Ja'Kobe Walter vs Luke Kennard: who to start in Week 1
Ja'Kobe Walter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Ja'Kobe Walter: 50.1 projected fantasy points to 32.3 for Luke Kennard. Over the season, Ja'Kobe Walter leads in both formats: 16.7 fantasy points a game to 16.2, and 197th against 198th 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, 4:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #253
- 16.7 FP/G, slot 22.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #197
- -3.7 z, slot 17.05
The pick in points and 9-cat 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 call
Points leagues: Ja'Kobe Walter. 16.7 fantasy points per game against 16.2, 253rd on our board to 265th.
9-cat leagues: Ja'Kobe Walter again, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (197th to 198th).
Category by category, Ja'Kobe Walter is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Luke Kennard in 4 (PTS, AST, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Ja'Kobe Walter produces more: 28.9 fantasy points to 27.0, on 20.8 minutes a night against 21.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Ja'Kobe Walter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Ja'Kobe Walter: 50.1 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 | Ja'Kobe Walter | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 16.7 | 16.2 |
| Minutes | 20.8 | 21.6 |
| PointsPTS | 7.6 | 8.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.4 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.4% | 53.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.8% | 91.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 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 | Ja'Kobe Walter | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.9 | 27.0 |
| Points | 13.2 | 14.0 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 3.9 |
| Assists | 2.4 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 2.1 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 0.9 | 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 | Ja'Kobe Walter | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.5 | -1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.4 | -1.6 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.7 | +1.4 |
| Total | -3.7 | -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 rebounds, steals, blocks and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Luke Kennard.
| Punt | Ja'Kobe Walter | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#179) | -2.3 (#191) |
| REB | -2.4 (#160) | -2.2 (#144) |
| AST | -2.6 (#182) | -3.0 (#198) |
| STL | -4.2 (#251) | -2.9 (#185) |
| BLK | -3.0 (#169) | -2.6 (#152) |
| 3PM | -3.6 (#212) | -3.6 (#213) |
| FG% | -3.5 (#175) | -4.3 (#218) |
| FT% | -3.4 (#194) | -4.0 (#220) |
| TO | -5.5 (#229) | -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)
- Ja'Kobe Walter: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
- Luke Kennard: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW), listed GTD.
Recent games
- Ja'Kobe Walter: 25.7 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 16.7 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 Ja'Kobe Walter playing tonight? · Is Luke Kennard playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ja'Kobe Walter or Luke Kennard?
Points leagues: Ja'Kobe Walter. 16.7 fantasy points per game against 16.2, 253rd on our board to 265th. 9-cat leagues: Ja'Kobe Walter again, -3.7 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (197th to 198th).
Who wins more categories, Ja'Kobe Walter or Luke Kennard?
Category by category, Ja'Kobe Walter is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Luke Kennard in 4 (PTS, AST, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ja'Kobe Walter or Luke Kennard?
Ja'Kobe Walter plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Ja'Kobe Walter: 50.1 projected fantasy points to 32.3 for Luke Kennard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number