Bilal Coulibaly vs Robert Williams III: who to start in Week 1
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Robert Williams III 2. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 77.4 projected fantasy points to 43.6 for Robert Williams III. Over the season, Bilal Coulibaly leads in both formats: 25.8 fantasy points a game to 21.8, and 105th against 107th 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 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #126
- 25.8 FP/G, slot 11.06, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #105
- -1.5 z, slot 9.09, $7
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #172
- 21.8 FP/G, slot 15.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #107
- -1.5 z, slot 9.11, $7
The call
Points leagues: Bilal Coulibaly. 25.8 fantasy points per game against 21.8, 126th on our board to 172nd.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (105th to 107th).
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Robert Williams III in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Robert Williams III produces more: 46.1 fantasy points to 35.2, on 17.0 minutes a night against 26.3. 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), Robert Williams III 2. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 77.4 projected fantasy points to 43.6 for Robert Williams III.
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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Bilal Coulibaly | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.8 | 21.8 |
| Minutes | 26.3 | 17.0 |
| PointsPTS | 11.4 | 6.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.3 | 7.1 |
| AssistsAST | 2.2 | 1.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.4% | 71.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.4% | 58.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 59 |
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 | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.2 | 46.1 |
| Points | 15.6 | 14.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 15.1 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 2.0 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 3.0 |
| Threes | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 1.8 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Bilal Coulibaly | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | -1.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.7 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | -1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | +1.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | +1.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | +1.3 |
| Total | -1.5 | -1.5 |
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, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Robert Williams III.
| Punt | Bilal Coulibaly | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#90) | +0.2 (#57) |
| REB | -1.0 (#94) | -2.4 (#156) |
| AST | -0.9 (#92) | -0.1 (#57) |
| STL | -2.7 (#173) | -0.2 (#68) |
| BLK | -2.4 (#150) | -3.4 (#187) |
| 3PM | -0.9 (#92) | +0.1 (#61) |
| FG% | -1.0 (#88) | -3.7 (#188) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#102) | -0.8 (#85) |
| TO | -2.3 (#117) | -2.9 (#140) |
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)
- Bilal Coulibaly: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Robert Williams III: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
Recent games
- Bilal Coulibaly: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 25.8 on the board.
- Robert Williams III: 19.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.8 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Bilal Coulibaly playing tonight? · Is Robert Williams III playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Bilal Coulibaly
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bilal Coulibaly or Robert Williams III?
Points leagues: Bilal Coulibaly. 25.8 fantasy points per game against 21.8, 126th on our board to 172nd. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (105th to 107th).
Who wins more categories, Bilal Coulibaly or Robert Williams III?
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Robert Williams III in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bilal Coulibaly or Robert Williams III?
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Robert Williams III 2. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 77.4 projected fantasy points to 43.6 for Robert Williams III.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number