Herbert Jones vs Ryan Kalkbrenner: who to start in Week 1
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3, an even 60.5 projected fantasy points each. Over the season, Ryan Kalkbrenner leads in both formats: 20.2 fantasy points a game to 20.2, and 129th against 178th 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #205
- 20.2 FP/G, slot 18.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #178
- -3.2 z, slot 15.10
- Points leagues
- #204
- 20.2 FP/G, slot 17.12
- 9-cat leagues
- #129
- -2.0 z, slot 11.09, $4
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Ryan Kalkbrenner. 20.2 fantasy points per game against 20.2, 204th on our board to 205th.
9-cat leagues: Ryan Kalkbrenner again, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -3.2 (129th to 178th).
Category by category, Herbert Jones is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Ryan Kalkbrenner in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ryan Kalkbrenner produces more: 34.8 fantasy points to 26.8, on 20.9 minutes a night against 27.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3, an even 60.5 projected fantasy points each.
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 | Herbert Jones | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.2 | 20.2 |
| Minutes | 27.1 | 20.9 |
| PointsPTS | 8.3 | 7.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 5.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 0.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 1.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 38.8% | 74.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.6% | 71.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 69 |
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 | Herbert Jones | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 26.8 | 34.8 |
| Points | 11.0 | 12.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.2 | 9.5 |
| Assists | 3.2 | 1.6 |
| Steals | 1.9 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 2.6 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 1.6 |
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 | Herbert Jones | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -1.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | -1.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | +1.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.3 | +1.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | -0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.8 | +1.2 |
| Total | -3.2 | -2.0 |
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 blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Herbert Jones.
| Punt | Herbert Jones | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#156) | -0.4 (#79) |
| REB | -2.2 (#139) | -2.1 (#137) |
| AST | -2.7 (#186) | -0.7 (#86) |
| STL | -4.4 (#268) | -0.5 (#74) |
| BLK | -2.9 (#166) | -4.1 (#230) |
| 3PM | -3.0 (#184) | -0.3 (#69) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#128) | -4.3 (#221) |
| FT% | -3.3 (#185) | -1.6 (#118) |
| TO | -4.2 (#184) | -3.4 (#154) |
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)
- Herbert Jones: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Herbert Jones: 6.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.2 on the board.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner: 20.2 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Herbert Jones playing tonight? · Is Ryan Kalkbrenner playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ryan Kalkbrenner
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Herbert Jones or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Points leagues: Ryan Kalkbrenner. 20.2 fantasy points per game against 20.2, 204th on our board to 205th. 9-cat leagues: Ryan Kalkbrenner again, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -3.2 (129th to 178th).
Who wins more categories, Herbert Jones or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Category by category, Herbert Jones is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Ryan Kalkbrenner in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Herbert Jones or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3, an even 60.5 projected fantasy points each.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number