Daniel Gafford vs Ryan Kalkbrenner: who to start in Week 1
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3. For that week alone, start Daniel Gafford: 71.1 projected fantasy points to 60.4 for Ryan Kalkbrenner. Over the season, Daniel Gafford leads in both formats: 23.7 fantasy points a game to 20.1, and 130th against 132nd 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 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #150
- 23.7 FP/G, slot 13.06, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #130
- -2.1 z, slot 11.10, $4
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #205
- 20.1 FP/G, slot 18.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #132
- -2.1 z, slot 11.12, $4
The call
Points leagues: Daniel Gafford. 23.7 fantasy points per game against 20.1, 150th on our board to 205th.
9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -2.1 (130th to 132nd).
Category by category, Daniel Gafford is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL) and Ryan Kalkbrenner in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Daniel Gafford produces more: 39.2 fantasy points to 34.5, on 21.7 minutes a night against 21.0. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3. For that week alone, start Daniel Gafford: 71.1 projected fantasy points to 60.4 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 | Daniel Gafford | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.7 | 20.1 |
| Minutes | 21.7 | 21.0 |
| PointsPTS | 9.1 | 7.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.6 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 64.8% | 74.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 66.8% | 71.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 55 | 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 | Daniel Gafford | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.2 | 34.5 |
| Points | 15.0 | 12.6 |
| Rebounds | 11.0 | 9.3 |
| Assists | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 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 | Daniel Gafford | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -1.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.3 | +1.7 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.4 | +1.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.2 | -0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +1.2 |
| Total | -2.1 | -2.1 |
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 and steals flips the 9-cat answer to Ryan Kalkbrenner.
| Punt | Daniel Gafford | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.8 (#97) | -0.6 (#82) |
| REB | -2.9 (#185) | -2.2 (#142) |
| AST | -0.8 (#88) | -0.7 (#82) |
| STL | -1.5 (#119) | -0.6 (#80) |
| BLK | -3.8 (#217) | -4.1 (#237) |
| 3PM | -0.4 (#71) | -0.4 (#72) |
| FG% | -4.3 (#220) | -4.4 (#229) |
| FT% | -0.8 (#88) | -1.7 (#124) |
| TO | -3.2 (#144) | -3.6 (#156) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Daniel Gafford: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Daniel Gafford: 15.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.7 on the board.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Daniel Gafford playing tonight? · Is Ryan Kalkbrenner playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ryan Kalkbrenner
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Daniel Gafford or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Points leagues: Daniel Gafford. 23.7 fantasy points per game against 20.1, 150th on our board to 205th. 9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -2.1 (130th to 132nd).
Who wins more categories, Daniel Gafford or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Category by category, Daniel Gafford is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL) and Ryan Kalkbrenner in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Daniel Gafford or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3. For that week alone, start Daniel Gafford: 71.1 projected fantasy points to 60.4 for Ryan Kalkbrenner.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number