De'Andre Hunter vs Dylan Cardwell: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft De'Andre Hunter in points leagues (22.3 fantasy points a game to 22.3) and Dylan Cardwell in 9-cat leagues (139th against 244th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #173
- 22.3 FP/G, slot 15.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #244
- -4.6 z, slot 21.04
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #174
- 22.3 FP/G, slot 15.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #139
- -2.3 z, slot 12.07, $3
Out (Calf)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft De'Andre Hunter. 22.3 fantasy points per game against 22.3, 173rd on our board to 174th.
9-cat leagues: Dylan Cardwell instead, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -4.6 (139th to 244th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Andre Hunter is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Dylan Cardwell in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Dylan Cardwell produces more: 39.0 fantasy points to 30.8, on 20.6 minutes a night against 26.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dylan Cardwell 3. For that week alone, start De'Andre Hunter: 67.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dylan Cardwell.
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'Andre Hunter | Dylan Cardwell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.3 | 22.3 |
| Minutes | 26.1 | 20.6 |
| PointsPTS | 13.7 | 5.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.1 | 7.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 1.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 1.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.5% | 58.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.7% | 51.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 44 |
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'Andre Hunter | Dylan Cardwell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 30.8 | 39.0 |
| Points | 18.8 | 9.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.7 | 13.2 |
| Assists | 2.8 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 2.7 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 0.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 1.5 |
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 | De'Andre Hunter | Dylan Cardwell |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -2.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | +0.8 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | +1.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.3 | +0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +1.2 |
| Total | -4.6 | -2.3 |
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 blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to De'Andre Hunter.
| Punt | De'Andre Hunter | Dylan Cardwell |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -4.1 (#284) | -0.4 (#77) |
| REB | -3.9 (#246) | -3.4 (#217) |
| AST | -3.8 (#241) | -1.1 (#96) |
| STL | -3.7 (#216) | -1.4 (#118) |
| BLK | -3.7 (#210) | -4.4 (#245) |
| 3PM | -4.7 (#269) | -0.6 (#82) |
| FG% | -3.4 (#174) | -3.6 (#184) |
| FT% | -5.4 (#278) | -1.2 (#101) |
| TO | -5.0 (#208) | -3.8 (#167) |
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'Andre Hunter: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM).
- Dylan Cardwell: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM), listed Out.
Recent games
- De'Andre Hunter: 17.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.3 on the board.
- Dylan Cardwell: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.3 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 De'Andre Hunter or Dylan Cardwell in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft De'Andre Hunter. 22.3 fantasy points per game against 22.3, 173rd on our board to 174th. 9-cat leagues: Dylan Cardwell instead, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -4.6 (139th to 244th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Andre Hunter or Dylan Cardwell?
Category by category, De'Andre Hunter is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Dylan Cardwell in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Andre Hunter or Dylan Cardwell?
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dylan Cardwell 3. For that week alone, start De'Andre Hunter: 67.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dylan Cardwell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number