Ajay Mitchell vs John Collins: who to start in Week 1
Ajay Mitchell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), John Collins 3. For that week alone, start Ajay Mitchell: 77.5 projected fantasy points to 73.7 for John Collins. Over the season, Ajay Mitchell leads in both formats: 25.8 fantasy points a game to 24.6, and 105th against 106th 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 23, 9:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #130
- 25.8 FP/G, slot 11.10, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #105
- -1.3 z, slot 9.09, $8
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #140
- 24.6 FP/G, slot 12.08, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #106
- -1.3 z, slot 9.10, $8
The call
Points leagues: Ajay Mitchell. 25.8 fantasy points per game against 24.6, 130th on our board to 140th.
9-cat leagues: Ajay Mitchell again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (105th to 106th).
Category by category, Ajay Mitchell is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and John Collins in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ajay Mitchell produces more: 36.4 fantasy points to 32.8, on 25.5 minutes a night against 27.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Ajay Mitchell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), John Collins 3. For that week alone, start Ajay Mitchell: 77.5 projected fantasy points to 73.7 for John Collins.
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 | Ajay Mitchell | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.8 | 24.6 |
| Minutes | 25.5 | 27.0 |
| PointsPTS | 12.9 | 13.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 3.5 | 1.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.2% | 54.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.6% | 76.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 69 |
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 | Ajay Mitchell | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.4 | 32.8 |
| Points | 18.2 | 17.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 7.1 |
| Assists | 5.0 | 1.4 |
| Steals | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 1.7 |
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 | Ajay Mitchell | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | +1.0 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | +0.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | +0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.6 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.3 | -1.3 |
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, steals and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to John Collins.
| Punt | Ajay Mitchell | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#95) | -0.8 (#97) |
| REB | -0.2 (#62) | -1.2 (#105) |
| AST | -1.3 (#117) | -0.1 (#56) |
| STL | -2.4 (#160) | -1.0 (#95) |
| BLK | -0.7 (#79) | -1.7 (#117) |
| 3PM | -0.7 (#88) | -1.0 (#96) |
| FG% | -1.2 (#95) | -2.6 (#143) |
| FT% | -2.0 (#135) | -1.2 (#101) |
| TO | -1.9 (#106) | -2.2 (#117) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Ajay Mitchell: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC).
- John Collins: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
Recent games
- Ajay Mitchell: 22.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 25.8 on the board.
- John Collins: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 24.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Ajay Mitchell playing tonight? · Is John Collins playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ajay Mitchell, John Collins
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ajay Mitchell or John Collins?
Points leagues: Ajay Mitchell. 25.8 fantasy points per game against 24.6, 130th on our board to 140th. 9-cat leagues: Ajay Mitchell again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (105th to 106th).
Who wins more categories, Ajay Mitchell or John Collins?
Category by category, Ajay Mitchell is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and John Collins in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ajay Mitchell or John Collins?
Ajay Mitchell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), John Collins 3. For that week alone, start Ajay Mitchell: 77.5 projected fantasy points to 73.7 for John Collins.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 9:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number