Donovan Clingan vs Jalen Duren: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Duren in both formats: 38.2 fantasy points a game to 34.7 in points leagues, and 27th against 30th 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
- #50
- 34.7 FP/G, slot 5.02, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #30
- +1.6 z, slot 3.06, $24
- Points leagues
- #37
- 38.2 FP/G, slot 4.01, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #27
- +1.9 z, slot 3.03, $26
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Duren. 38.2 fantasy points per game against 34.7, 37th on our board to 50th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren again, +1.9 in summed z-scores against +1.6 (27th to 30th).
Category by category, Donovan Clingan is ahead in 5 (REB, AST, BLK, 3PM and TO) and Jalen Duren in 3 (PTS, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Duren produces more: 48.7 fantasy points to 46.0, on 28.2 minutes a night against 27.2. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Donovan Clingan plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Duren 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Duren: 114.6 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 | Donovan Clingan | Jalen Duren |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.7 | 38.2 |
| Minutes | 27.2 | 28.2 |
| PointsPTS | 12.1 | 19.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 11.6 | 10.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.1 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.7 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.0% | 65.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 68.0% | 74.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 70 |
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 | Donovan Clingan | Jalen Duren |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.0 | 48.7 |
| Points | 16.1 | 24.9 |
| Rebounds | 15.3 | 13.4 |
| Assists | 2.8 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 2.2 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 2.4 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Donovan Clingan | Jalen Duren |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | +0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.6 | +2.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.1 | +0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | +3.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.8 | +0.0 |
| Total | +1.6 | +1.9 |
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 points, steals and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Donovan Clingan.
| Punt | Donovan Clingan | Jalen Duren |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.3 (#14) | +1.3 (#28) |
| REB | -1.3 (#103) | -0.6 (#76) |
| AST | +2.4 (#18) | +2.6 (#15) |
| STL | +2.8 (#15) | +2.4 (#19) |
| BLK | -0.8 (#83) | +1.3 (#35) |
| 3PM | +2.2 (#22) | +3.5 (#11) |
| FG% | +0.7 (#49) | -2.0 (#122) |
| FT% | +2.6 (#19) | +2.9 (#14) |
| TO | +0.6 (#54) | +1.7 (#39) |
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)
- Donovan Clingan: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
- Jalen Duren: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI), listed DTD.
Recent games
- Donovan Clingan: 33.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 34.7 on the board.
- Jalen Duren: 40.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 38.2 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Donovan Clingan or Jalen Duren in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Duren. 38.2 fantasy points per game against 34.7, 37th on our board to 50th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren again, +1.9 in summed z-scores against +1.6 (27th to 30th).
Who wins more categories, Donovan Clingan or Jalen Duren?
Category by category, Donovan Clingan is ahead in 5 (REB, AST, BLK, 3PM and TO) and Jalen Duren in 3 (PTS, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Donovan Clingan or Jalen Duren?
Donovan Clingan plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Duren 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Duren: 114.6 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