Jalen Green vs Kel'el Ware: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Green plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 53.5 for Jalen Green. Over the season, Kel'el Ware leads in both formats: 27.0 fantasy points a game to 26.7, and 68th against 224th 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 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #116
- 26.7 FP/G, slot 10.08, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #224
- -4.3 z, slot 19.08
- Points leagues
- #115
- 27.0 FP/G, slot 10.07, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #68
- -0.3 z, slot 6.08, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Kel'el Ware. 27.0 fantasy points per game against 26.7, 115th on our board to 116th.
9-cat leagues: Kel'el Ware again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -4.3 (68th to 224th).
Category by category, Jalen Green is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Kel'el Ware in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Kel'el Ware produces more: 44.9 fantasy points to 37.3, on 21.7 minutes a night against 25.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Green plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 53.5 for Jalen Green.
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 | Jalen Green | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.7 | 27.0 |
| Minutes | 25.8 | 21.7 |
| PointsPTS | 17.0 | 11.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.4 | 8.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 2.1 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.1% | 53.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.3% | 69.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 32 | 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 Green | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.3 | 44.9 |
| Points | 23.6 | 18.7 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 14.3 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 1.2 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.7 |
| Threes | 3.0 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.2 | 1.7 |
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 Green | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.0 | +1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | -1.5 |
| StealsSTL | -0.1 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.5 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.7 | +0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | -0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | +1.1 |
| Total | -4.3 | -0.3 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Kel'el Ware stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Jalen Green | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -4.4 (#295) | +0.6 (#44) |
| REB | -3.4 (#215) | -1.8 (#126) |
| AST | -4.0 (#240) | +1.1 (#36) |
| STL | -4.3 (#253) | +0.4 (#49) |
| BLK | -3.6 (#200) | -1.3 (#101) |
| 3PM | -4.9 (#271) | +0.2 (#55) |
| FG% | -2.8 (#152) | -1.4 (#96) |
| FT% | -4.0 (#215) | +0.3 (#54) |
| TO | -3.8 (#169) | -1.5 (#96) |
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)
- Jalen Green: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
- Kel'el Ware: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Green: 16.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 26.7 on the board.
- Kel'el Ware: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 3 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 Jalen Green playing tonight? · Is Kel'el Ware playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Green, Kel'el Ware
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Green or Kel'el Ware?
Points leagues: Kel'el Ware. 27.0 fantasy points per game against 26.7, 115th on our board to 116th. 9-cat leagues: Kel'el Ware again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -4.3 (68th to 224th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Green or Kel'el Ware?
Category by category, Jalen Green is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Kel'el Ware in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Green or Kel'el Ware?
Jalen Green plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 53.5 for Jalen Green.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number