Andrew Nembhard vs Deandre Ayton: who to start in Week 1
Andrew Nembhard plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Nembhard: 97.2 projected fantasy points to 74.9 for Deandre Ayton. Over the season, Andrew Nembhard leads in both formats: 32.4 fantasy points a game to 25.0, and 101st against 102nd 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, 2:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #64
- 32.4 FP/G, slot 6.04, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #101
- -1.4 z, slot 9.05, $8
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #134
- 25.0 FP/G, slot 12.02, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #102
- -1.4 z, slot 9.06, $8
The call
Points leagues: Andrew Nembhard. 32.4 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 64th on our board to 134th.
9-cat leagues: Andrew Nembhard again, -1.4 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (101st to 102nd).
Category by category, Andrew Nembhard is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Deandre Ayton in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Andrew Nembhard produces more: 37.0 fantasy points to 35.7, on 31.5 minutes a night against 25.2. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Andrew Nembhard plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Nembhard: 97.2 projected fantasy points to 74.9 for Deandre Ayton.
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 | Andrew Nembhard | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.4 | 25.0 |
| Minutes | 31.5 | 25.2 |
| PointsPTS | 17.0 | 11.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.7 | 7.5 |
| AssistsAST | 7.6 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.0% | 68.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.0% | 63.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 72 |
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 | Andrew Nembhard | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.0 | 35.7 |
| Points | 19.4 | 16.5 |
| Rebounds | 3.1 | 10.7 |
| Assists | 8.7 | 1.1 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 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 | Andrew Nembhard | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.3 | +0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +2.0 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | -1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | +2.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.6 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | +1.1 |
| Total | -1.4 | -1.4 |
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
Punting points, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Deandre Ayton.
| Punt | Andrew Nembhard | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#135) | -0.6 (#85) |
| REB | -0.0 (#54) | -2.4 (#160) |
| AST | -3.4 (#216) | +0.0 (#53) |
| STL | -1.1 (#103) | -0.1 (#62) |
| BLK | -0.3 (#64) | -2.1 (#143) |
| 3PM | -1.6 (#118) | +0.3 (#51) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#78) | -4.5 (#229) |
| FT% | -2.0 (#142) | -0.5 (#78) |
| TO | -0.9 (#76) | -2.6 (#128) |
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)
- Andrew Nembhard: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Andrew Nembhard: 31.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.4 on the board.
- Deandre Ayton: 16.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 25.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Andrew Nembhard playing tonight? · Is Deandre Ayton playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Andrew Nembhard or Deandre Ayton?
Points leagues: Andrew Nembhard. 32.4 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 64th on our board to 134th. 9-cat leagues: Andrew Nembhard again, -1.4 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (101st to 102nd).
Who wins more categories, Andrew Nembhard or Deandre Ayton?
Category by category, Andrew Nembhard is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Deandre Ayton in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Andrew Nembhard or Deandre Ayton?
Andrew Nembhard plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Nembhard: 97.2 projected fantasy points to 74.9 for Deandre Ayton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number