Bam Adebayo vs Jalen Brunson: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Bam Adebayo in both formats: 40.8 fantasy points a game to 40.5 in points leagues, and 32nd against 49th 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
- #24
- 40.8 FP/G, slot 2.12, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #32
- +1.5 z, slot 3.08, $24
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #26
- 40.5 FP/G, slot 3.02, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #49
- +0.6 z, slot 5.01, $19
Day to day (Rest)
The call
Points leagues: draft Bam Adebayo. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 40.5, 24th on our board to 26th.
9-cat leagues: Bam Adebayo again, +1.5 in summed z-scores against +0.6 (32nd to 49th).
Category by category, Bam Adebayo is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Jalen Brunson in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Bam Adebayo produces more: 45.4 fantasy points to 41.7, on 32.4 minutes a night against 35.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Bam Adebayo plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Bam Adebayo: 122.4 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Jalen Brunson.
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 | Bam Adebayo | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.8 | 40.5 |
| Minutes | 32.4 | 35.0 |
| PointsPTS | 20.1 | 26.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.0 | 3.3 |
| AssistsAST | 3.2 | 6.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.2% | 46.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.8% | 84.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 2.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 74 |
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 | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.4 | 41.7 |
| Points | 22.3 | 26.8 |
| Rebounds | 11.1 | 3.4 |
| Assists | 3.5 | 7.0 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 2.4 |
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 | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | +1.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.9 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.2 | +1.5 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.0 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.1 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | +0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | -0.6 |
| Total | +1.5 | +0.6 |
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, steals, blocks and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Brunson.
| Punt | Bam Adebayo | Jalen Brunson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.8 (#37) | -1.1 (#110) |
| REB | -0.6 (#77) | +1.8 (#25) |
| AST | +1.7 (#26) | -1.1 (#97) |
| STL | +1.0 (#38) | +1.2 (#32) |
| BLK | +1.3 (#36) | +1.9 (#27) |
| 3PM | +1.3 (#33) | -0.6 (#86) |
| FG% | +2.3 (#26) | +1.3 (#40) |
| FT% | +1.8 (#26) | -0.4 (#74) |
| TO | +1.2 (#46) | +1.3 (#45) |
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)
- Bam Adebayo: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL), listed DTD.
Recent games
- Bam Adebayo: 44.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 40.8 on the board.
- Jalen Brunson: 39.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 40.5 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 Bam Adebayo or Jalen Brunson in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Bam Adebayo. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 40.5, 24th on our board to 26th. 9-cat leagues: Bam Adebayo again, +1.5 in summed z-scores against +0.6 (32nd to 49th).
Who wins more categories, Bam Adebayo or Jalen Brunson?
Category by category, Bam Adebayo is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Jalen Brunson in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bam Adebayo or Jalen Brunson?
Bam Adebayo plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Brunson 3. For that week alone, start Bam Adebayo: 122.4 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Jalen Brunson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number