Andrew Wiggins vs Ausar Thompson: who to start in Week 1
Andrew Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ausar Thompson 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 87.0 projected fantasy points to 86.8 for Ausar Thompson. Over the season, Andrew Wiggins leads in both formats: 29.0 fantasy points a game to 28.9, and 63rd against 74th 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, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #94
- 29.0 FP/G, slot 8.10, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #63
- -0.3 z, slot 6.03, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #96
- 28.9 FP/G, slot 8.12, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #74
- -0.6 z, slot 7.02, $12
The call
Points leagues: Andrew Wiggins. 29.0 fantasy points per game against 28.9, 94th on our board to 96th.
9-cat leagues: Andrew Wiggins again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (63rd to 74th).
Category by category, Andrew Wiggins is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Ausar Thompson in 4 (REB, AST, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Ausar Thompson produces more: 39.5 fantasy points to 34.6, on 26.4 minutes a night against 30.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Andrew Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ausar Thompson 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 87.0 projected fantasy points to 86.8 for Ausar Thompson.
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 Wiggins | Ausar Thompson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.0 | 28.9 |
| Minutes | 30.1 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 15.1 | 9.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.7 | 6.1 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 3.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 0.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.4% | 52.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.4% | 60.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 68 | 73 |
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 Wiggins | Ausar Thompson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.6 | 39.5 |
| Points | 18.0 | 13.6 |
| Rebounds | 5.6 | 8.3 |
| Assists | 3.1 | 4.4 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 2.6 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 0.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 2.2 |
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 Wiggins | Ausar Thompson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | -1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | +0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.1 | +2.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | +0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | -1.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| Total | -0.3 | -0.6 |
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, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Ausar Thompson.
| Punt | Andrew Wiggins | Ausar Thompson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.1 (#62) | +0.5 (#47) |
| REB | +0.2 (#53) | -1.2 (#98) |
| AST | +0.2 (#47) | -0.4 (#71) |
| STL | -0.5 (#74) | -3.3 (#197) |
| BLK | -0.9 (#85) | -1.3 (#104) |
| 3PM | -0.7 (#84) | +1.0 (#37) |
| FG% | -0.1 (#63) | -1.8 (#114) |
| FT% | -0.3 (#71) | +1.1 (#38) |
| TO | -0.7 (#75) | -0.9 (#80) |
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 Wiggins: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
- Ausar Thompson: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
Recent games
- Andrew Wiggins: 12.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 29.0 on the board.
- Ausar Thompson: 31.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Andrew Wiggins playing tonight? · Is Ausar Thompson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Andrew Wiggins, Ausar Thompson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Andrew Wiggins or Ausar Thompson?
Points leagues: Andrew Wiggins. 29.0 fantasy points per game against 28.9, 94th on our board to 96th. 9-cat leagues: Andrew Wiggins again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (63rd to 74th).
Who wins more categories, Andrew Wiggins or Ausar Thompson?
Category by category, Andrew Wiggins is ahead in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Ausar Thompson in 4 (REB, AST, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Andrew Wiggins or Ausar Thompson?
Andrew Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ausar Thompson 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 87.0 projected fantasy points to 86.8 for Ausar Thompson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number