Dean Wade vs Kyle Kuzma: who to start in Week 1
Dean Wade plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Kuzma 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Kuzma: 73.7 projected fantasy points to 66.1 for Dean Wade. Over the season, Kyle Kuzma leads in points leagues (24.6 fantasy points a game to 16.5) and Dean Wade in 9-cat leagues (199th against 201st). 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
- #254
- 16.5 FP/G, slot 22.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #199
- -3.7 z, slot 17.07
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #140
- 24.6 FP/G, slot 12.08, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #201
- -3.8 z, slot 17.09
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma. 24.6 fantasy points per game against 16.5, 140th on our board to 254th.
9-cat leagues: Dean Wade instead, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.8 (199th to 201st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Dean Wade is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Kyle Kuzma in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Kyle Kuzma produces more: 32.9 fantasy points to 26.2, on 26.9 minutes a night against 22.7. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Dean Wade plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Kuzma 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Kuzma: 73.7 projected fantasy points to 66.1 for Dean Wade.
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 | Dean Wade | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 16.5 | 24.6 |
| Minutes | 22.7 | 26.9 |
| PointsPTS | 5.9 | 12.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.0 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.4 | 2.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.8% | 48.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 62.1% | 72.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.3 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 59 | 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 | Dean Wade | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 26.2 | 32.9 |
| Points | 9.3 | 16.9 |
| Rebounds | 6.4 | 7.1 |
| Assists | 2.2 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 0.4 | 2.4 |
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 | Dean Wade | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.8 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.4 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -0.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +2.0 | +0.1 |
| Total | -3.7 | -3.8 |
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 steals, blocks, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Kyle Kuzma.
| Punt | Dean Wade | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#162) | -3.2 (#226) |
| REB | -3.2 (#202) | -3.8 (#237) |
| AST | -2.7 (#181) | -3.4 (#215) |
| STL | -3.5 (#207) | -3.0 (#183) |
| BLK | -3.5 (#196) | -3.3 (#186) |
| 3PM | -3.3 (#192) | -3.3 (#196) |
| FG% | -3.8 (#198) | -4.2 (#215) |
| FT% | -3.3 (#187) | -3.2 (#185) |
| TO | -5.9 (#248) | -4.0 (#178) |
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)
- Dean Wade: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back.
- Kyle Kuzma: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Dean Wade: 21.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 16.5 on the board.
- Kyle Kuzma: 27.8 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 24.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Dean Wade playing tonight? · Is Kyle Kuzma playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Dean Wade or Kyle Kuzma?
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma. 24.6 fantasy points per game against 16.5, 140th on our board to 254th. 9-cat leagues: Dean Wade instead, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.8 (199th to 201st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Dean Wade or Kyle Kuzma?
Category by category, Dean Wade is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Kyle Kuzma in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Dean Wade or Kyle Kuzma?
Dean Wade plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Kuzma 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Kuzma: 73.7 projected fantasy points to 66.1 for Dean Wade.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number