Brandon Ingram vs Kel'el Ware: who to start in Week 1
Brandon Ingram plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Brandon Ingram. Over the season, Brandon Ingram leads in both formats: 35.7 fantasy points a game to 27.0, and 67th against 68th 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #43
- 35.7 FP/G, slot 4.07, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #67
- -0.3 z, slot 6.07, $14
Out (Heel)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #115
- 27.0 FP/G, slot 10.07, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #68
- -0.3 z, slot 6.08, $14
The call
Points leagues: Brandon Ingram. 35.7 fantasy points per game against 27.0, 43rd on our board to 115th.
9-cat leagues: Brandon Ingram again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (67th to 68th).
Category by category, Brandon Ingram is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Kel'el Ware in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Kel'el Ware produces more: 44.9 fantasy points to 38.0, on 21.7 minutes a night against 33.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandon Ingram plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Brandon Ingram.
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 | Brandon Ingram | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.7 | 27.0 |
| Minutes | 33.8 | 21.7 |
| PointsPTS | 21.5 | 11.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.6 | 8.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.7% | 53.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.0% | 69.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 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 | Brandon Ingram | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.0 | 44.9 |
| Points | 22.9 | 18.7 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 14.3 |
| Assists | 3.9 | 1.2 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 1.7 |
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 | Brandon Ingram | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.9 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | +1.3 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -1.5 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | +0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | +0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | -0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | +1.1 |
| Total | -0.3 | -0.3 |
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 points, assists, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Kel'el Ware.
| Punt | Brandon Ingram | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#118) | +0.6 (#44) |
| REB | -0.3 (#63) | -1.8 (#126) |
| AST | -0.4 (#68) | +1.1 (#36) |
| STL | +0.4 (#48) | +0.4 (#49) |
| BLK | -0.4 (#70) | -1.3 (#101) |
| 3PM | -0.5 (#78) | +0.2 (#55) |
| FG% | -0.2 (#67) | -1.4 (#96) |
| FT% | -0.7 (#82) | +0.3 (#54) |
| TO | +0.4 (#55) | -1.5 (#96) |
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)
- Brandon Ingram: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC), listed Out.
- Kel'el Ware: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brandon Ingram: 33.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.7 on the board.
- Kel'el Ware: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 27.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Brandon Ingram playing tonight? · Is Kel'el Ware playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Kel'el Ware
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brandon Ingram or Kel'el Ware?
Points leagues: Brandon Ingram. 35.7 fantasy points per game against 27.0, 43rd on our board to 115th. 9-cat leagues: Brandon Ingram again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (67th to 68th).
Who wins more categories, Brandon Ingram or Kel'el Ware?
Category by category, Brandon Ingram is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Kel'el Ware in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandon Ingram or Kel'el Ware?
Brandon Ingram plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Brandon Ingram.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number