CJ McCollum vs Paolo Banchero: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Paolo Banchero in both formats: 40.8 fantasy points a game to 30.6 in points leagues, and 111th against 113th 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
- #84
- 30.6 FP/G, slot 7.12, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #113
- -1.7 z, slot 10.05, $6
Day to day (Rest)
- Points leagues
- #25
- 40.8 FP/G, slot 3.01, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #111
- -1.6 z, slot 10.03, $6
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Paolo Banchero. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 30.6, 25th on our board to 84th.
9-cat leagues: Paolo Banchero again, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (111th to 113th).
Category by category, CJ McCollum is ahead in 4 (STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Paolo Banchero in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Paolo Banchero produces more: 42.2 fantasy points to 37.0, on 34.8 minutes a night against 29.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
CJ McCollum plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Paolo Banchero: 122.3 projected fantasy points to 91.9 for CJ McCollum.
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 | CJ McCollum | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.6 | 40.8 |
| Minutes | 29.8 | 34.8 |
| PointsPTS | 18.7 | 22.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 8.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.9 | 5.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 2.5 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.5% | 45.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.2% | 77.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 3.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 76 | 72 |
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 | CJ McCollum | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.0 | 42.2 |
| Points | 22.6 | 23.0 |
| Rebounds | 4.0 | 8.7 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 5.4 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 3.0 | 1.2 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.2 |
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 | CJ McCollum | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | +1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +0.9 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | -1.5 |
| Total | -1.7 | -1.6 |
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, rebounds, assists, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to CJ McCollum.
| Punt | CJ McCollum | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#168) | -2.7 (#202) |
| REB | -0.6 (#78) | -3.2 (#201) |
| AST | -1.9 (#143) | -2.5 (#175) |
| STL | -1.3 (#110) | -0.9 (#87) |
| BLK | -1.3 (#95) | -1.7 (#119) |
| 3PM | -2.7 (#172) | -1.2 (#100) |
| FG% | -1.1 (#88) | -1.6 (#110) |
| FT% | -1.6 (#116) | -1.1 (#100) |
| TO | -1.8 (#105) | -0.2 (#65) |
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)
- CJ McCollum: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Paolo Banchero: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Recent games
- CJ McCollum: 34.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.6 on the board.
- Paolo Banchero: 37.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 40.8 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 CJ McCollum or Paolo Banchero in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Paolo Banchero. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 30.6, 25th on our board to 84th. 9-cat leagues: Paolo Banchero again, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (111th to 113th).
Who wins more categories, CJ McCollum or Paolo Banchero?
Category by category, CJ McCollum is ahead in 4 (STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Paolo Banchero in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, CJ McCollum or Paolo Banchero?
CJ McCollum plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Paolo Banchero: 122.3 projected fantasy points to 91.9 for CJ McCollum.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number