Nikola Jokić vs Victor Wembanyama: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Nikola Jokić in both formats: 62.1 fantasy points a game to 53.4 in points leagues, and 1st against 2nd 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
- #1
- 62.1 FP/G, slot 1.01, $59
- 9-cat leagues
- #1
- +10.6 z, slot 1.01, $73
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #3
- 53.4 FP/G, slot 1.03, $46
- 9-cat leagues
- #2
- +9.6 z, slot 1.02, $67
Day to day (Rest)
The call
Points leagues: draft Nikola Jokić. 62.1 fantasy points per game against 53.4, 1st on our board to 3rd.
9-cat leagues: Nikola Jokić again, +10.6 in summed z-scores against +9.6 (1st to 2nd).
Category by category, Nikola Jokić is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Victor Wembanyama in 3 (BLK, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Victor Wembanyama produces more: 65.9 fantasy points to 64.2, on 29.2 minutes a night against 34.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Nikola Jokić plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Victor Wembanyama 3. For that week alone, start Victor Wembanyama: 160.1 projected fantasy points to 124.3 for Nikola Jokić.
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 | Nikola Jokić | Victor Wembanyama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 62.1 | 53.4 |
| Minutes | 34.8 | 29.2 |
| PointsPTS | 27.7 | 25.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 12.9 | 11.5 |
| AssistsAST | 10.7 | 3.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 3.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 56.9% | 51.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.1% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.7 | 2.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 65 | 64 |
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 | Nikola Jokić | Victor Wembanyama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 64.2 | 65.9 |
| Points | 28.6 | 30.9 |
| Rebounds | 13.3 | 14.2 |
| Assists | 11.1 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 3.8 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| Turnovers | 3.9 | 3.0 |
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 | Nikola Jokić | Victor Wembanyama |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.9 | +1.5 |
| ReboundsREB | +3.1 | +2.5 |
| AssistsAST | +3.5 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | +0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.3 | +5.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.3 | +0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | +0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.4 | -0.7 |
| Total | +10.6 | +9.6 |
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 and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Victor Wembanyama.
| Punt | Nikola Jokić | Victor Wembanyama |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +8.6 (#1) | +8.0 (#2) |
| REB | +7.5 (#3) | +6.9 (#5) |
| AST | +7.0 (#2) | +9.8 (#1) |
| STL | +9.5 (#1) | +9.5 (#2) |
| BLK | +10.4 (#1) | +4.5 (#11) |
| 3PM | +10.3 (#1) | +9.2 (#2) |
| FG% | +8.4 (#2) | +9.1 (#1) |
| FT% | +9.8 (#1) | +8.9 (#2) |
| TO | +13.1 (#1) | +10.3 (#2) |
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)
- Nikola Jokić: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- Victor Wembanyama: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Nikola Jokić or Victor Wembanyama: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Nikola Jokić: 63.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 62.1 on the board.
- Victor Wembanyama: 63.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 53.4 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 Nikola Jokić or Victor Wembanyama in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Nikola Jokić. 62.1 fantasy points per game against 53.4, 1st on our board to 3rd. 9-cat leagues: Nikola Jokić again, +10.6 in summed z-scores against +9.6 (1st to 2nd).
Who wins more categories, Nikola Jokić or Victor Wembanyama?
Category by category, Nikola Jokić is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Victor Wembanyama in 3 (BLK, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Nikola Jokić or Victor Wembanyama?
Nikola Jokić plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Victor Wembanyama 3. For that week alone, start Victor Wembanyama: 160.1 projected fantasy points to 124.3 for Nikola Jokić.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number