Julius Randle vs Wendell Carter Jr.: who to start in Week 1
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Wendell Carter Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 115.6 projected fantasy points to 83.2 for Wendell Carter Jr.. Over the season, Julius Randle leads in both formats: 38.5 fantasy points a game to 27.7, and 58th against 59th 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 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #36
- 38.5 FP/G, slot 3.12, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #58
- +0.0 z, slot 5.10, $15
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #105
- 27.7 FP/G, slot 9.09, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #59
- -0.0 z, slot 5.11, $15
The call
Points leagues: Julius Randle. 38.5 fantasy points per game against 27.7, 36th on our board to 105th.
9-cat leagues: Julius Randle again, +0.0 in summed z-scores against -0.0 (58th to 59th).
Category by category, Julius Randle is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM) and Wendell Carter Jr. in 5 (REB, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Julius Randle produces more: 41.5 fantasy points to 34.0, on 33.4 minutes a night against 29.4. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Wendell Carter Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 115.6 projected fantasy points to 83.2 for Wendell Carter Jr..
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 | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.5 | 27.7 |
| Minutes | 33.4 | 29.4 |
| PointsPTS | 21.9 | 12.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.8 | 7.5 |
| AssistsAST | 5.2 | 1.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.2% | 55.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.0% | 81.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 79 | 78 |
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 | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.5 | 34.0 |
| Points | 23.6 | 15.8 |
| Rebounds | 7.3 | 9.2 |
| Assists | 5.5 | 2.2 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 1.5 |
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 | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.0 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | +0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | -0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.0 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | +1.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | +0.8 |
| Total | +0.0 | -0.0 |
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 and threes flips the 9-cat answer to Wendell Carter Jr..
| Punt | Julius Randle | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#109) | +0.5 (#45) |
| REB | -0.6 (#78) | -0.9 (#87) |
| AST | -0.9 (#93) | +0.8 (#39) |
| STL | +0.1 (#59) | +0.5 (#45) |
| BLK | +0.7 (#42) | -0.2 (#63) |
| 3PM | +0.0 (#65) | +0.5 (#46) |
| FG% | -0.6 (#76) | -1.3 (#94) |
| FT% | -0.1 (#64) | -0.2 (#69) |
| TO | +1.3 (#42) | -0.9 (#78) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Julius Randle: 3 games (Wed CHA, Sat @CLE, Sun IND), 1 back-to-back.
- Wendell Carter Jr.: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Recent games
- Julius Randle: 42.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 38.5 on the board.
- Wendell Carter Jr.: 34.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 27.7 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 Wendell Carter Jr. playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Julius Randle
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Julius Randle or Wendell Carter Jr.?
Points leagues: Julius Randle. 38.5 fantasy points per game against 27.7, 36th on our board to 105th. 9-cat leagues: Julius Randle again, +0.0 in summed z-scores against -0.0 (58th to 59th).
Who wins more categories, Julius Randle or Wendell Carter Jr.?
Category by category, Julius Randle is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM) and Wendell Carter Jr. in 5 (REB, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Julius Randle or Wendell Carter Jr.?
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Wendell Carter Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 115.6 projected fantasy points to 83.2 for Wendell Carter Jr..
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number