Jakob Poeltl vs Wendell Carter Jr.: who to start in Week 1
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Wendell Carter Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Wendell Carter Jr.: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 75.1 for Jakob Poeltl. Over the season, Wendell Carter Jr. leads in both formats: 27.0 fantasy points a game to 25.0, and 83rd against 120th 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 22, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #134
- 25.0 FP/G, slot 12.02, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #120
- -1.7 z, slot 10.12, $6
- Points leagues
- #114
- 27.0 FP/G, slot 10.06, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #83
- -0.8 z, slot 7.11, $11
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Wendell Carter Jr.. 27.0 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 114th on our board to 134th.
9-cat leagues: Wendell Carter Jr. again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (83rd to 120th).
Category by category, Jakob Poeltl is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Wendell Carter Jr. in 4 (PTS, REB, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jakob Poeltl produces more: 36.4 fantasy points to 33.0, on 24.8 minutes a night against 29.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Wendell Carter Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Wendell Carter Jr.: 81.0 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 | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.0 | 27.0 |
| Minutes | 24.8 | 29.4 |
| PointsPTS | 10.2 | 12.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.0 | 7.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 70.3% | 53.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 57.9% | 81.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 46 | 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 | Jakob Poeltl | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.4 | 33.0 |
| Points | 14.9 | 15.2 |
| Rebounds | 10.1 | 9.0 |
| Assists | 2.8 | 2.3 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 1.5 |
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 | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | +0.7 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -0.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.3 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.5 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +0.8 |
| Total | -1.7 | -0.8 |
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 threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jakob Poeltl.
| Punt | Jakob Poeltl | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#92) | -0.2 (#66) |
| REB | -2.6 (#175) | -1.7 (#122) |
| AST | -0.9 (#91) | +0.1 (#53) |
| STL | -1.4 (#117) | -0.2 (#68) |
| BLK | -2.1 (#135) | -0.9 (#83) |
| 3PM | -0.1 (#66) | -0.1 (#67) |
| FG% | -4.8 (#247) | -1.8 (#112) |
| FT% | -0.2 (#70) | -1.0 (#91) |
| TO | -2.8 (#133) | -1.8 (#103) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jakob Poeltl: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
- Wendell Carter Jr.: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Jakob Poeltl or Wendell Carter Jr.: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Jakob Poeltl: 16.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 25.0 on the board.
- Wendell Carter Jr.: 33.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 27.0 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 Wendell Carter Jr. playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jakob Poeltl or Wendell Carter Jr.?
Points leagues: Wendell Carter Jr.. 27.0 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 114th on our board to 134th. 9-cat leagues: Wendell Carter Jr. again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (83rd to 120th).
Who wins more categories, Jakob Poeltl or Wendell Carter Jr.?
Category by category, Jakob Poeltl is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Wendell Carter Jr. in 4 (PTS, REB, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jakob Poeltl or Wendell Carter Jr.?
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Wendell Carter Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Wendell Carter Jr.: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 75.1 for Jakob Poeltl.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number