Jalen Johnson vs Jimmy Butler: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Johnson in both formats: 48.3 fantasy points a game to 37.4 in points leagues, and 17th against 20th 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
- #8
- 48.3 FP/G, slot 1.08, $38
- 9-cat leagues
- #17
- +3.1 z, slot 2.05, $32
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #42
- 37.4 FP/G, slot 4.06, $22
- 9-cat leagues
- #20
- +2.9 z, slot 2.08, $31
Out (Knee)
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Johnson. 48.3 fantasy points per game against 37.4, 8th on our board to 42nd.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Johnson again, +3.1 in summed z-scores against +2.9 (17th to 20th).
Category by category, Jalen Johnson is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and 3PM) and Jimmy Butler in 4 (STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Johnson produces more: 49.4 fantasy points to 43.2, on 35.2 minutes a night against 31.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Jalen Johnson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Johnson: 144.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler.
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 Johnson | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 48.3 | 37.4 |
| Minutes | 35.2 | 31.1 |
| PointsPTS | 22.5 | 20.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.3 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 7.9 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 51.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.8% | 86.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.4 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 38 |
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 Johnson | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 49.4 | 43.2 |
| Points | 23.0 | 23.1 |
| Rebounds | 10.5 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 8.0 | 5.6 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 1.8 |
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 Johnson | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.0 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.0 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +2.0 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | -0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.0 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +1.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.9 | +0.4 |
| Total | +3.1 | +2.9 |
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 points, rebounds, assists, blocks and threes flips the 9-cat answer to Jimmy Butler.
| Punt | Jalen Johnson | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.0 (#18) | +2.3 (#13) |
| REB | +1.0 (#37) | +2.9 (#18) |
| AST | +0.9 (#37) | +2.3 (#20) |
| STL | +2.5 (#18) | +1.7 (#26) |
| BLK | +3.5 (#14) | +3.8 (#12) |
| 3PM | +2.9 (#14) | +3.6 (#9) |
| FG% | +2.8 (#21) | +2.2 (#29) |
| FT% | +3.2 (#12) | +1.3 (#34) |
| TO | +5.1 (#10) | +2.5 (#26) |
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 Johnson: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Jimmy Butler: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- Jalen Johnson: 39.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 48.3 on the board.
- Jimmy Butler: 38.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 37.4 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 Johnson or Jimmy Butler in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Johnson. 48.3 fantasy points per game against 37.4, 8th on our board to 42nd. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Johnson again, +3.1 in summed z-scores against +2.9 (17th to 20th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Johnson or Jimmy Butler?
Category by category, Jalen Johnson is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and 3PM) and Jimmy Butler in 4 (STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Johnson or Jimmy Butler?
Jalen Johnson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Johnson: 144.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number