Anthony Edwards vs Cade Cunningham: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Cade Cunningham in points leagues (48.6 fantasy points a game to 43.9) and Anthony Edwards in 9-cat leagues (13th against 16th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #14
- 43.9 FP/G, slot 2.02, $32
- 9-cat leagues
- #13
- +3.4 z, slot 2.01, $34
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- 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 leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Cade Cunningham. 48.6 fantasy points per game against 43.9, 7th on our board to 14th.
9-cat leagues: Anthony Edwards instead, +3.4 in summed z-scores against +3.1 (13th to 16th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Anthony Edwards is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Cade Cunningham in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Cade Cunningham produces more: 51.5 fantasy points to 45.2, on 33.9 minutes a night against 35.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Anthony Edwards 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 131.8 for Anthony Edwards.
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 Edwards | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 43.9 | 48.6 |
| Minutes | 35.0 | 33.9 |
| PointsPTS | 28.8 | 23.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.0 | 5.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 9.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 3.4 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.6% | 81.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 3.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 61 | 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 Edwards | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.2 | 51.5 |
| Points | 29.6 | 25.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.1 | 5.9 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 10.5 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 3.5 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 3.9 |
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 | Anthony Edwards | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +2.1 | +1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | +3.1 |
| StealsSTL | +1.0 | +1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | +0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +1.7 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | -2.3 |
| Total | +3.4 | +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, threes, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Cade Cunningham.
| Punt | Anthony Edwards | Cade Cunningham |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.2 (#34) | +1.8 (#21) |
| REB | +3.7 (#12) | +3.2 (#16) |
| AST | +3.2 (#12) | -0.1 (#64) |
| STL | +2.3 (#21) | +1.9 (#23) |
| BLK | +3.2 (#15) | +2.8 (#19) |
| 3PM | +1.5 (#32) | +2.7 (#16) |
| FG% | +3.3 (#17) | +3.8 (#14) |
| FT% | +3.3 (#11) | +2.8 (#17) |
| TO | +4.8 (#12) | +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 Edwards: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
- Cade Cunningham: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI), listed DTD.
Recent games
- Anthony Edwards: 38.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 43.9 on the board.
- Cade Cunningham: 38.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 48.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Anthony Edwards or Cade Cunningham in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Cade Cunningham. 48.6 fantasy points per game against 43.9, 7th on our board to 14th. 9-cat leagues: Anthony Edwards instead, +3.4 in summed z-scores against +3.1 (13th to 16th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Anthony Edwards or Cade Cunningham?
Category by category, Anthony Edwards is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Cade Cunningham in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Edwards or Cade Cunningham?
Anthony Edwards 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 131.8 for Anthony Edwards.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number