Andrew Nembhard vs Jalen Williams: who to start in Week 1
Andrew Nembhard plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.1 projected fantasy points to 98.0 for Andrew Nembhard. Over the season, Jalen Williams leads in both formats: 33.0 fantasy points a game to 32.7, and 81st against 115th 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 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #64
- 32.7 FP/G, slot 6.04, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #115
- -1.6 z, slot 10.07, $7
- Points leagues
- #62
- 33.0 FP/G, slot 6.02, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #81
- -0.8 z, slot 7.09, $11
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 33.0 fantasy points per game against 32.7, 62nd on our board to 64th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (81st to 115th).
Category by category, Andrew Nembhard is ahead in 3 (AST, 3PM and FT%) and Jalen Williams in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Williams produces more: 41.8 fantasy points to 37.3, on 28.5 minutes a night against 31.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Andrew Nembhard plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.1 projected fantasy points to 98.0 for Andrew Nembhard.
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 | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.7 | 33.0 |
| Minutes | 31.5 | 28.5 |
| PointsPTS | 17.0 | 16.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.8 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 7.8 | 5.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 0.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.0% | 47.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.8% | 82.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 33 |
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 | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.3 | 41.8 |
| Points | 19.4 | 21.2 |
| Rebounds | 3.2 | 6.0 |
| Assists | 8.9 | 6.7 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 0.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.7 | 2.3 |
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 | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | +0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.4 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +2.1 | +0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | +0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | +0.1 |
| Total | -1.6 | -0.8 |
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 rebounds flips the 9-cat answer to Andrew Nembhard.
| Punt | Andrew Nembhard | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.7 (#148) | -0.9 (#100) |
| REB | -0.3 (#64) | -0.5 (#72) |
| AST | -3.8 (#233) | -1.7 (#130) |
| STL | -1.4 (#114) | -1.3 (#109) |
| BLK | -0.5 (#74) | -0.2 (#63) |
| 3PM | -1.8 (#130) | +0.0 (#61) |
| FG% | -1.0 (#87) | -0.7 (#78) |
| FT% | -2.1 (#141) | -1.2 (#100) |
| TO | -1.0 (#81) | -0.9 (#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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Andrew Nembhard: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
- Jalen Williams: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC).
Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Williams: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Andrew Nembhard: 34.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 32.7 on the board.
- Jalen Williams: 29.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 33.0 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 Jalen Williams playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Williams
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Williams?
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 33.0 fantasy points per game against 32.7, 62nd on our board to 64th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (81st to 115th).
Who wins more categories, Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Williams?
Category by category, Andrew Nembhard is ahead in 3 (AST, 3PM and FT%) and Jalen Williams in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Williams?
Andrew Nembhard plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.1 projected fantasy points to 98.0 for Andrew Nembhard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number