Jaylen Wells vs Steven Adams: who to start in Week 1
Jaylen Wells plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Steven Adams 3. For that week alone, start Jaylen Wells: 64.0 projected fantasy points to 63.9 for Steven Adams. Over the season, Jaylen Wells leads in both formats: 21.3 fantasy points a game to 21.3, and 207th against 256th 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 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #187
- 21.3 FP/G, slot 16.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #207
- -3.8 z, slot 18.03
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #189
- 21.3 FP/G, slot 16.09
- 9-cat leagues
- #256
- -4.9 z, slot 22.04
Day to day (Calf)
The call
Points leagues: Jaylen Wells. 21.3 fantasy points per game against 21.3, 187th on our board to 189th.
9-cat leagues: Jaylen Wells again, -3.8 in summed z-scores against -4.9 (207th to 256th).
Category by category, Jaylen Wells is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Steven Adams in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Steven Adams produces more: 33.6 fantasy points to 29.0, on 22.8 minutes a night against 26.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jaylen Wells plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Steven Adams 3. For that week alone, start Jaylen Wells: 64.0 projected fantasy points to 63.9 for Steven Adams.
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 | Jaylen Wells | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.3 | 21.3 |
| Minutes | 26.5 | 22.8 |
| PointsPTS | 12.5 | 5.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 8.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.5% | 50.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.0% | 58.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 32 |
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 | Jaylen Wells | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 29.0 | 33.6 |
| Points | 17.0 | 9.2 |
| Rebounds | 4.5 | 13.6 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 2.4 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 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 | Jaylen Wells | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -1.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | +1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -0.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.9 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -1.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +1.0 |
| Total | -3.8 | -4.9 |
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, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Steven Adams.
| Punt | Jaylen Wells | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.2 (#231) | -3.1 (#224) |
| REB | -2.9 (#186) | -6.8 (#365) |
| AST | -2.8 (#191) | -3.8 (#235) |
| STL | -4.1 (#242) | -4.1 (#237) |
| BLK | -2.9 (#167) | -5.3 (#290) |
| 3PM | -4.1 (#226) | -3.1 (#191) |
| FG% | -3.3 (#168) | -6.0 (#292) |
| FT% | -3.5 (#198) | -3.1 (#178) |
| TO | -5.0 (#212) | -6.1 (#254) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jaylen Wells: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
- Steven Adams: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Jaylen Wells: 30.0 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 21.3 on the board.
- Steven Adams: 21.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 21.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jaylen Wells playing tonight? · Is Steven Adams playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jaylen Wells or Steven Adams?
Points leagues: Jaylen Wells. 21.3 fantasy points per game against 21.3, 187th on our board to 189th. 9-cat leagues: Jaylen Wells again, -3.8 in summed z-scores against -4.9 (207th to 256th).
Who wins more categories, Jaylen Wells or Steven Adams?
Category by category, Jaylen Wells is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Steven Adams in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jaylen Wells or Steven Adams?
Jaylen Wells plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Steven Adams 3. For that week alone, start Jaylen Wells: 64.0 projected fantasy points to 63.9 for Steven Adams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number