Jalen Brunson vs Kel'el Ware: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Brunson in both formats: 40.5 fantasy points a game to 27.7 in points leagues, and 49th against 52nd in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #26
- 40.5 FP/G, slot 3.02, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #49
- +0.6 z, slot 5.01, $19
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #112
- 27.7 FP/G, slot 10.04, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #52
- +0.4 z, slot 5.04, $17
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Brunson. 40.5 fantasy points per game against 27.7, 26th on our board to 112th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson again, +0.6 in summed z-scores against +0.4 (49th to 52nd).
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Kel'el Ware in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Kel'el Ware produces more: 45.1 fantasy points to 41.7, on 22.1 minutes a night against 35.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 121.5 projected fantasy points to 83.2 for Kel'el Ware.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Jalen Brunson | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.5 | 27.7 |
| Minutes | 35.0 | 22.1 |
| PointsPTS | 26.0 | 11.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 9.0 |
| AssistsAST | 6.8 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.6 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.7% | 53.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.1% | 74.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 74 | 77 |
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 | Jalen Brunson | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.7 | 45.1 |
| Points | 26.8 | 18.0 |
| Rebounds | 3.4 | 14.7 |
| Assists | 7.0 | 1.2 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 1.8 |
| Threes | 2.7 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 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 | Jalen Brunson | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.6 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | +1.4 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | +0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +1.0 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.6 | +1.4 |
| Total | +0.6 | +0.4 |
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 points, assists, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Kel'el Ware.
| Punt | Jalen Brunson | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.1 (#110) | +1.3 (#30) |
| REB | +1.8 (#25) | -1.2 (#100) |
| AST | -1.1 (#97) | +1.9 (#25) |
| STL | +1.2 (#32) | +1.0 (#35) |
| BLK | +1.9 (#27) | -0.7 (#79) |
| 3PM | -0.6 (#86) | +0.8 (#42) |
| FG% | +1.3 (#40) | -0.4 (#71) |
| FT% | -0.4 (#74) | +0.6 (#46) |
| TO | +1.3 (#45) | -1.2 (#86) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL), listed DTD.
- Kel'el Ware: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Brunson: 39.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 40.5 on the board.
- Kel'el Ware: 26.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 27.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Jalen Brunson or Kel'el Ware in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Brunson. 40.5 fantasy points per game against 27.7, 26th on our board to 112th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson again, +0.6 in summed z-scores against +0.4 (49th to 52nd).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Brunson or Kel'el Ware?
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Kel'el Ware in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Brunson or Kel'el Ware?
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Brunson: 121.5 projected fantasy points to 83.2 for Kel'el Ware.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number