Egor Dëmin vs Ja'Kobe Walter: who to start in Week 1
Egor Dëmin plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja'Kobe Walter 3. For that week alone, start Egor Dëmin: 63.4 projected fantasy points to 50.1 for Ja'Kobe Walter. Over the season, Egor Dëmin leads in points leagues (21.1 fantasy points a game to 16.7) and Ja'Kobe Walter in 9-cat leagues (196th against 197th). 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
- #187
- 21.1 FP/G, slot 16.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #197
- -3.7 z, slot 17.05
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #250
- 16.7 FP/G, slot 21.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #196
- -3.7 z, slot 17.04
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Egor Dëmin. 21.1 fantasy points per game against 16.7, 187th on our board to 250th.
9-cat leagues: Ja'Kobe Walter instead, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (196th to 197th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Egor Dëmin is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Ja'Kobe Walter in 3 (STL, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Egor Dëmin produces more: 29.7 fantasy points to 28.9, on 25.6 minutes a night against 20.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Egor Dëmin plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja'Kobe Walter 3. For that week alone, start Egor Dëmin: 63.4 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 | Egor Dëmin | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.1 | 16.7 |
| Minutes | 25.6 | 20.8 |
| PointsPTS | 10.6 | 7.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.4 | 1.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.4 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 39.2% | 43.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.7% | 73.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 0.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 52 | 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 | Egor Dëmin | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 29.7 | 28.9 |
| Points | 14.9 | 13.2 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Assists | 4.8 | 2.4 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.4 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 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 | Egor Dëmin | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -1.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | +0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +0.8 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.4 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +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, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Egor Dëmin.
| Punt | Egor Dëmin | Ja'Kobe Walter |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.7 (#201) | -2.2 (#180) |
| REB | -2.6 (#173) | -2.5 (#165) |
| AST | -3.6 (#225) | -2.7 (#182) |
| STL | -3.1 (#190) | -4.2 (#252) |
| BLK | -3.1 (#169) | -3.0 (#166) |
| 3PM | -4.5 (#254) | -3.6 (#210) |
| FG% | -2.3 (#135) | -3.5 (#174) |
| FT% | -4.1 (#221) | -3.5 (#195) |
| TO | -4.0 (#177) | -5.5 (#228) |
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)
- Egor Dëmin: 3 games (Wed CHA, Sat @CLE, Sun IND), 1 back-to-back.
- Ja'Kobe Walter: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- Egor Dëmin: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.1 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 Egor Dëmin playing tonight? · Is Ja'Kobe Walter playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Egor Dëmin
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Egor Dëmin or Ja'Kobe Walter?
Points leagues: Egor Dëmin. 21.1 fantasy points per game against 16.7, 187th on our board to 250th. 9-cat leagues: Ja'Kobe Walter instead, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (196th to 197th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Egor Dëmin or Ja'Kobe Walter?
Category by category, Egor Dëmin is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Ja'Kobe Walter in 3 (STL, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Egor Dëmin or Ja'Kobe Walter?
Egor Dëmin plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja'Kobe Walter 3. For that week alone, start Egor Dëmin: 63.4 projected fantasy points to 50.1 for Ja'Kobe Walter.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number