Draymond Green vs Ja'Kobe Walter: who to start in Week 1
Draymond Green plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja'Kobe Walter 3. For that week alone, start Draymond Green: 73.5 projected fantasy points to 50.1 for Ja'Kobe Walter. Over the season, Draymond Green leads in points leagues (24.5 fantasy points a game to 16.7) and Ja'Kobe Walter in 9-cat leagues (196th against 199th). 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, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #139
- 24.5 FP/G, slot 12.07, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #199
- -3.7 z, slot 17.07
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #253
- 16.7 FP/G, slot 22.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #196
- -3.7 z, slot 17.04
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Draymond Green. 24.5 fantasy points per game against 16.7, 139th on our board to 253rd.
9-cat leagues: Ja'Kobe Walter instead, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (196th to 199th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Draymond Green is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and BLK) and Ja'Kobe Walter in 5 (STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Draymond Green produces more: 32.3 fantasy points to 28.9, on 27.3 minutes a night against 20.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Draymond Green plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja'Kobe Walter 3. For that week alone, start Draymond Green: 73.5 projected fantasy points to 50.1 for Ja'Kobe Walter.
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 | Draymond Green | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.5 | 16.7 |
| Minutes | 27.3 | 20.8 |
| PointsPTS | 7.8 | 7.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.4 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 5.7 | 1.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.5% | 43.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 70.2% | 73.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 0.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 68 | 72 |
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 | Draymond Green | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 32.3 | 28.9 |
| Points | 10.3 | 13.2 |
| Rebounds | 7.1 | 4.6 |
| Assists | 7.5 | 2.4 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 3.8 | 0.9 |
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 | Draymond Green | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.5 | -1.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | +1.1 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.1 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | +1.7 |
| Total | -3.7 | -3.7 |
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, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Draymond Green.
| Punt | Draymond Green | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#183) | -2.2 (#178) |
| REB | -3.7 (#236) | -2.4 (#160) |
| AST | -4.8 (#281) | -2.6 (#182) |
| STL | -3.3 (#197) | -4.2 (#251) |
| BLK | -3.9 (#220) | -3.0 (#169) |
| 3PM | -3.4 (#203) | -3.6 (#212) |
| FG% | -3.2 (#162) | -3.5 (#174) |
| FT% | -3.4 (#190) | -3.4 (#194) |
| TO | -2.6 (#130) | -5.5 (#229) |
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)
- Draymond Green: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
- Ja'Kobe Walter: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- Draymond Green: 19.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 24.5 on the board.
- Ja'Kobe Walter: 25.7 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 16.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Draymond Green playing tonight? · Is Ja'Kobe Walter playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Draymond Green
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Draymond Green or Ja'Kobe Walter?
Points leagues: Draymond Green. 24.5 fantasy points per game against 16.7, 139th on our board to 253rd. 9-cat leagues: Ja'Kobe Walter instead, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (196th to 199th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Draymond Green or Ja'Kobe Walter?
Category by category, Draymond Green is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and BLK) and Ja'Kobe Walter in 5 (STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Draymond Green or Ja'Kobe Walter?
Draymond Green plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja'Kobe Walter 3. For that week alone, start Draymond Green: 73.5 projected fantasy points to 50.1 for Ja'Kobe Walter.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number