Ausar Thompson vs Payton Pritchard: who to start in Week 1
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Ausar Thompson: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard. Over the season, Payton Pritchard leads in both formats: 30.3 fantasy points a game to 28.3, and 67th against 82nd 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, 2:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #99
- 28.3 FP/G, slot 9.03, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #82
- -0.9 z, slot 7.10, $10
Day to day (Undisclosed)
- Points leagues
- #81
- 30.3 FP/G, slot 7.09, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #67
- -0.3 z, slot 6.07, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 28.3, 81st on our board to 99th.
9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.9 (67th to 82nd).
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Payton Pritchard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ausar Thompson produces more: 39.1 fantasy points to 33.9, on 26.0 minutes a night against 32.1. 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), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Ausar Thompson: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard.
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 | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.3 | 30.3 |
| Minutes | 26.0 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 9.6 | 17.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.9 | 4.0 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.9 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.1 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.9% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.1% | 88.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 79 |
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 | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.1 | 33.9 |
| Points | 13.3 | 19.1 |
| Rebounds | 8.1 | 4.4 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 5.5 |
| Steals | 2.6 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 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 | Ausar Thompson | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | -0.8 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +2.4 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.5 | +0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +0.7 |
| Total | -0.9 | -0.3 |
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, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Ausar Thompson.
| Punt | Ausar Thompson | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.2 (#52) | -0.5 (#81) |
| REB | -1.4 (#111) | +0.6 (#46) |
| AST | -0.8 (#91) | -1.1 (#104) |
| STL | -3.4 (#205) | +0.5 (#46) |
| BLK | -1.7 (#115) | +0.9 (#41) |
| 3PM | +0.7 (#41) | -1.5 (#114) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#124) | +0.3 (#56) |
| FT% | +0.7 (#44) | -1.0 (#96) |
| TO | -1.2 (#87) | -1.1 (#83) |
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.
- Payton Pritchard: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Ausar Thompson: 24.2 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 28.3 on the board.
- Payton Pritchard: 16.3 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 30.3 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 Payton Pritchard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ausar Thompson, Payton Pritchard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ausar Thompson or Payton Pritchard?
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 28.3, 81st on our board to 99th. 9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.9 (67th to 82nd).
Who wins more categories, Ausar Thompson or Payton Pritchard?
Category by category, Ausar Thompson is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Payton Pritchard in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ausar Thompson or Payton Pritchard?
Ausar Thompson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Ausar Thompson: 84.9 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 2:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number