Ausar Thompson vs Moussa Diabaté: who to start in Week 1
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Moussa Diabaté 3. For that week alone, start Ausar Thompson: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 78.6 for Moussa Diabaté. Over the season, Ausar Thompson leads in points leagues (28.3 fantasy points a game to 26.2) and Moussa Diabaté in 9-cat leagues (79th against 85th). 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 leagues.
- Points leagues
- #123
- 26.2 FP/G, slot 11.03, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #79
- -0.8 z, slot 7.07, $11
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Ausar Thompson. 28.3 fantasy points per game against 26.2, 98th on our board to 123rd.
9-cat leagues: Moussa Diabaté instead, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (79th to 85th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM) and Moussa Diabaté in 5 (REB, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ausar Thompson produces more: 39.1 fantasy points to 36.0, on 26.0 minutes a night against 26.2. 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), Moussa Diabaté 3. For that week alone, start Ausar Thompson: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 78.6 for Moussa Diabaté.
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 | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.3 | 26.2 |
| Minutes | 26.0 | 26.2 |
| PointsPTS | 9.6 | 8.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.9 | 8.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 1.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.9 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.9% | 64.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.1% | 67.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 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 | Ausar Thompson | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.1 | 36.0 |
| Points | 13.3 | 11.3 |
| Rebounds | 8.1 | 11.8 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 2.7 |
| Steals | 2.6 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 1.6 |
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 | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | -1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.1 | +1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +2.3 | +0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | +1.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.5 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +0.8 |
| Total | -1.0 | -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, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Ausar Thompson.
| Punt | Ausar Thompson | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.1 (#56) | +0.5 (#43) |
| REB | -1.4 (#113) | -2.4 (#158) |
| AST | -0.9 (#96) | -0.0 (#53) |
| STL | -3.3 (#203) | -0.9 (#91) |
| BLK | -1.7 (#119) | -1.7 (#118) |
| 3PM | +0.6 (#43) | +0.9 (#39) |
| FG% | -2.2 (#132) | -2.9 (#152) |
| FT% | +0.6 (#46) | +0.2 (#56) |
| TO | -1.3 (#89) | -1.9 (#107) |
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.
- Moussa Diabaté: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Ausar Thompson: 24.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 28.3 on the board.
- Moussa Diabaté: 31.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 26.2 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 Moussa Diabaté playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ausar Thompson, Moussa Diabaté
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ausar Thompson or Moussa Diabaté?
Points leagues: Ausar Thompson. 28.3 fantasy points per game against 26.2, 98th on our board to 123rd. 9-cat leagues: Moussa Diabaté instead, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (79th to 85th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Ausar Thompson or Moussa Diabaté?
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM) and Moussa Diabaté in 5 (REB, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ausar Thompson or Moussa Diabaté?
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Moussa Diabaté 3. For that week alone, start Ausar Thompson: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 78.6 for Moussa Diabaté.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number