Isaiah Joe vs Luke Kennard: who to start in Week 1
Isaiah Joe plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Isaiah Joe: 53.9 projected fantasy points to 32.8 for Luke Kennard. Over the season, Isaiah Joe leads in points leagues (18.0 fantasy points a game to 16.4) and Luke Kennard in 9-cat leagues (186th against 187th). 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
- #232
- 18.0 FP/G, slot 20.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #187
- -3.4 z, slot 16.07
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #256
- 16.4 FP/G, slot 22.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #186
- -3.4 z, slot 16.06
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Isaiah Joe. 18.0 fantasy points per game against 16.4, 232nd on our board to 256th.
9-cat leagues: Luke Kennard instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (186th to 187th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Isaiah Joe is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Luke Kennard in 3 (AST, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Isaiah Joe produces more: 30.8 fantasy points to 27.7, on 21.0 minutes a night against 21.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Isaiah Joe plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Isaiah Joe: 53.9 projected fantasy points to 32.8 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 Joe | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 18.0 | 16.4 |
| Minutes | 21.0 | 21.3 |
| PointsPTS | 10.9 | 8.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.3 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.4 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.8% | 54.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.6% | 91.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 71 | 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 Joe | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 30.8 | 27.7 |
| Points | 18.8 | 14.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 4.1 |
| Assists | 2.3 | 3.6 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 4.2 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 1.2 |
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 Joe | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | -1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.4 | -1.5 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.8 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.5 | +1.4 |
| Total | -3.4 | -3.4 |
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 assists, steals and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Isaiah Joe.
| Punt | Isaiah Joe | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.5 (#195) | -2.0 (#169) |
| REB | -2.1 (#140) | -2.0 (#133) |
| AST | -2.4 (#169) | -2.7 (#184) |
| STL | -2.6 (#168) | -2.7 (#171) |
| BLK | -2.6 (#153) | -2.3 (#148) |
| 3PM | -4.3 (#242) | -3.4 (#201) |
| FG% | -2.8 (#151) | -4.0 (#209) |
| FT% | -3.9 (#212) | -3.7 (#208) |
| TO | -5.0 (#209) | -4.9 (#206) |
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 Joe: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
- Luke Kennard: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
Recent games
- Isaiah Joe: 17.3 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 18.0 on the board.
- Luke Kennard: 20.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 16.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Isaiah Joe playing tonight? · Is Luke Kennard playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Isaiah Joe or Luke Kennard?
Points leagues: Isaiah Joe. 18.0 fantasy points per game against 16.4, 232nd on our board to 256th. 9-cat leagues: Luke Kennard instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (186th to 187th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Isaiah Joe or Luke Kennard?
Category by category, Isaiah Joe is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Luke Kennard in 3 (AST, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Isaiah Joe or Luke Kennard?
Isaiah Joe plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Isaiah Joe: 53.9 projected fantasy points to 32.8 for Luke Kennard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number