Anthony Black vs Deandre Ayton: who to start in Week 2
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 89.3 projected fantasy points to 74.9 for Deandre Ayton. Over the season, Anthony Black leads in both formats: 29.8 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 26, 2:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #84
- 29.8 FP/G, slot 7.12, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #101
- -1.3 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
- -1.3 z, slot 9.06, $8
The call
Points leagues: Anthony Black. 29.8 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 84th on our board to 134th.
9-cat leagues: Anthony Black again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (101st to 102nd).
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Deandre Ayton in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Anthony Black produces more: 36.2 fantasy points to 35.7, on 29.6 minutes a night against 25.2. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 89.3 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 | Anthony Black | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.8 | 25.0 |
| Minutes | 29.6 | 25.2 |
| PointsPTS | 15.2 | 11.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 7.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.3% | 68.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 72.3% | 63.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 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 | Anthony Black | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.2 | 35.7 |
| Points | 18.5 | 16.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 10.7 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 1.1 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 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 | Anthony Black | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | +0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.0 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | +2.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.8 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | +1.1 |
| 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 points, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Deandre Ayton.
| Punt | Anthony Black | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#114) | -0.5 (#82) |
| REB | -0.7 (#82) | -2.4 (#158) |
| AST | -1.5 (#126) | +0.1 (#50) |
| STL | -2.5 (#162) | -0.0 (#61) |
| BLK | -1.4 (#111) | -2.1 (#138) |
| 3PM | -1.5 (#117) | +0.4 (#47) |
| FG% | -1.0 (#88) | -4.4 (#226) |
| FT% | -0.6 (#79) | -0.4 (#71) |
| TO | -1.3 (#88) | -2.5 (#124) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Anthony Black: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @TOR, Sun BOS).
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Mon @CHA, Wed @CLE, Fri CHA).
Recent games
- Anthony Black: 35.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 29.8 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 Anthony Black playing tonight? · Is Deandre Ayton playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Anthony Black
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Black or Deandre Ayton?
Points leagues: Anthony Black. 29.8 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 84th on our board to 134th. 9-cat leagues: Anthony Black again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (101st to 102nd).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Black or Deandre Ayton?
Category by category, Anthony Black 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 2, Anthony Black or Deandre Ayton?
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 89.3 projected fantasy points to 74.9 for Deandre Ayton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number