Bilal Coulibaly vs Kel'el Ware: who to start in Week 1
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 80.6 projected fantasy points to 80.1 for Bilal Coulibaly. Over the season, Kel'el Ware leads in both formats: 26.9 fantasy points a game to 26.7, and 61st against 101st 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 22, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #116
- 26.7 FP/G, slot 10.08, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #101
- -1.3 z, slot 9.05, $9
- Points leagues
- #115
- 26.9 FP/G, slot 10.07, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #61
- -0.2 z, slot 6.01, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Kel'el Ware. 26.9 fantasy points per game against 26.7, 115th on our board to 116th.
9-cat leagues: Kel'el Ware again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (61st to 101st).
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and STL) and Kel'el Ware in 4 (REB, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Kel'el Ware produces more: 44.7 fantasy points to 36.4, on 21.6 minutes a night against 26.4. 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), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 80.6 projected fantasy points to 80.1 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Bilal Coulibaly | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.7 | 26.9 |
| Minutes | 26.4 | 21.6 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 10.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 8.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.5% | 52.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.1% | 68.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 77 |
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 | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.4 | 44.7 |
| Points | 15.9 | 18.0 |
| Rebounds | 5.7 | 14.4 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 1.2 |
| Steals | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 1.4 |
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 | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | +1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -1.5 |
| StealsSTL | +1.4 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | +0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | -0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +1.3 |
| Total | -1.3 | -0.2 |
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 and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Bilal Coulibaly.
| Punt | Bilal Coulibaly | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#79) | +0.7 (#42) |
| REB | -0.8 (#83) | -1.7 (#121) |
| AST | -0.7 (#83) | +1.2 (#32) |
| STL | -2.7 (#175) | +0.4 (#52) |
| BLK | -2.2 (#143) | -1.2 (#95) |
| 3PM | -0.8 (#89) | +0.3 (#54) |
| FG% | -0.8 (#79) | -1.1 (#91) |
| FT% | -0.7 (#82) | +0.3 (#53) |
| TO | -1.9 (#108) | -1.7 (#99) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Bilal Coulibaly: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Kel'el Ware: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Bilal Coulibaly: 32.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.7 on the board.
- Kel'el Ware: 14.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Bilal Coulibaly playing tonight? · Is Kel'el Ware playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Bilal Coulibaly, Kel'el Ware
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bilal Coulibaly or Kel'el Ware?
Points leagues: Kel'el Ware. 26.9 fantasy points per game against 26.7, 115th on our board to 116th. 9-cat leagues: Kel'el Ware again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (61st to 101st).
Who wins more categories, Bilal Coulibaly or Kel'el Ware?
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and STL) and Kel'el Ware in 4 (REB, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bilal Coulibaly or Kel'el Ware?
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 80.6 projected fantasy points to 80.1 for Bilal Coulibaly.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number