Andre Drummond vs Ja'Kobe Walter: who to start in Week 1
Andre Drummond plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja'Kobe Walter 3. For that week alone, start Andre Drummond: 65.7 projected fantasy points to 50.1 for Ja'Kobe Walter. Over the season, Andre Drummond leads in both formats: 21.9 fantasy points a game to 16.7, and 192nd against 196th in 9-cat. 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, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #169
- 21.9 FP/G, slot 15.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #192
- -3.6 z, slot 16.12
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #253
- 16.7 FP/G, slot 22.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #196
- -3.7 z, slot 17.04
The call
Points leagues: Andre Drummond. 21.9 fantasy points per game against 16.7, 169th on our board to 253rd.
9-cat leagues: Andre Drummond again, -3.6 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (192nd to 196th).
Category by category, Andre Drummond is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Ja'Kobe Walter in 5 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Andre Drummond produces more: 41.2 fantasy points to 28.9, on 19.1 minutes a night against 20.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Andre Drummond plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja'Kobe Walter 3. For that week alone, start Andre Drummond: 65.7 projected fantasy points to 50.1 for Ja'Kobe Walter.
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 | Andre Drummond | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.9 | 16.7 |
| Minutes | 19.1 | 20.8 |
| PointsPTS | 6.5 | 7.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.4 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 0.4 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.1% | 43.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.9% | 73.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 63 | 72 |
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 | Andre Drummond | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.2 | 28.9 |
| Points | 12.2 | 13.2 |
| Rebounds | 15.8 | 4.6 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 1.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.8 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 0.9 |
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 | Andre Drummond | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.7 | -1.5 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.2 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | -1.2 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.8 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +1.7 |
| Total | -3.6 | -3.7 |
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
Punting rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Ja'Kobe Walter.
| Punt | Andre Drummond | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#158) | -2.2 (#178) |
| REB | -5.1 (#303) | -2.4 (#160) |
| AST | -2.5 (#173) | -2.6 (#182) |
| STL | -2.5 (#163) | -4.2 (#251) |
| BLK | -4.3 (#242) | -3.0 (#169) |
| 3PM | -2.3 (#150) | -3.6 (#212) |
| FG% | -4.0 (#203) | -3.5 (#174) |
| FT% | -2.7 (#164) | -3.4 (#194) |
| TO | -5.0 (#213) | -5.5 (#229) |
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)
- Andre Drummond: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
- Ja'Kobe Walter: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- Andre Drummond: 24.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.9 on the board.
- Ja'Kobe Walter: 25.7 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 16.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Andre Drummond playing tonight? · Is Ja'Kobe Walter playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Andre Drummond or Ja'Kobe Walter?
Points leagues: Andre Drummond. 21.9 fantasy points per game against 16.7, 169th on our board to 253rd. 9-cat leagues: Andre Drummond again, -3.6 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (192nd to 196th).
Who wins more categories, Andre Drummond or Ja'Kobe Walter?
Category by category, Andre Drummond is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Ja'Kobe Walter in 5 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Andre Drummond or Ja'Kobe Walter?
Andre Drummond plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja'Kobe Walter 3. For that week alone, start Andre Drummond: 65.7 projected fantasy points to 50.1 for Ja'Kobe Walter.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number