De'Andre Hunter vs Jarace Walker: who to start in Week 1
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jarace Walker 3. For that week alone, start Jarace Walker: 63.9 projected fantasy points to 63.5 for De'Andre Hunter. Over the season, Jarace Walker leads in both formats: 21.3 fantasy points a game to 21.2, and 263rd against 264th 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 24, 4:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #187
- 21.2 FP/G, slot 16.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #264
- -5.2 z, slot 22.12
- Points leagues
- #182
- 21.3 FP/G, slot 16.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #263
- -5.2 z, slot 22.11
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jarace Walker. 21.3 fantasy points per game against 21.2, 182nd on our board to 187th.
9-cat leagues: Jarace Walker again, -5.2 in summed z-scores against -5.2 (263rd to 264th).
Category by category, De'Andre Hunter is ahead in 3 (PTS, FT% and TO) and Jarace Walker in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Jarace Walker produces more: 31.0 fantasy points to 29.7, on 24.7 minutes a night against 25.7. 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), Jarace Walker 3. For that week alone, start Jarace Walker: 63.9 projected fantasy points to 63.5 for De'Andre Hunter.
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 | De'Andre Hunter | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.2 | 21.3 |
| Minutes | 25.7 | 24.7 |
| PointsPTS | 12.6 | 10.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.7% | 41.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.0% | 74.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 76 |
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 | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 29.7 | 31.0 |
| Points | 17.7 | 15.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 7.2 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 3.5 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.0 |
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 | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.0 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | -0.3 |
| Total | -5.2 | -5.2 |
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, assists, steals, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to De'Andre Hunter.
| Punt | De'Andre Hunter | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -4.6 (#301) | -4.1 (#286) |
| REB | -4.7 (#287) | -5.0 (#296) |
| AST | -4.4 (#263) | -4.6 (#274) |
| STL | -4.1 (#244) | -4.4 (#264) |
| BLK | -4.3 (#245) | -4.8 (#263) |
| 3PM | -5.2 (#289) | -5.1 (#282) |
| FG% | -4.4 (#225) | -4.4 (#226) |
| FT% | -5.3 (#271) | -4.8 (#254) |
| TO | -5.8 (#245) | -5.0 (#212) |
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)
- De'Andre Hunter: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM).
- Jarace Walker: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
Recent games
- De'Andre Hunter: 12.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.2 on the board.
- Jarace Walker: 6.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is De'Andre Hunter playing tonight? · Is Jarace Walker playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Andre Hunter or Jarace Walker?
Points leagues: Jarace Walker. 21.3 fantasy points per game against 21.2, 182nd on our board to 187th. 9-cat leagues: Jarace Walker again, -5.2 in summed z-scores against -5.2 (263rd to 264th).
Who wins more categories, De'Andre Hunter or Jarace Walker?
Category by category, De'Andre Hunter is ahead in 3 (PTS, FT% and TO) and Jarace Walker in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Andre Hunter or Jarace Walker?
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jarace Walker 3. For that week alone, start Jarace Walker: 63.9 projected fantasy points to 63.5 for De'Andre Hunter.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number