Bam Adebayo vs Jaden McDaniels: who to start in Week 2
Bam Adebayo plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jaden McDaniels 4. For that week alone, start Bam Adebayo: 116.8 projected fantasy points to 116.7 for Jaden McDaniels. Over the season, Bam Adebayo leads in both formats: 38.9 fantasy points a game to 29.2, and 37th against 39th 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 27, 8:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #30
- 38.9 FP/G, slot 3.06, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #37
- +0.9 z, slot 4.01, $20
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #93
- 29.2 FP/G, slot 8.09, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #39
- +0.8 z, slot 4.03, $20
The call
Points leagues: Bam Adebayo. 38.9 fantasy points per game against 29.2, 30th on our board to 93rd.
9-cat leagues: Bam Adebayo again, +0.9 in summed z-scores against +0.8 (37th to 39th).
Category by category, Bam Adebayo is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and 3PM) and Jaden McDaniels in 3 (BLK, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Bam Adebayo produces more: 43.7 fantasy points to 33.1, on 32.0 minutes a night against 31.7. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Bam Adebayo plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jaden McDaniels 4. For that week alone, start Bam Adebayo: 116.8 projected fantasy points to 116.7 for Jaden McDaniels.
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 | Bam Adebayo | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.9 | 29.2 |
| Minutes | 32.0 | 31.7 |
| PointsPTS | 18.4 | 14.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 9.4 | 4.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.5% | 53.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.7% | 84.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 73 |
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 | Bam Adebayo | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 43.7 | 33.1 |
| Points | 20.6 | 16.9 |
| Rebounds | 10.6 | 5.4 |
| Assists | 3.6 | 3.1 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 2.0 |
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 | Bam Adebayo | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.7 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.2 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | +0.8 | +0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.0 | +0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | +0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.7 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| Total | +0.9 | +0.8 |
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, rebounds, assists and steals flips the 9-cat answer to Jaden McDaniels.
| Punt | Bam Adebayo | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.5 (#50) | +1.0 (#32) |
| REB | -1.1 (#99) | +1.2 (#30) |
| AST | +1.0 (#36) | +1.1 (#34) |
| STL | +0.0 (#56) | +0.7 (#39) |
| BLK | +0.6 (#43) | -0.0 (#61) |
| 3PM | +1.0 (#37) | +0.9 (#38) |
| FG% | +1.8 (#31) | -0.2 (#66) |
| FT% | +1.5 (#33) | +0.4 (#50) |
| TO | +0.7 (#48) | +0.5 (#52) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Bam Adebayo: 3 games (Mon DAL, Wed @ATL, Fri IND).
- Jaden McDaniels: 4 games (Mon @CLE, Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sat @SAS), 2 back-to-backs.
Recent games
- Bam Adebayo: 32.0 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 38.9 on the board.
- Jaden McDaniels: 31.4 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 29.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Bam Adebayo playing tonight? · Is Jaden McDaniels playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bam Adebayo or Jaden McDaniels?
Points leagues: Bam Adebayo. 38.9 fantasy points per game against 29.2, 30th on our board to 93rd. 9-cat leagues: Bam Adebayo again, +0.9 in summed z-scores against +0.8 (37th to 39th).
Who wins more categories, Bam Adebayo or Jaden McDaniels?
Category by category, Bam Adebayo is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and 3PM) and Jaden McDaniels in 3 (BLK, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Bam Adebayo or Jaden McDaniels?
Bam Adebayo plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jaden McDaniels 4. For that week alone, start Bam Adebayo: 116.8 projected fantasy points to 116.7 for Jaden McDaniels.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 8:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number