Ausar Thompson vs Brandin Podziemski: who to start in Week 1
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Brandin Podziemski 3. For that week alone, start Ausar Thompson: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 84.0 for Brandin Podziemski. Over the season, Ausar Thompson leads in both formats: 28.3 fantasy points a game to 28.0, and 85th 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #98
- 28.3 FP/G, slot 9.02, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #85
- -1.0 z, slot 8.01, $10
Day to day (Undisclosed)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #103
- 28.0 FP/G, slot 9.07, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #106
- -1.4 z, slot 9.10, $8
The call
Points leagues: Ausar Thompson. 28.3 fantasy points per game against 28.0, 98th on our board to 103rd.
9-cat leagues: Ausar Thompson again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (85th to 106th).
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Brandin Podziemski in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Ausar Thompson produces more: 39.1 fantasy points to 35.1, on 26.0 minutes a night against 28.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Brandin Podziemski 3. For that week alone, start Ausar Thompson: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 84.0 for Brandin Podziemski.
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 | Ausar Thompson | Brandin Podziemski |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.3 | 28.0 |
| Minutes | 26.0 | 28.7 |
| PointsPTS | 9.6 | 14.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.9 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.9 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 0.1 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.9% | 45.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.1% | 80.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 82 |
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 | Ausar Thompson | Brandin Podziemski |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.1 | 35.1 |
| Points | 13.3 | 17.6 |
| Rebounds | 8.1 | 6.2 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Steals | 2.6 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 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 | Ausar Thompson | Brandin Podziemski |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.1 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +2.3 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.5 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +0.1 |
| Total | -1.0 | -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 rebounds, steals, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Brandin Podziemski.
| Punt | Ausar Thompson | Brandin Podziemski |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.1 (#56) | -1.0 (#108) |
| REB | -1.4 (#113) | -1.0 (#97) |
| AST | -0.9 (#96) | -1.4 (#123) |
| STL | -3.3 (#203) | -1.9 (#137) |
| BLK | -1.7 (#119) | -0.6 (#76) |
| 3PM | +0.6 (#43) | -1.7 (#124) |
| FG% | -2.2 (#132) | -0.9 (#84) |
| FT% | +0.6 (#46) | -1.5 (#114) |
| TO | -1.3 (#89) | -1.5 (#98) |
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)
- Ausar Thompson: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI), listed DTD.
- Brandin Podziemski: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
Ausar Thompson or Brandin Podziemski: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Ausar Thompson: 24.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 28.3 on the board.
- Brandin Podziemski: 32.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Ausar Thompson playing tonight? · Is Brandin Podziemski playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ausar Thompson, Brandin Podziemski
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ausar Thompson or Brandin Podziemski?
Points leagues: Ausar Thompson. 28.3 fantasy points per game against 28.0, 98th on our board to 103rd. 9-cat leagues: Ausar Thompson again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (85th to 106th).
Who wins more categories, Ausar Thompson or Brandin Podziemski?
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Brandin Podziemski in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ausar Thompson or Brandin Podziemski?
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Brandin Podziemski 3. For that week alone, start Ausar Thompson: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 84.0 for Brandin Podziemski.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number