Jakob Poeltl vs Rudy Gobert: who to start in Week 1
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Rudy Gobert 3. For that week alone, start Rudy Gobert: 95.2 projected fantasy points to 75.1 for Jakob Poeltl. Over the season, Rudy Gobert leads in points leagues (31.7 fantasy points a game to 25.0) and Jakob Poeltl in 9-cat leagues (115th against 116th). 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, 2:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #133
- 25.0 FP/G, slot 12.01, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #115
- -1.6 z, slot 10.07, $6
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #70
- 31.7 FP/G, slot 6.10, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #116
- -1.6 z, slot 10.08, $6
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Rudy Gobert. 31.7 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 70th on our board to 133rd.
9-cat leagues: Jakob Poeltl instead, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (115th to 116th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jakob Poeltl is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO) and Rudy Gobert in 3 (PTS, REB and BLK).
Per 36 minutes, Rudy Gobert produces more: 36.5 fantasy points to 36.2, on 31.3 minutes a night against 24.9. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Rudy Gobert 3. For that week alone, start Rudy Gobert: 95.2 projected fantasy points to 75.1 for Jakob Poeltl.
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 | Jakob Poeltl | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.0 | 31.7 |
| Minutes | 24.9 | 31.3 |
| PointsPTS | 10.0 | 10.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.1 | 11.5 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 70.2% | 67.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.2% | 53.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 46 | 76 |
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 | Jakob Poeltl | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.2 | 36.5 |
| Points | 14.4 | 12.3 |
| Rebounds | 10.2 | 13.3 |
| Assists | 2.7 | 1.8 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 1.8 |
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 | Jakob Poeltl | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.6 | +2.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -1.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | +1.6 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.2 | +2.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.3 | -3.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +0.3 |
| Total | -1.6 | -1.6 |
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, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Rudy Gobert.
| Punt | Jakob Poeltl | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#80) | -0.7 (#90) |
| REB | -2.5 (#161) | -4.9 (#290) |
| AST | -0.7 (#83) | -0.6 (#76) |
| STL | -1.2 (#107) | -0.6 (#80) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#128) | -3.7 (#213) |
| 3PM | +0.2 (#54) | +0.3 (#50) |
| FG% | -4.5 (#237) | -4.9 (#247) |
| FT% | -0.2 (#68) | +2.0 (#22) |
| TO | -2.6 (#129) | -2.1 (#111) |
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)
- Jakob Poeltl: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
- Rudy Gobert: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
Recent games
- Jakob Poeltl: 20.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 25.0 on the board.
- Rudy Gobert: 22.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 31.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jakob Poeltl playing tonight? · Is Rudy Gobert playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Rudy Gobert
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jakob Poeltl or Rudy Gobert?
Points leagues: Rudy Gobert. 31.7 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 70th on our board to 133rd. 9-cat leagues: Jakob Poeltl instead, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (115th to 116th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jakob Poeltl or Rudy Gobert?
Category by category, Jakob Poeltl is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO) and Rudy Gobert in 3 (PTS, REB and BLK).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jakob Poeltl or Rudy Gobert?
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Rudy Gobert 3. For that week alone, start Rudy Gobert: 95.2 projected fantasy points to 75.1 for Jakob Poeltl.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 2:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number