Jalen Duren vs LaMelo Ball: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Duren in both formats: 38.2 fantasy points a game to 38.1 in points leagues, and 27th against 40th 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
- #37
- 38.2 FP/G, slot 4.01, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #27
- +1.9 z, slot 3.03, $26
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #39
- 38.1 FP/G, slot 4.03, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #40
- +0.9 z, slot 4.04, $20
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Duren. 38.2 fantasy points per game against 38.1, 37th on our board to 39th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren again, +1.9 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (27th to 40th).
Category by category, Jalen Duren is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and LaMelo Ball in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, LaMelo Ball produces more: 48.9 fantasy points to 48.7, on 28.0 minutes a night against 28.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Duren plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LaMelo Ball 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Duren: 114.6 projected fantasy points to 114.3 for LaMelo Ball.
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 Duren | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.2 | 38.1 |
| Minutes | 28.2 | 28.0 |
| PointsPTS | 19.5 | 20.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.5 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 7.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 65.0% | 40.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.7% | 89.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 2.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 72 |
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 Duren | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 48.7 | 48.9 |
| Points | 24.9 | 25.8 |
| Rebounds | 13.4 | 6.2 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 9.2 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 4.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 3.6 |
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 Duren | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.1 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.6 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.3 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +2.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +3.0 | -2.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.0 | +0.8 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.0 | -1.2 |
| Total | +1.9 | +0.9 |
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, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to LaMelo Ball.
| Punt | Jalen Duren | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.3 (#28) | +0.2 (#58) |
| REB | -0.6 (#76) | +1.6 (#29) |
| AST | +2.6 (#15) | -0.9 (#92) |
| STL | +2.4 (#19) | +0.4 (#49) |
| BLK | +1.3 (#35) | +1.9 (#26) |
| 3PM | +3.5 (#11) | -1.4 (#109) |
| FG% | -2.0 (#122) | +3.6 (#16) |
| FT% | +2.9 (#14) | -0.0 (#63) |
| TO | +1.7 (#39) | +2.2 (#32) |
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 Duren: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI), listed DTD.
- LaMelo Ball: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
Recent games
- Jalen Duren: 40.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 38.2 on the board.
- LaMelo Ball: 40.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 38.1 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 Duren or LaMelo Ball in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Duren. 38.2 fantasy points per game against 38.1, 37th on our board to 39th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Duren again, +1.9 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (27th to 40th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Duren or LaMelo Ball?
Category by category, Jalen Duren is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and LaMelo Ball in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Duren or LaMelo Ball?
Jalen Duren plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LaMelo Ball 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Duren: 114.6 projected fantasy points to 114.3 for LaMelo Ball.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number