Dominick Barlow vs Luke Kennard: who to start in Week 1
Dominick Barlow plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Luke Kennard: 32.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dominick Barlow. Over the season, Dominick Barlow leads in both formats: 19.4 fantasy points a game to 16.4, and 185th against 186th 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #216
- 19.4 FP/G, slot 18.12
- 9-cat leagues
- #185
- -3.4 z, slot 16.05
Out (Back)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #256
- 16.4 FP/G, slot 22.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #186
- -3.4 z, slot 16.06
The call
Points leagues: Dominick Barlow. 19.4 fantasy points per game against 16.4, 216th on our board to 256th.
9-cat leagues: Dominick Barlow again, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (185th to 186th).
Category by category, Dominick Barlow is ahead in 3 (REB, STL and BLK) and Luke Kennard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Dominick Barlow produces more: 29.3 fantasy points to 27.7, on 23.8 minutes a night against 21.3. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Dominick Barlow plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Luke Kennard: 32.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dominick Barlow.
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 | Dominick Barlow | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 19.4 | 16.4 |
| Minutes | 23.8 | 21.3 |
| PointsPTS | 7.7 | 8.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 2.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.3 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 53.9% | 54.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 71.8% | 91.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 71 | 78 |
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 | Dominick Barlow | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 29.3 | 27.7 |
| Points | 11.6 | 14.4 |
| Rebounds | 7.2 | 4.1 |
| Assists | 1.9 | 3.6 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 0.4 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 1.2 |
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 | Dominick Barlow | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.5 | -1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | -1.5 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.4 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.3 | +1.4 |
| Total | -3.4 | -3.4 |
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, steals, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Luke Kennard.
| Punt | Dominick Barlow | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#159) | -2.0 (#169) |
| REB | -3.2 (#205) | -2.0 (#133) |
| AST | -2.2 (#164) | -2.7 (#184) |
| STL | -3.1 (#192) | -2.7 (#171) |
| BLK | -3.9 (#210) | -2.3 (#148) |
| 3PM | -2.0 (#137) | -3.4 (#201) |
| FG% | -4.4 (#226) | -4.0 (#209) |
| FT% | -2.9 (#173) | -3.7 (#208) |
| TO | -4.9 (#203) | -4.9 (#206) |
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)
- Dominick Barlow: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
- Luke Kennard: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
Recent games
- Dominick Barlow: 18.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 19.4 on the board.
- Luke Kennard: 20.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 16.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Dominick Barlow playing tonight? · Is Luke Kennard playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Dominick Barlow or Luke Kennard?
Points leagues: Dominick Barlow. 19.4 fantasy points per game against 16.4, 216th on our board to 256th. 9-cat leagues: Dominick Barlow again, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (185th to 186th).
Who wins more categories, Dominick Barlow or Luke Kennard?
Category by category, Dominick Barlow is ahead in 3 (REB, STL and BLK) and Luke Kennard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Dominick Barlow or Luke Kennard?
Dominick Barlow plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Luke Kennard: 32.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dominick Barlow.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number