Isaiah Jackson vs Luke Kennard: who to start in Week 1
Isaiah Jackson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Isaiah Jackson: 56.2 projected fantasy points to 32.3 for Luke Kennard. Over the season, Isaiah Jackson leads in points leagues (18.7 fantasy points a game to 16.2) and Luke Kennard in 9-cat leagues (198th against 206th). 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, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #226
- 18.7 FP/G, slot 19.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #206
- -3.9 z, slot 18.02
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #265
- 16.2 FP/G, slot 23.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #198
- -3.7 z, slot 17.06
Game-time decision (Knee)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Isaiah Jackson. 18.7 fantasy points per game against 16.2, 226th on our board to 265th.
9-cat leagues: Luke Kennard instead, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.9 (198th to 206th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Isaiah Jackson is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Luke Kennard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Isaiah Jackson produces more: 39.5 fantasy points to 27.0, on 17.1 minutes a night against 21.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Isaiah Jackson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Isaiah Jackson: 56.2 projected fantasy points to 32.3 for Luke Kennard.
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 | Isaiah Jackson | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 18.7 | 16.2 |
| Minutes | 17.1 | 21.6 |
| PointsPTS | 7.1 | 8.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 2.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.0 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 64.6% | 53.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 63.8% | 91.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 55 | 78 |
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 | Isaiah Jackson | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.5 | 27.0 |
| Points | 14.9 | 14.0 |
| Rebounds | 11.2 | 3.9 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.8 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 1.3 |
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 | Isaiah Jackson | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.6 | -1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -1.6 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.6 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.3 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.2 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +1.4 |
| Total | -3.9 | -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 points, assists, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Isaiah Jackson.
| Punt | Isaiah Jackson | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.3 (#184) | -2.3 (#191) |
| REB | -4.0 (#248) | -2.2 (#143) |
| AST | -2.6 (#180) | -3.0 (#198) |
| STL | -3.4 (#204) | -2.9 (#184) |
| BLK | -4.6 (#250) | -2.6 (#152) |
| 3PM | -2.1 (#145) | -3.6 (#213) |
| FG% | -5.8 (#288) | -4.3 (#218) |
| FT% | -2.9 (#175) | -4.0 (#220) |
| TO | -4.9 (#208) | -5.2 (#219) |
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)
- Isaiah Jackson: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Luke Kennard: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW), listed GTD.
Recent games
- Isaiah Jackson: 23.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 18.7 on the board.
- Luke Kennard: 22.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 16.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Isaiah Jackson playing tonight? · Is Luke Kennard playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Isaiah Jackson or Luke Kennard?
Points leagues: Isaiah Jackson. 18.7 fantasy points per game against 16.2, 226th on our board to 265th. 9-cat leagues: Luke Kennard instead, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.9 (198th to 206th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Isaiah Jackson or Luke Kennard?
Category by category, Isaiah Jackson is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Luke Kennard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Isaiah Jackson or Luke Kennard?
Isaiah Jackson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Isaiah Jackson: 56.2 projected fantasy points to 32.3 for Luke Kennard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number