Dylan Cardwell vs Jakob Poeltl: who to start in Week 2
Dylan Cardwell plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jakob Poeltl 3. For that week alone, start Jakob Poeltl: 70.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dylan Cardwell. Over the season, Jakob Poeltl leads in both formats: 23.6 fantasy points a game to 22.3, and 137th against 138th 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 26, 2:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #160
- 22.3 FP/G, slot 14.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #138
- -2.2 z, slot 12.06, $3
Out (Calf)
- Points leagues
- #152
- 23.6 FP/G, slot 13.08, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #137
- -2.2 z, slot 12.05, $3
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jakob Poeltl. 23.6 fantasy points per game against 22.3, 152nd on our board to 160th.
9-cat leagues: Jakob Poeltl again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (137th to 138th).
Category by category, Dylan Cardwell is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FT% and TO) and Jakob Poeltl in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Dylan Cardwell produces more: 39.0 fantasy points to 34.6, on 20.6 minutes a night against 24.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Dylan Cardwell plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jakob Poeltl 3. For that week alone, start Jakob Poeltl: 70.9 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Dylan Cardwell | Jakob Poeltl |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.3 | 23.6 |
| Minutes | 20.6 | 24.6 |
| PointsPTS | 5.4 | 9.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.5 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.5 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 58.7% | 68.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 51.0% | 60.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 44 | 46 |
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 | Dylan Cardwell | Jakob Poeltl |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.0 | 34.6 |
| Points | 9.4 | 13.8 |
| Rebounds | 13.2 | 9.9 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 2.7 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 1.7 |
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 | Dylan Cardwell | Jakob Poeltl |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.9 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.8 | +0.0 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.7 | +2.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.1 | -1.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +0.9 |
| Total | -2.2 | -2.2 |
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 points, assists, steals, threes and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Dylan Cardwell.
| Punt | Dylan Cardwell | Jakob Poeltl |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.2 (#68) | -1.0 (#103) |
| REB | -3.4 (#210) | -3.0 (#188) |
| AST | -1.0 (#94) | -1.3 (#112) |
| STL | -1.3 (#110) | -1.7 (#129) |
| BLK | -4.3 (#237) | -2.5 (#154) |
| 3PM | -0.4 (#72) | -0.4 (#76) |
| FG% | -3.4 (#180) | -4.9 (#245) |
| FT% | -1.0 (#97) | -0.9 (#91) |
| TO | -3.5 (#160) | -3.2 (#148) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Dylan Cardwell: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu @NOP, Sat @MEM), listed Out.
- Jakob Poeltl: 3 games (Wed ORL, Fri ORL, Sun @LAL).
Recent games
- Dylan Cardwell: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.3 on the board.
- Jakob Poeltl: 13.7 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Dylan Cardwell playing tonight? · Is Jakob Poeltl playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Dylan Cardwell or Jakob Poeltl?
Points leagues: Jakob Poeltl. 23.6 fantasy points per game against 22.3, 152nd on our board to 160th. 9-cat leagues: Jakob Poeltl again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (137th to 138th).
Who wins more categories, Dylan Cardwell or Jakob Poeltl?
Category by category, Dylan Cardwell is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FT% and TO) and Jakob Poeltl in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Dylan Cardwell or Jakob Poeltl?
Dylan Cardwell plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jakob Poeltl 3. For that week alone, start Jakob Poeltl: 70.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dylan Cardwell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number