Brandon Miller vs Kel'el Ware: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Brandon Miller in points leagues (33.6 fantasy points a game to 27.7) and Kel'el Ware in 9-cat leagues (52nd against 53rd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #61
- 33.6 FP/G, slot 6.01, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #53
- +0.3 z, slot 5.05, $17
The pick in points leagues.
- 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 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Brandon Miller. 33.6 fantasy points per game against 27.7, 61st on our board to 112th.
9-cat leagues: Kel'el Ware instead, +0.4 in summed z-scores against +0.3 (52nd to 53rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Brandon Miller 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 40.0, on 22.1 minutes a night against 30.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandon Miller plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Miller: 100.9 projected fantasy points to 83.2 for Kel'el Ware.
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 | Brandon Miller | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.6 | 27.7 |
| Minutes | 30.3 | 22.1 |
| PointsPTS | 20.2 | 11.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.9 | 9.0 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 3.1 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.5% | 53.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 89.2% | 74.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.5 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 65 | 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 Miller | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.0 | 45.1 |
| Points | 24.0 | 18.0 |
| Rebounds | 5.8 | 14.7 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 1.2 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 1.8 |
| Threes | 3.7 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.0 | 1.3 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Brandon Miller | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | +1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.2 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.0 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.0 | +0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +1.5 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.4 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.0 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.8 | +1.4 |
| Total | +0.3 | +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
Punting rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Brandon Miller.
| Punt | Brandon Miller | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.4 (#79) | +1.3 (#30) |
| REB | +0.8 (#39) | -1.2 (#100) |
| AST | +0.4 (#47) | +1.9 (#25) |
| STL | +0.3 (#51) | +1.0 (#35) |
| BLK | +0.4 (#56) | -0.7 (#79) |
| 3PM | -1.3 (#104) | +0.8 (#42) |
| FG% | +2.0 (#30) | -0.4 (#71) |
| FT% | -0.8 (#87) | +0.6 (#46) |
| TO | +1.2 (#48) | -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)
- Brandon Miller: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
- Kel'el Ware: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brandon Miller: 30.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 33.6 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.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Brandon Miller or Kel'el Ware in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Brandon Miller. 33.6 fantasy points per game against 27.7, 61st on our board to 112th. 9-cat leagues: Kel'el Ware instead, +0.4 in summed z-scores against +0.3 (52nd to 53rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Brandon Miller or Kel'el Ware?
Category by category, Brandon Miller 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, Brandon Miller or Kel'el Ware?
Brandon Miller plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Miller: 100.9 projected fantasy points to 83.2 for Kel'el Ware.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number