Brandin Podziemski vs Deandre Ayton: who to start in Week 1
Brandin Podziemski plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 74.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Brandin Podziemski. Over the season, Brandin Podziemski leads in points leagues (28.0 fantasy points a game to 25.0) and Deandre Ayton in 9-cat leagues (102nd against 103rd). 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, 2:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #100
- 28.0 FP/G, slot 9.04, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #103
- -1.4 z, slot 9.07, $7
Out (Back)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #134
- 25.0 FP/G, slot 12.02, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #102
- -1.4 z, slot 9.06, $8
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Brandin Podziemski. 28.0 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 100th on our board to 134th.
9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton instead, -1.4 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (102nd to 103rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Brandin Podziemski is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Deandre Ayton in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Deandre Ayton produces more: 35.7 fantasy points to 35.1, on 25.2 minutes a night against 28.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandin Podziemski plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 74.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Brandin Podziemski.
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 | Brandin Podziemski | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.0 | 25.0 |
| Minutes | 28.7 | 25.2 |
| PointsPTS | 14.1 | 11.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.9 | 7.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.1% | 68.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.6% | 63.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 72 |
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 | Brandin Podziemski | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.1 | 35.7 |
| Points | 17.6 | 16.5 |
| Rebounds | 6.2 | 10.7 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 1.1 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 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 | Brandin Podziemski | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.4 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | +0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | -1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | +2.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +1.1 |
| Total | -1.4 | -1.4 |
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, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Brandin Podziemski.
| Punt | Brandin Podziemski | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#107) | -0.6 (#85) |
| REB | -1.1 (#99) | -2.4 (#160) |
| AST | -1.5 (#123) | +0.0 (#53) |
| STL | -1.9 (#137) | -0.1 (#62) |
| BLK | -0.6 (#76) | -2.1 (#143) |
| 3PM | -1.7 (#124) | +0.3 (#51) |
| FG% | -0.9 (#83) | -4.5 (#229) |
| FT% | -1.5 (#116) | -0.5 (#78) |
| TO | -1.6 (#98) | -2.6 (#128) |
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)
- Brandin Podziemski: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brandin Podziemski: 32.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.0 on the board.
- Deandre Ayton: 16.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 25.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Brandin Podziemski playing tonight? · Is Deandre Ayton playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Brandin Podziemski
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brandin Podziemski or Deandre Ayton?
Points leagues: Brandin Podziemski. 28.0 fantasy points per game against 25.0, 100th on our board to 134th. 9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton instead, -1.4 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (102nd to 103rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Brandin Podziemski or Deandre Ayton?
Category by category, Brandin Podziemski is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Deandre Ayton in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandin Podziemski or Deandre Ayton?
Brandin Podziemski plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 74.9 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Brandin Podziemski.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number