Bobby Portis Jr. vs Ryan Kalkbrenner: who to start in Week 1
Bobby Portis Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3. For that week alone, start Bobby Portis Jr.: 74.1 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Ryan Kalkbrenner. Over the season, Bobby Portis Jr. leads in points leagues (24.7 fantasy points a game to 20.2) and Ryan Kalkbrenner in 9-cat leagues (129th against 131st). 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, 4:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #135
- 24.7 FP/G, slot 12.03, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #131
- -2.0 z, slot 11.11, $4
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #204
- 20.2 FP/G, slot 17.12
- 9-cat leagues
- #129
- -2.0 z, slot 11.09, $4
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Bobby Portis Jr.. 24.7 fantasy points per game against 20.2, 135th on our board to 204th.
9-cat leagues: Ryan Kalkbrenner instead, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (129th to 131st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Bobby Portis Jr. is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Ryan Kalkbrenner in 3 (BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Bobby Portis Jr. produces more: 37.0 fantasy points to 34.8, on 24.0 minutes a night against 20.9. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Bobby Portis Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3. For that week alone, start Bobby Portis Jr.: 74.1 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Ryan Kalkbrenner.
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 | Bobby Portis Jr. | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.7 | 20.2 |
| Minutes | 24.0 | 20.9 |
| PointsPTS | 13.1 | 7.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.3 | 5.5 |
| AssistsAST | 1.6 | 0.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 1.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.6% | 74.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 70.6% | 71.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 67 | 69 |
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 | Bobby Portis Jr. | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.0 | 34.8 |
| Points | 19.6 | 12.5 |
| Rebounds | 9.5 | 9.5 |
| Assists | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 2.6 |
| Threes | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 1.6 |
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 | Bobby Portis Jr. | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -1.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.3 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -1.0 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | -1.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | +1.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.4 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.0 | +1.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | -0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +1.2 |
| Total | -2.0 | -2.0 |
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 blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Bobby Portis Jr..
| Punt | Bobby Portis Jr. | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#138) | -0.4 (#79) |
| REB | -2.4 (#156) | -2.1 (#137) |
| AST | -1.1 (#104) | -0.7 (#85) |
| STL | -1.1 (#103) | -0.4 (#74) |
| BLK | -1.2 (#100) | -4.1 (#230) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#165) | -0.3 (#68) |
| FG% | -2.2 (#130) | -4.3 (#221) |
| FT% | -1.8 (#131) | -1.6 (#118) |
| TO | -3.2 (#149) | -3.4 (#154) |
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)
- Bobby Portis Jr.: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Bobby Portis Jr.: 22.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 24.7 on the board.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner: 20.2 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Bobby Portis Jr. playing tonight? · Is Ryan Kalkbrenner playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ryan Kalkbrenner
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bobby Portis Jr. or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Points leagues: Bobby Portis Jr.. 24.7 fantasy points per game against 20.2, 135th on our board to 204th. 9-cat leagues: Ryan Kalkbrenner instead, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (129th to 131st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Bobby Portis Jr. or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Category by category, Bobby Portis Jr. is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Ryan Kalkbrenner in 3 (BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bobby Portis Jr. or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Bobby Portis Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3. For that week alone, start Bobby Portis Jr.: 74.1 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Ryan Kalkbrenner.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number