Ausar Thompson vs Jalen Williams: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Williams in both formats: 33.3 fantasy points a game to 28.8 in points leagues, and 83rd against 84th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #101
- 28.8 FP/G, slot 9.05, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #84
- -0.7 z, slot 7.12, $12
- Points leagues
- #63
- 33.3 FP/G, slot 6.03, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #83
- -0.6 z, slot 7.11, $12
Game-time decision (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Williams. 33.3 fantasy points per game against 28.8, 63rd on our board to 101st.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (83rd to 84th).
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Jalen Williams in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Williams produces more: 42.2 fantasy points to 39.9, on 28.4 minutes a night against 26.0. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.8 projected fantasy points to 86.3 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Ausar Thompson | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.8 | 33.3 |
| Minutes | 26.0 | 28.4 |
| PointsPTS | 9.9 | 17.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.7 | 4.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.1 | 5.5 |
| StealsSTL | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.1 | 0.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.5% | 48.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 57.1% | 83.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 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 | Ausar Thompson | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.9 | 42.2 |
| Points | 13.7 | 21.7 |
| Rebounds | 7.9 | 5.8 |
| Assists | 4.3 | 7.0 |
| Steals | 2.8 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 0.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 2.4 |
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 | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.3 | +0.9 |
| StealsSTL | +2.8 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | -1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.8 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | -0.1 |
| Total | -0.7 | -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, assists, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Ausar Thompson.
| Punt | Ausar Thompson | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.4 (#50) | -0.7 (#94) |
| REB | -1.2 (#98) | -0.2 (#62) |
| AST | -0.6 (#73) | -1.6 (#131) |
| STL | -3.6 (#211) | -1.2 (#103) |
| BLK | -1.6 (#110) | +0.1 (#63) |
| 3PM | +0.9 (#39) | +0.2 (#58) |
| FG% | -2.2 (#125) | -0.9 (#84) |
| FT% | +1.2 (#36) | -1.2 (#103) |
| TO | -1.2 (#88) | -0.6 (#74) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Ausar Thompson: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
- Jalen Williams: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC), listed GTD.
Recent games
- Ausar Thompson: 30.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.8 on the board.
- Jalen Williams: 29.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 33.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Ausar Thompson or Jalen Williams in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Williams. 33.3 fantasy points per game against 28.8, 63rd on our board to 101st. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (83rd to 84th).
Who wins more categories, Ausar Thompson or Jalen Williams?
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Jalen Williams in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ausar Thompson or Jalen Williams?
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.8 projected fantasy points to 86.3 for Ausar Thompson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number