Norman Powell vs RJ Barrett: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft RJ Barrett in points leagues (32.0 fantasy points a game to 31.8) and Norman Powell in 9-cat leagues (69th against 146th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #73
- 31.8 FP/G, slot 7.01, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #69
- -0.4 z, slot 6.09, $13
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #71
- 32.0 FP/G, slot 6.11, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #146
- -2.4 z, slot 13.02, $2
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft RJ Barrett. 32.0 fantasy points per game against 31.8, 71st on our board to 73rd.
9-cat leagues: Norman Powell instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (69th to 146th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Norman Powell is ahead in 4 (PTS, STL, 3PM and FT%) and RJ Barrett in 5 (REB, AST, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Norman Powell produces more: 38.6 fantasy points to 38.1, on 29.6 minutes a night against 30.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Norman Powell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 96.1 projected fantasy points to 95.3 for Norman Powell.
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 | Norman Powell | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 31.8 | 32.0 |
| Minutes | 29.6 | 30.3 |
| PointsPTS | 21.7 | 19.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.5 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.0% | 49.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 71.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 58 | 57 |
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 | Norman Powell | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.6 | 38.1 |
| Points | 26.4 | 22.9 |
| Rebounds | 4.3 | 6.3 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.3 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 2.1 |
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 | Norman Powell | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.9 | +0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -0.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | +0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.4 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | -1.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | +0.2 |
| Total | -0.4 | -2.4 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Norman Powell stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Norman Powell | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.4 (#124) | -3.0 (#218) |
| REB | +0.6 (#48) | -2.5 (#159) |
| AST | +0.0 (#57) | -2.4 (#168) |
| STL | -0.7 (#83) | -1.8 (#131) |
| BLK | +0.5 (#50) | -1.9 (#127) |
| 3PM | -1.6 (#116) | -2.6 (#161) |
| FG% | -0.0 (#64) | -3.2 (#165) |
| FT% | -1.0 (#97) | -1.3 (#109) |
| TO | -0.3 (#69) | -2.7 (#130) |
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)
- Norman Powell: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- RJ Barrett: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- Norman Powell: 23.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 31.8 on the board.
- RJ Barrett: 32.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 32.0 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 Norman Powell or RJ Barrett in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft RJ Barrett. 32.0 fantasy points per game against 31.8, 71st on our board to 73rd. 9-cat leagues: Norman Powell instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (69th to 146th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Norman Powell or RJ Barrett?
Category by category, Norman Powell is ahead in 4 (PTS, STL, 3PM and FT%) and RJ Barrett in 5 (REB, AST, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Norman Powell or RJ Barrett?
Norman Powell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 96.1 projected fantasy points to 95.3 for Norman Powell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number