Brandin Podziemski vs Kel'el Ware: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Kel'el Ware in both formats: 27.7 fantasy points a game to 27.7 in points leagues, and 52nd against 114th 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
- #113
- 27.7 FP/G, slot 10.05, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #114
- -1.7 z, slot 10.06, $6
- Points leagues
- #112
- 27.7 FP/G, slot 10.04, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #52
- +0.4 z, slot 5.04, $17
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Kel'el Ware. 27.7 fantasy points per game against 27.7, 112th on our board to 113th.
9-cat leagues: Kel'el Ware again, +0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (52nd to 114th).
Category by category, Brandin Podziemski is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Kel'el Ware in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Kel'el Ware produces more: 45.1 fantasy points to 35.0, on 22.1 minutes a night against 28.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandin Podziemski plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 83.2 projected fantasy points to 83.0 for Brandin Podziemski.
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 | Brandin Podziemski | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 27.7 | 27.7 |
| Minutes | 28.5 | 22.1 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 11.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.1 | 9.0 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.5% | 53.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.7% | 74.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 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 | Brandin Podziemski | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.0 | 45.1 |
| Points | 17.5 | 18.0 |
| Rebounds | 6.5 | 14.7 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 1.2 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 1.8 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 1.3 |
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 | Brandin Podziemski | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.3 | +1.4 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | +0.1 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | +0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +1.4 |
| Total | -1.7 | +0.4 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Kel'el Ware stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Brandin Podziemski | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.3 (#118) | +1.3 (#30) |
| REB | -1.5 (#116) | -1.2 (#100) |
| AST | -1.8 (#135) | +1.9 (#25) |
| STL | -1.9 (#137) | +1.0 (#35) |
| BLK | -0.8 (#82) | -0.7 (#79) |
| 3PM | -2.0 (#136) | +0.8 (#42) |
| FG% | -1.4 (#97) | -0.4 (#71) |
| FT% | -1.8 (#125) | +0.6 (#46) |
| TO | -2.1 (#112) | -1.2 (#86) |
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)
- Brandin Podziemski: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
- Kel'el Ware: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brandin Podziemski: 31.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 27.7 on the board.
- Kel'el Ware: 26.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 27.7 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 Brandin Podziemski or Kel'el Ware in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Kel'el Ware. 27.7 fantasy points per game against 27.7, 112th on our board to 113th. 9-cat leagues: Kel'el Ware again, +0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (52nd to 114th).
Who wins more categories, Brandin Podziemski or Kel'el Ware?
Category by category, Brandin Podziemski is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Kel'el Ware in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandin Podziemski or Kel'el Ware?
Brandin Podziemski plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 83.2 projected fantasy points to 83.0 for Brandin Podziemski.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number