: Al Horford stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Al Horford | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.8 (#97) | -4.1 (#286) |
| REB | -2.0 (#132) | -5.0 (#296) |
| AST | -1.7 (#137) | -4.6 (#274) |
| STL | -1.4 (#116) | -4.4 (#264) |
| BLK | -3.5 (#195) | -4.8 (#263) |
| 3PM | -2.2 (#147) | -5.1 (#282) |
| FG% | -1.6 (#105) | -4.4 (#226) |
| FT% | -2.4 (#151) | -4.8 (#254) |
| TO | -3.7 (#164) | -5.0 (#212) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Al Horford: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
- Jarace Walker: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
Recent games
- Al Horford: 12.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.3 on the board.
- Jarace Walker: 6.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Al Horford playing tonight? · Is Jarace Walker playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Al Horford or Jarace Walker?
Points leagues: Jarace Walker. 21.3 fantasy points per game against 21.3, 182nd on our board to 184th. 9-cat leagues: Al Horford instead, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -5.2 (149th to 263rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Al Horford or Jarace Walker?
Category by category, Al Horford is ahead in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Jarace Walker in 4 (PTS, REB, STL and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Al Horford or Jarace Walker?
Al Horford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jarace Walker 3. For that week alone, start Jarace Walker: 63.9 projected fantasy points to 63.8 for Al Horford.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number