Evan Mobley vs LaMelo Ball: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Evan Mobley in points leagues (39.9 fantasy points a game to 38.1) and LaMelo Ball in 9-cat leagues (40th against 41st). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #29
- 39.9 FP/G, slot 3.05, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #41
- +0.9 z, slot 4.05, $20
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #39
- 38.1 FP/G, slot 4.03, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #40
- +0.9 z, slot 4.04, $20
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Evan Mobley. 39.9 fantasy points per game against 38.1, 29th on our board to 39th.
9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball instead, +0.9 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (40th to 41st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Evan Mobley is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and LaMelo Ball in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, LaMelo Ball produces more: 48.9 fantasy points to 45.0, on 28.0 minutes a night against 31.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Evan Mobley plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LaMelo Ball 3. For that week alone, start LaMelo Ball: 114.3 projected fantasy points to 79.9 for Evan Mobley.
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 | Evan Mobley | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.9 | 38.1 |
| Minutes | 31.9 | 28.0 |
| PointsPTS | 18.2 | 20.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 9.0 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 3.6 | 7.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.7 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 3.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 54.6% | 40.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.6% | 89.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 2.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 65 | 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 | Evan Mobley | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.0 | 48.9 |
| Points | 20.5 | 25.8 |
| Rebounds | 10.2 | 6.2 |
| Assists | 4.1 | 9.2 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 2.0 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 4.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.6 |
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 | Evan Mobley | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.4 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +2.2 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | +2.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.3 | -2.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -2.7 | +0.8 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.0 | -1.2 |
| Total | +0.9 | +0.9 |
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, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Evan Mobley.
| Punt | Evan Mobley | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.5 (#44) | +0.2 (#58) |
| REB | -1.1 (#91) | +1.6 (#29) |
| AST | +0.8 (#40) | -0.9 (#92) |
| STL | +1.5 (#28) | +0.4 (#49) |
| BLK | -1.7 (#115) | +1.9 (#26) |
| 3PM | +1.6 (#30) | -1.4 (#109) |
| FG% | -1.4 (#99) | +3.6 (#16) |
| FT% | +3.6 (#9) | -0.0 (#63) |
| TO | +0.8 (#51) | +2.2 (#32) |
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)
- Evan Mobley: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
- LaMelo Ball: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
Recent games
- Evan Mobley: 36.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 39.9 on the board.
- LaMelo Ball: 40.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 38.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Evan Mobley or LaMelo Ball in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Evan Mobley. 39.9 fantasy points per game against 38.1, 29th on our board to 39th. 9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball instead, +0.9 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (40th to 41st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Evan Mobley or LaMelo Ball?
Category by category, Evan Mobley is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and LaMelo Ball in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Evan Mobley or LaMelo Ball?
Evan Mobley plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LaMelo Ball 3. For that week alone, start LaMelo Ball: 114.3 projected fantasy points to 79.9 for Evan Mobley.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number