Bilal Coulibaly vs Collin Gillespie: who to start in Week 1
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Collin Gillespie 2. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 80.1 projected fantasy points to 52.6 for Collin Gillespie. Over the season, Bilal Coulibaly leads in both formats: 26.7 fantasy points a game to 26.3, and 101st against 103rd 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 22, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #116
- 26.7 FP/G, slot 10.08, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #101
- -1.3 z, slot 9.05, $9
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #122
- 26.3 FP/G, slot 11.02, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #103
- -1.3 z, slot 9.07, $8
The call
Points leagues: Bilal Coulibaly. 26.7 fantasy points per game against 26.3, 116th on our board to 122nd.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (101st to 103rd).
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Collin Gillespie in 3 (AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Bilal Coulibaly produces more: 36.4 fantasy points to 33.8, on 26.4 minutes a night against 28.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Collin Gillespie 2. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 80.1 projected fantasy points to 52.6 for Collin Gillespie.
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 | Bilal Coulibaly | Collin Gillespie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.7 | 26.3 |
| Minutes | 26.4 | 28.1 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 11.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 3.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 4.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.5% | 39.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.1% | 82.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 80 |
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 | Bilal Coulibaly | Collin Gillespie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.4 | 33.8 |
| Points | 15.9 | 15.2 |
| Rebounds | 5.7 | 5.0 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 5.7 |
| Steals | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 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 | Bilal Coulibaly | Collin Gillespie |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | +0.4 |
| StealsSTL | +1.4 | +1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -1.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +0.2 |
| 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 rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Collin Gillespie.
| Punt | Bilal Coulibaly | Collin Gillespie |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#79) | -0.6 (#85) |
| REB | -0.8 (#83) | -0.5 (#73) |
| AST | -0.7 (#83) | -1.8 (#142) |
| STL | -2.7 (#175) | -2.5 (#166) |
| BLK | -2.2 (#143) | -0.3 (#69) |
| 3PM | -0.8 (#89) | -2.5 (#158) |
| FG% | -0.8 (#79) | +0.3 (#55) |
| FT% | -0.7 (#82) | -1.5 (#114) |
| TO | -1.9 (#108) | -1.5 (#96) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Bilal Coulibaly: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Collin Gillespie: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
Recent games
- Bilal Coulibaly: 32.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.7 on the board.
- Collin Gillespie: 12.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Bilal Coulibaly playing tonight? · Is Collin Gillespie playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Bilal Coulibaly, Collin Gillespie
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bilal Coulibaly or Collin Gillespie?
Points leagues: Bilal Coulibaly. 26.7 fantasy points per game against 26.3, 116th on our board to 122nd. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (101st to 103rd).
Who wins more categories, Bilal Coulibaly or Collin Gillespie?
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Collin Gillespie in 3 (AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bilal Coulibaly or Collin Gillespie?
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Collin Gillespie 2. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 80.1 projected fantasy points to 52.6 for Collin Gillespie.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number