Brandon Ingram vs Zion Williamson: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Brandon Ingram in both formats: 35.7 fantasy points a game to 35.2 in points leagues, and 78th against 102nd in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #46
- 35.7 FP/G, slot 4.10, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #78
- -0.6 z, slot 7.06, $12
Out (Heel)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #49
- 35.2 FP/G, slot 5.01, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #102
- -1.4 z, slot 9.06, $8
The call
Points leagues: draft Brandon Ingram. 35.7 fantasy points per game against 35.2, 46th on our board to 49th.
9-cat leagues: Brandon Ingram again, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (78th to 102nd).
Category by category, Brandon Ingram is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Zion Williamson in 3 (STL, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Zion Williamson produces more: 42.6 fantasy points to 38.0, on 29.7 minutes a night against 33.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandon Ingram plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Brandon Ingram.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Brandon Ingram | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.7 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 33.8 | 29.7 |
| PointsPTS | 21.5 | 21.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.6 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 3.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.7% | 60.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.0% | 71.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 62 |
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 | Brandon Ingram | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.0 | 42.6 |
| Points | 22.9 | 25.5 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 6.9 |
| Assists | 3.9 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 2.5 |
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 | Brandon Ingram | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.8 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | +2.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | -1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | -0.2 |
| Total | -0.6 | -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 threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Zion Williamson.
| Punt | Brandon Ingram | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#129) | -2.2 (#173) |
| REB | -0.5 (#73) | -1.9 (#129) |
| AST | -0.7 (#78) | -1.3 (#118) |
| STL | +0.1 (#61) | -1.4 (#119) |
| BLK | -0.7 (#78) | -1.4 (#102) |
| 3PM | -0.8 (#91) | +0.2 (#56) |
| FG% | -0.4 (#68) | -5.1 (#254) |
| FT% | -1.0 (#92) | +0.5 (#50) |
| TO | +0.1 (#57) | -1.3 (#91) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Brandon Ingram: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC), listed Out.
- Zion Williamson: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Brandon Ingram: 33.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.7 on the board.
- Zion Williamson: 30.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Brandon Ingram. 35.7 fantasy points per game against 35.2, 46th on our board to 49th. 9-cat leagues: Brandon Ingram again, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (78th to 102nd).
Who wins more categories, Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson?
Category by category, Brandon Ingram is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Zion Williamson in 3 (STL, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson?
Brandon Ingram plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Brandon Ingram.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number