Bilal Coulibaly vs Cedric Coward: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Cedric Coward in points leagues (26.3 fantasy points a game to 26.3) and Bilal Coulibaly in 9-cat leagues (129th against 145th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #126
- 26.3 FP/G, slot 11.06, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #129
- -2.0 z, slot 11.09, $4
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #125
- 26.3 FP/G, slot 11.05, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #145
- -2.4 z, slot 13.01, $2
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Cedric Coward. 26.3 fantasy points per game against 26.3, 125th on our board to 126th.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly instead, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (129th to 145th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 3 (STL, BLK and TO) and Cedric Coward in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Cedric Coward produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 36.1, on 25.8 minutes a night against 26.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cedric Coward 3. For that week alone, start Cedric Coward: 79.0 projected fantasy points to 78.9 for Bilal Coulibaly.
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 | Bilal Coulibaly | Cedric Coward |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.3 | 26.3 |
| Minutes | 26.2 | 25.8 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 13.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.3 | 5.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 2.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.5% | 47.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.6% | 84.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 62 |
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 | Bilal Coulibaly | Cedric Coward |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.1 | 36.8 |
| Points | 16.1 | 19.0 |
| Rebounds | 6.0 | 8.2 |
| Assists | 3.6 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 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 | Bilal Coulibaly | Cedric Coward |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | +0.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| StealsSTL | +0.9 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | +0.2 |
| Total | -2.0 | -2.4 |
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 steals and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Cedric Coward.
| Punt | Bilal Coulibaly | Cedric Coward |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#116) | -1.9 (#152) |
| REB | -1.7 (#124) | -2.5 (#160) |
| AST | -1.6 (#129) | -2.0 (#144) |
| STL | -3.0 (#188) | -1.4 (#116) |
| BLK | -2.9 (#167) | -2.0 (#132) |
| 3PM | -1.5 (#113) | -2.3 (#148) |
| FG% | -1.5 (#104) | -2.3 (#129) |
| FT% | -1.5 (#115) | -2.8 (#164) |
| TO | -2.7 (#129) | -2.8 (#133) |
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)
- Bilal Coulibaly: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Cedric Coward: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
Recent games
- Bilal Coulibaly: 30.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 26.3 on the board.
- Cedric Coward: 27.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 26.3 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 Bilal Coulibaly or Cedric Coward in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Cedric Coward. 26.3 fantasy points per game against 26.3, 125th on our board to 126th. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly instead, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (129th to 145th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Bilal Coulibaly or Cedric Coward?
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 3 (STL, BLK and TO) and Cedric Coward in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bilal Coulibaly or Cedric Coward?
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cedric Coward 3. For that week alone, start Cedric Coward: 79.0 projected fantasy points to 78.9 for Bilal Coulibaly.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number