Jimmy Butler vs Karl-Anthony Towns: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Karl-Anthony Towns in points leagues (40.5 fantasy points a game to 37.4) and Jimmy Butler in 9-cat leagues (20th against 21st). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- 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 pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #27
- 40.5 FP/G, slot 3.03, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #21
- +2.6 z, slot 2.09, $29
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Karl-Anthony Towns. 40.5 fantasy points per game against 37.4, 27th on our board to 42nd.
9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler instead, +2.9 in summed z-scores against +2.6 (20th to 21st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jimmy Butler is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO) and Karl-Anthony Towns in 3 (REB, BLK and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Karl-Anthony Towns produces more: 47.1 fantasy points to 43.2, on 31.0 minutes a night against 31.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jimmy Butler plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Karl-Anthony Towns 3. For that week alone, start Karl-Anthony Towns: 121.5 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 | Jimmy Butler | Karl-Anthony Towns |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 37.4 | 40.5 |
| Minutes | 31.1 | 31.0 |
| PointsPTS | 20.0 | 20.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.6 | 11.9 |
| AssistsAST | 4.9 | 3.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.9% | 50.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.4% | 85.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 2.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 38 | 75 |
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 | Jimmy Butler | Karl-Anthony Towns |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 43.2 | 47.1 |
| Points | 23.1 | 23.3 |
| Rebounds | 6.4 | 13.8 |
| Assists | 5.6 | 3.5 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.0 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 2.9 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Jimmy Butler | Karl-Anthony Towns |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | +2.7 |
| AssistsAST | +0.6 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | +1.2 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.6 | +0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.5 | +1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.4 | -0.8 |
| Total | +2.9 | +2.6 |
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 assists, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Karl-Anthony Towns.
| Punt | Jimmy Butler | Karl-Anthony Towns |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.3 (#13) | +1.9 (#19) |
| REB | +2.9 (#18) | -0.2 (#61) |
| AST | +2.3 (#20) | +2.9 (#14) |
| STL | +1.7 (#26) | +3.0 (#13) |
| BLK | +3.8 (#12) | +2.8 (#20) |
| 3PM | +3.6 (#9) | +2.6 (#18) |
| FG% | +2.2 (#29) | +2.3 (#27) |
| FT% | +1.3 (#34) | +1.6 (#33) |
| TO | +2.5 (#26) | +3.3 (#21) |
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)
- Jimmy Butler: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL), listed DTD.
Recent games
- Jimmy Butler: 38.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 37.4 on the board.
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 40.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 40.5 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Jimmy Butler or Karl-Anthony Towns in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Karl-Anthony Towns. 40.5 fantasy points per game against 37.4, 27th on our board to 42nd. 9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler instead, +2.9 in summed z-scores against +2.6 (20th to 21st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jimmy Butler or Karl-Anthony Towns?
Category by category, Jimmy Butler is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO) and Karl-Anthony Towns in 3 (REB, BLK and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jimmy Butler or Karl-Anthony Towns?
Jimmy Butler plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Karl-Anthony Towns 3. For that week alone, start Karl-Anthony Towns: 121.5 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