De'Aaron Fox vs Donovan Clingan: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Donovan Clingan in both formats: 34.7 fantasy points a game to 34.5 in points leagues, and 30th against 71st 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
- #51
- 34.5 FP/G, slot 5.03, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #71
- -0.4 z, slot 6.11, $13
Day to day (Undisclosed)
- Points leagues
- #50
- 34.7 FP/G, slot 5.02, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #30
- +1.6 z, slot 3.06, $24
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Donovan Clingan. 34.7 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 50th on our board to 51st.
9-cat leagues: Donovan Clingan again, +1.6 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (30th to 71st).
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Donovan Clingan in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Donovan Clingan produces more: 46.0 fantasy points to 40.1, on 27.2 minutes a night against 31.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Donovan Clingan 2. For that week alone, start De'Aaron Fox: 103.6 projected fantasy points to 69.5 for Donovan Clingan.
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Donovan Clingan |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.5 | 34.7 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 27.2 |
| PointsPTS | 18.6 | 12.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 11.6 |
| AssistsAST | 6.2 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.6% | 52.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.0% | 68.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 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 | De'Aaron Fox | Donovan Clingan |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.1 | 46.0 |
| Points | 21.6 | 16.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 15.3 |
| Assists | 7.2 | 2.8 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 2.2 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 1.6 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | De'Aaron Fox | Donovan Clingan |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | +2.6 |
| AssistsAST | +1.2 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +2.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.0 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | +0.8 |
| Total | -0.4 | +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 rebounds and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to De'Aaron Fox.
| Punt | De'Aaron Fox | Donovan Clingan |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.9 (#101) | +2.3 (#14) |
| REB | +0.4 (#52) | -1.3 (#103) |
| AST | -1.8 (#137) | +2.4 (#18) |
| STL | -1.1 (#101) | +2.8 (#15) |
| BLK | +0.4 (#53) | -0.8 (#83) |
| 3PM | -0.7 (#88) | +2.2 (#22) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#80) | +0.7 (#49) |
| FT% | -0.1 (#66) | +2.6 (#19) |
| TO | +0.1 (#59) | +0.6 (#54) |
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)
- De'Aaron Fox: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Donovan Clingan: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
Recent games
- De'Aaron Fox: 31.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 34.5 on the board.
- Donovan Clingan: 33.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 34.7 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft De'Aaron Fox or Donovan Clingan in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Donovan Clingan. 34.7 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 50th on our board to 51st. 9-cat leagues: Donovan Clingan again, +1.6 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (30th to 71st).
Who wins more categories, De'Aaron Fox or Donovan Clingan?
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Donovan Clingan in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Aaron Fox or Donovan Clingan?
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Donovan Clingan 2. For that week alone, start De'Aaron Fox: 103.6 projected fantasy points to 69.5 for Donovan Clingan.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number