Dylan Cardwell vs Keldon Johnson: who to start in Week 1
Dylan Cardwell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 66.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dylan Cardwell. Over the season, Dylan Cardwell leads in both formats: 22.3 fantasy points a game to 22.3, and 142nd against 174th 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, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #161
- 22.3 FP/G, slot 14.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #142
- -2.2 z, slot 12.10, $3
Out (Calf)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #162
- 22.3 FP/G, slot 14.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #174
- -3.1 z, slot 15.06
The call
Points leagues: Dylan Cardwell. 22.3 fantasy points per game against 22.3, 161st on our board to 162nd.
9-cat leagues: Dylan Cardwell again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (142nd to 174th).
Category by category, Dylan Cardwell is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Keldon Johnson in 3 (PTS, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Dylan Cardwell produces more: 39.0 fantasy points to 34.8, on 20.6 minutes a night against 23.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Dylan Cardwell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 66.8 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 | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.3 | 22.3 |
| Minutes | 20.6 | 23.0 |
| PointsPTS | 5.4 | 12.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.5 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.5 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 58.7% | 52.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 51.0% | 78.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 44 | 82 |
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 | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.0 | 34.8 |
| Points | 9.4 | 19.3 |
| Rebounds | 13.2 | 8.4 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 2.7 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 1.4 |
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 | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.9 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.7 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.7 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.1 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +1.2 |
| Total | -2.2 | -3.1 |
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 and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Keldon Johnson.
| Punt | Dylan Cardwell | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.3 (#69) | -2.4 (#191) |
| REB | -3.3 (#208) | -3.1 (#195) |
| AST | -1.1 (#101) | -2.0 (#150) |
| STL | -1.3 (#114) | -2.1 (#147) |
| BLK | -4.3 (#244) | -2.1 (#142) |
| 3PM | -0.4 (#73) | -2.5 (#167) |
| FG% | -3.5 (#181) | -4.0 (#207) |
| FT% | -1.0 (#95) | -3.0 (#179) |
| TO | -3.6 (#160) | -4.4 (#189) |
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)
- Dylan Cardwell: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM), listed Out.
- Keldon Johnson: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Dylan Cardwell: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.3 on the board.
- Keldon Johnson: 19.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 22.3 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 Keldon Johnson playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Dylan Cardwell or Keldon Johnson?
Points leagues: Dylan Cardwell. 22.3 fantasy points per game against 22.3, 161st on our board to 162nd. 9-cat leagues: Dylan Cardwell again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (142nd to 174th).
Who wins more categories, Dylan Cardwell or Keldon Johnson?
Category by category, Dylan Cardwell is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Keldon Johnson in 3 (PTS, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Dylan Cardwell or Keldon Johnson?
Dylan Cardwell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 66.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dylan Cardwell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number