Bam Adebayo vs Jalen Duren: who to start in Week 1
Bam Adebayo plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Duren 3. For that week alone, start Bam Adebayo: 118.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jalen Duren. Over the season, Bam Adebayo leads in points leagues (39.4 fantasy points a game to 37.2) and Jalen Duren in 9-cat leagues (30th against 34th). 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, 4:27 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #28
- 39.4 FP/G, slot 3.04, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #34
- +1.2 z, slot 3.10, $22
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #40
- 37.2 FP/G, slot 4.04, $22
- 9-cat leagues
- #30
- +2.1 z, slot 3.06, $27
Out (Hamstring)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Bam Adebayo. 39.4 fantasy points per game against 37.2, 28th on our board to 40th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren instead, +2.1 in summed z-scores against +1.2 (30th to 34th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Bam Adebayo is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jalen Duren in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Duren produces more: 49.4 fantasy points to 44.6, on 27.1 minutes a night against 31.8. 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 Duren 3. For that week alone, start Bam Adebayo: 118.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jalen Duren.
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 | Jalen Duren |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.4 | 37.2 |
| Minutes | 31.8 | 27.1 |
| PointsPTS | 18.9 | 18.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 9.6 | 10.2 |
| AssistsAST | 3.2 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.2% | 64.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.7% | 75.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 70 |
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 Duren |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 44.6 | 49.4 |
| Points | 21.4 | 24.8 |
| Rebounds | 10.9 | 13.5 |
| Assists | 3.6 | 2.6 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 2.3 |
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 Duren |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.8 | +2.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.2 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.8 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.2 | +0.4 |
| Threes3PM | -0.0 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.1 | +2.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | -0.8 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| Total | +1.2 | +2.1 |
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 field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Bam Adebayo.
| Punt | Bam Adebayo | Jalen Duren |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.7 (#40) | +1.6 (#25) |
| REB | -0.8 (#85) | -0.2 (#67) |
| AST | +1.3 (#30) | +2.8 (#16) |
| STL | +0.3 (#53) | +2.5 (#20) |
| BLK | +1.1 (#36) | +1.4 (#32) |
| 3PM | +1.2 (#37) | +3.7 (#10) |
| FG% | +1.8 (#29) | -1.7 (#109) |
| FT% | +1.8 (#26) | +2.8 (#16) |
| TO | +0.9 (#47) | +1.8 (#38) |
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)
- Bam Adebayo: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
- Jalen Duren: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI), listed Out.
Recent games
- Bam Adebayo: 28.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 39.4 on the board.
- Jalen Duren: 30.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 37.2 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 Jalen Duren playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bam Adebayo or Jalen Duren?
Points leagues: Bam Adebayo. 39.4 fantasy points per game against 37.2, 28th on our board to 40th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren instead, +2.1 in summed z-scores against +1.2 (30th to 34th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Bam Adebayo or Jalen Duren?
Category by category, Bam Adebayo is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jalen Duren in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bam Adebayo or Jalen Duren?
Bam Adebayo plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Duren 3. For that week alone, start Bam Adebayo: 118.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jalen Duren.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:27 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number