RJ Barrett vs Stephon Castle: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Stephon Castle in points leagues (35.2 fantasy points a game to 32.0) and RJ Barrett in 9-cat leagues (146th against 149th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- 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 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #48
- 35.2 FP/G, slot 4.12, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #149
- -2.5 z, slot 13.05, $2
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Stephon Castle. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 32.0, 48th on our board to 71st.
9-cat leagues: RJ Barrett instead, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (146th to 149th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, RJ Barrett is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Stephon Castle in 3 (AST, STL and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Stephon Castle produces more: 42.3 fantasy points to 38.1, on 30.0 minutes a night against 30.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
RJ Barrett plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 105.6 projected fantasy points to 96.1 for RJ Barrett.
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 | RJ Barrett | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.0 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 30.3 | 30.0 |
| PointsPTS | 19.3 | 16.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 7.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.1% | 47.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 71.7% | 73.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 3.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 68 |
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 | RJ Barrett | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.1 | 42.3 |
| Points | 22.9 | 20.0 |
| Rebounds | 6.3 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 3.9 | 8.9 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 3.8 |
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 | RJ Barrett | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | -0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.3 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.2 | +1.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | +0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.2 | -1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | -1.7 |
| Total | -2.4 | -2.5 |
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, blocks, threes, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Stephon Castle.
| Punt | RJ Barrett | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.0 (#218) | -2.6 (#194) |
| REB | -2.5 (#159) | -2.6 (#167) |
| AST | -2.4 (#168) | -4.5 (#268) |
| STL | -1.8 (#131) | -3.0 (#183) |
| BLK | -1.9 (#127) | -1.9 (#124) |
| 3PM | -2.6 (#161) | -2.0 (#138) |
| FG% | -3.2 (#165) | -3.0 (#158) |
| FT% | -1.3 (#109) | -1.4 (#112) |
| TO | -2.7 (#130) | -0.8 (#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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- RJ Barrett: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
- Stephon Castle: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- RJ Barrett: 32.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 32.0 on the board.
- Stephon Castle: 37.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.2 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 RJ Barrett or Stephon Castle in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Stephon Castle. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 32.0, 48th on our board to 71st. 9-cat leagues: RJ Barrett instead, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (146th to 149th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, RJ Barrett or Stephon Castle?
Category by category, RJ Barrett is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Stephon Castle in 3 (AST, STL and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, RJ Barrett or Stephon Castle?
RJ Barrett plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 105.6 projected fantasy points to 96.1 for RJ Barrett.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number