Julius Randle vs LaMelo Ball: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft LaMelo Ball in both formats: 38.1 fantasy points a game to 37.9 in points leagues, and 40th against 68th 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
- #40
- 37.9 FP/G, slot 4.04, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #68
- -0.4 z, slot 6.08, $13
- Points leagues
- #39
- 38.1 FP/G, slot 4.03, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #40
- +0.9 z, slot 4.04, $20
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft LaMelo Ball. 38.1 fantasy points per game against 37.9, 39th on our board to 40th.
9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball again, +0.9 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (40th to 68th).
Category by category, Julius Randle is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and TO) and LaMelo Ball in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, LaMelo Ball produces more: 48.9 fantasy points to 41.3, on 28.0 minutes a night against 33.0. 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), LaMelo Ball 3. For that week alone, start LaMelo Ball: 114.3 projected fantasy points to 113.8 for Julius Randle.
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 | Julius Randle | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 37.9 | 38.1 |
| Minutes | 33.0 | 28.0 |
| PointsPTS | 21.1 | 20.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.7 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 5.0 | 7.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 3.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.1% | 40.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.2% | 89.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.7 | 2.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 79 | 72 |
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 | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.3 | 48.9 |
| Points | 23.0 | 25.8 |
| Rebounds | 7.3 | 6.2 |
| Assists | 5.5 | 9.2 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 1.5 | 4.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.0 | 3.6 |
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 | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.8 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.7 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | +2.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -2.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | +0.8 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.1 | -1.2 |
| Total | -0.4 | +0.9 |
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 threes flips the 9-cat answer to Julius Randle.
| Punt | Julius Randle | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.3 (#117) | +0.2 (#58) |
| REB | -1.0 (#89) | +1.6 (#29) |
| AST | -1.2 (#109) | -0.9 (#92) |
| STL | -0.7 (#80) | +0.4 (#49) |
| BLK | +0.4 (#52) | +1.9 (#26) |
| 3PM | -0.2 (#69) | -1.4 (#109) |
| FG% | -0.6 (#79) | +3.6 (#16) |
| FT% | -0.6 (#81) | -0.0 (#63) |
| TO | +0.7 (#53) | +2.2 (#32) |
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)
- Julius Randle: 3 games (Wed CHA, Sat @CLE, Sun IND), 1 back-to-back.
- LaMelo Ball: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
Recent games
- Julius Randle: 34.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 37.9 on the board.
- LaMelo Ball: 40.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 38.1 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 Julius Randle or LaMelo Ball in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft LaMelo Ball. 38.1 fantasy points per game against 37.9, 39th on our board to 40th. 9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball again, +0.9 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (40th to 68th).
Who wins more categories, Julius Randle or LaMelo Ball?
Category by category, Julius Randle is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and TO) and LaMelo Ball in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Julius Randle or LaMelo Ball?
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LaMelo Ball 3. For that week alone, start LaMelo Ball: 114.3 projected fantasy points to 113.8 for Julius Randle.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number