Anthony Davis vs Cade Cunningham: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Cade Cunningham in both formats: 48.6 fantasy points a game to 44.0 in points leagues, and 16th against 19th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #13
- 44.0 FP/G, slot 2.01, $32
- 9-cat leagues
- #19
- +3.0 z, slot 2.07, $32
Day to day (Rest)
- Points leagues
- #7
- 48.6 FP/G, slot 1.07, $39
- 9-cat leagues
- #16
- +3.1 z, slot 2.04, $32
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Cade Cunningham. 48.6 fantasy points per game against 44.0, 7th on our board to 13th.
9-cat leagues: Cade Cunningham again, +3.1 in summed z-scores against +3.0 (16th to 19th).
Category by category, Anthony Davis is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Cade Cunningham in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Cade Cunningham produces more: 51.5 fantasy points to 50.6, on 33.9 minutes a night against 31.3. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Anthony Davis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cade Cunningham 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 145.8 projected fantasy points to 132.0 for Anthony Davis.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Anthony Davis | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 44.0 | 48.6 |
| Minutes | 31.3 | 33.9 |
| PointsPTS | 20.4 | 23.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 11.1 | 5.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.8 | 9.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 0.5 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.6% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 72.8% | 81.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.0 | 3.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 20 | 64 |
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 | Anthony Davis | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 50.6 | 51.5 |
| Points | 23.4 | 25.4 |
| Rebounds | 12.7 | 5.9 |
| Assists | 3.2 | 10.5 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 0.6 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 3.9 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Anthony Davis | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | +1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.3 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | +3.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | +1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.0 | +0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -1.2 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.2 | -2.3 |
| Total | +3.0 | +3.1 |
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 points, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Anthony Davis.
| Punt | Anthony Davis | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.3 (#15) | +1.8 (#21) |
| REB | +0.4 (#51) | +3.2 (#16) |
| AST | +3.4 (#10) | -0.1 (#64) |
| STL | +2.7 (#16) | +1.9 (#23) |
| BLK | +0.7 (#44) | +2.8 (#19) |
| 3PM | +4.1 (#7) | +2.7 (#16) |
| FG% | +2.0 (#31) | +3.8 (#14) |
| FT% | +3.9 (#8) | +2.8 (#17) |
| TO | +3.2 (#22) | +5.6 (#8) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Anthony Davis: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Cade Cunningham: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI), listed DTD.
Recent games
- Anthony Davis: 44.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 44.0 on the board.
- Cade Cunningham: 38.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 48.6 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Anthony Davis or Cade Cunningham in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Cade Cunningham. 48.6 fantasy points per game against 44.0, 7th on our board to 13th. 9-cat leagues: Cade Cunningham again, +3.1 in summed z-scores against +3.0 (16th to 19th).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Davis or Cade Cunningham?
Category by category, Anthony Davis is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Cade Cunningham in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Davis or Cade Cunningham?
Anthony Davis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cade Cunningham 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 145.8 projected fantasy points to 132.0 for Anthony Davis.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number