Jalen Johnson vs Kevin Porter: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Johnson in points leagues (48.3 fantasy points a game to 39.9) and Kevin Porter in 9-cat leagues (14th against 17th). 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 leagues.
- Points leagues
- #30
- 39.9 FP/G, slot 3.06, $26
- 9-cat leagues
- #14
- +3.3 z, slot 2.02, $33
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Johnson. 48.3 fantasy points per game against 39.9, 8th on our board to 30th.
9-cat leagues: Kevin Porter instead, +3.3 in summed z-scores against +3.1 (14th to 17th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jalen Johnson is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM and FG%) and Kevin Porter in 4 (STL, BLK, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Johnson produces more: 49.4 fantasy points to 43.2, on 35.2 minutes a night against 33.2. 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), Kevin Porter 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Johnson: 144.8 projected fantasy points to 119.6 for Kevin Porter.
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 | Kevin Porter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 48.3 | 39.9 |
| Minutes | 35.2 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 22.5 | 17.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.3 | 5.2 |
| AssistsAST | 7.9 | 7.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 2.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 46.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.8% | 87.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.4 | 2.9 |
| 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 | Kevin Porter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 49.4 | 43.2 |
| Points | 23.0 | 18.9 |
| Rebounds | 10.5 | 5.7 |
| Assists | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 2.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.7 | 1.3 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 3.1 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Jalen Johnson | Kevin Porter |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.0 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.0 | -0.3 |
| AssistsAST | +2.0 | +1.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +3.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.0 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.9 | -1.3 |
| Total | +3.1 | +3.3 |
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
Punting steals, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Johnson.
| Punt | Jalen Johnson | Kevin Porter |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.0 (#18) | +3.1 (#7) |
| REB | +1.0 (#37) | +3.5 (#14) |
| AST | +0.9 (#37) | +1.3 (#30) |
| STL | +2.5 (#18) | +0.0 (#64) |
| BLK | +3.5 (#14) | +3.7 (#13) |
| 3PM | +2.9 (#14) | +3.6 (#8) |
| FG% | +2.8 (#21) | +3.8 (#15) |
| FT% | +3.2 (#12) | +2.2 (#22) |
| TO | +5.1 (#10) | +4.7 (#13) |
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.
- Kevin Porter: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Johnson: 39.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 48.3 on the board.
- Kevin Porter: 40.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 39.9 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Jalen Johnson or Kevin Porter in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Johnson. 48.3 fantasy points per game against 39.9, 8th on our board to 30th. 9-cat leagues: Kevin Porter instead, +3.3 in summed z-scores against +3.1 (14th to 17th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Johnson or Kevin Porter?
Category by category, Jalen Johnson is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM and FG%) and Kevin Porter in 4 (STL, BLK, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Johnson or Kevin Porter?
Jalen Johnson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kevin Porter 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Johnson: 144.8 projected fantasy points to 119.6 for Kevin Porter.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number