Julius Randle vs Kel'el Ware: who to start in Week 1
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 116.5 projected fantasy points to 80.6 for Kel'el Ware. Over the season, Julius Randle leads in both formats: 38.8 fantasy points a game to 26.9, and 59th against 61st 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, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #36
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.12, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #59
- -0.0 z, slot 5.11, $15
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #115
- 26.9 FP/G, slot 10.07, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #61
- -0.2 z, slot 6.01, $14
The call
Points leagues: Julius Randle. 38.8 fantasy points per game against 26.9, 36th on our board to 115th.
9-cat leagues: Julius Randle again, -0.0 in summed z-scores against -0.2 (59th to 61st).
Category by category, Julius Randle 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: 44.7 fantasy points to 41.9, on 21.6 minutes a night against 33.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 116.5 projected fantasy points to 80.6 for Kel'el Ware.
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 | Julius Randle | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.8 | 26.9 |
| Minutes | 33.3 | 21.6 |
| PointsPTS | 21.8 | 10.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.8 | 8.6 |
| AssistsAST | 5.2 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 52.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.5% | 68.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.8 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 79 | 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 | Julius Randle | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.9 | 44.7 |
| Points | 23.6 | 18.0 |
| Rebounds | 7.4 | 14.4 |
| Assists | 5.6 | 1.2 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.7 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.0 | 1.4 |
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 | Julius Randle | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.9 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | +1.3 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | -1.5 |
| StealsSTL | +0.0 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | -0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.2 | +1.3 |
| Total | -0.0 | -0.2 |
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, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Kel'el Ware.
| Punt | Julius Randle | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#105) | +0.7 (#42) |
| REB | -0.7 (#79) | -1.7 (#121) |
| AST | -0.9 (#94) | +1.2 (#32) |
| STL | -0.1 (#65) | +0.4 (#52) |
| BLK | +0.6 (#44) | -1.2 (#95) |
| 3PM | +0.0 (#62) | +0.3 (#54) |
| FG% | -0.5 (#74) | -1.1 (#91) |
| FT% | -0.1 (#66) | +0.3 (#53) |
| TO | +1.2 (#45) | -1.7 (#99) |
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)
- Julius Randle: 3 games (Wed CHA, Sat @CLE, Sun IND), 1 back-to-back.
- Kel'el Ware: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Julius Randle: 52.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 38.8 on the board.
- Kel'el Ware: 14.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Julius Randle playing tonight? · Is Kel'el Ware playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Julius Randle, Kel'el Ware
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Julius Randle or Kel'el Ware?
Points leagues: Julius Randle. 38.8 fantasy points per game against 26.9, 36th on our board to 115th. 9-cat leagues: Julius Randle again, -0.0 in summed z-scores against -0.2 (59th to 61st).
Who wins more categories, Julius Randle or Kel'el Ware?
Category by category, Julius Randle 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, Julius Randle or Kel'el Ware?
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 116.5 projected fantasy points to 80.6 for Kel'el Ware.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number