Brandon Williams vs Devin Vassell: who to start in Week 1
Brandon Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Devin Vassell 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Williams: 73.6 projected fantasy points to 73.3 for Devin Vassell. Over the season, Brandon Williams leads in points leagues (24.5 fantasy points a game to 24.4) and Devin Vassell in 9-cat leagues (131st against 209th). 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, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #142
- 24.5 FP/G, slot 12.10, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #209
- -3.9 z, slot 18.05
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #143
- 24.4 FP/G, slot 12.11, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #131
- -2.1 z, slot 11.11, $4
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Brandon Williams. 24.5 fantasy points per game against 24.4, 142nd on our board to 143rd.
9-cat leagues: Devin Vassell instead, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -3.9 (131st to 209th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Brandon Williams is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Devin Vassell in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Brandon Williams produces more: 40.3 fantasy points to 28.8, on 21.9 minutes a night against 30.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandon Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Devin Vassell 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Williams: 73.6 projected fantasy points to 73.3 for Devin Vassell.
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 | Brandon Williams | Devin Vassell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.5 | 24.4 |
| Minutes | 21.9 | 30.5 |
| PointsPTS | 13.1 | 13.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.6 | 2.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.4% | 42.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.2% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 66 | 67 |
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 Williams | Devin Vassell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.3 | 28.8 |
| Points | 21.5 | 15.9 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 4.7 |
| Assists | 6.3 | 2.8 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.9 | 2.8 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 1.0 |
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 Williams | Devin Vassell |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.3 | -0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -1.1 | +0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | +1.3 |
| Total | -3.9 | -2.1 |
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 flips the 9-cat answer to Brandon Williams.
| Punt | Brandon Williams | Devin Vassell |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.3 (#237) | -1.6 (#142) |
| REB | -2.9 (#184) | -1.3 (#111) |
| AST | -4.1 (#246) | -1.6 (#122) |
| STL | -4.1 (#244) | -1.6 (#121) |
| BLK | -3.3 (#184) | -1.5 (#110) |
| 3PM | -2.8 (#175) | -2.9 (#179) |
| FG% | -3.8 (#201) | -1.1 (#90) |
| FT% | -4.1 (#226) | -2.4 (#151) |
| TO | -3.9 (#172) | -3.5 (#154) |
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)
- Brandon Williams: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
- Devin Vassell: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brandon Williams: 30.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 24.5 on the board.
- Devin Vassell: 12.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 24.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Brandon Williams playing tonight? · Is Devin Vassell playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Devin Vassell
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brandon Williams or Devin Vassell?
Points leagues: Brandon Williams. 24.5 fantasy points per game against 24.4, 142nd on our board to 143rd. 9-cat leagues: Devin Vassell instead, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -3.9 (131st to 209th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Brandon Williams or Devin Vassell?
Category by category, Brandon Williams is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Devin Vassell in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandon Williams or Devin Vassell?
Brandon Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Devin Vassell 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Williams: 73.6 projected fantasy points to 73.3 for Devin Vassell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number