Brandon Williams vs Jakob Poeltl: who to start in Week 2
Brandon Williams plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jakob Poeltl 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Williams: 94.6 projected fantasy points to 70.9 for Jakob Poeltl. Over the season, Brandon Williams leads in points leagues (23.7 fantasy points a game to 23.6) and Jakob Poeltl in 9-cat leagues (137th against 219th). 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 27, 8:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #149
- 23.7 FP/G, slot 13.05, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #219
- -4.3 z, slot 19.03
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #150
- 23.6 FP/G, slot 13.06, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #137
- -2.2 z, slot 12.05, $3
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Brandon Williams. 23.7 fantasy points per game against 23.6, 149th on our board to 150th.
9-cat leagues: Jakob Poeltl instead, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -4.3 (137th to 219th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Brandon Williams is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Jakob Poeltl in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Brandon Williams produces more: 40.6 fantasy points to 34.6, on 21.0 minutes a night against 24.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandon Williams plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jakob Poeltl 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Williams: 94.6 projected fantasy points to 70.9 for Jakob Poeltl.
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 | Jakob Poeltl |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.7 | 23.6 |
| Minutes | 21.0 | 24.6 |
| PointsPTS | 12.6 | 9.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.9 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 1.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.5% | 68.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.6% | 60.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.0 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 66 | 46 |
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 | Jakob Poeltl |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.6 | 34.6 |
| Points | 21.6 | 13.8 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 9.9 |
| Assists | 6.3 | 2.6 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 1.2 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 1.7 |
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 | Jakob Poeltl |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.3 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -0.9 |
| StealsSTL | +0.1 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.0 |
| Threes3PM | -1.0 | -1.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | +2.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | -1.3 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.2 | +0.9 |
| Total | -4.3 | -2.2 |
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 field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Brandon Williams.
| Punt | Brandon Williams | Jakob Poeltl |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.6 (#248) | -1.0 (#103) |
| REB | -3.3 (#201) | -2.9 (#181) |
| AST | -4.3 (#259) | -1.2 (#110) |
| STL | -4.4 (#264) | -1.7 (#131) |
| BLK | -3.7 (#201) | -2.5 (#152) |
| 3PM | -3.3 (#196) | -0.4 (#77) |
| FG% | -4.1 (#209) | -5.0 (#243) |
| FT% | -4.4 (#227) | -0.8 (#87) |
| TO | -4.2 (#179) | -3.2 (#146) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Brandon Williams: 4 games (Mon @DEN, Wed @MIN, Fri LAL, Sun LAC).
- Jakob Poeltl: 3 games (Wed ORL, Fri ORL, Sun @LAL).
Recent games
- Brandon Williams: 21.9 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 23.7 on the board.
- Jakob Poeltl: 13.7 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.6 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 Jakob Poeltl playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brandon Williams or Jakob Poeltl?
Points leagues: Brandon Williams. 23.7 fantasy points per game against 23.6, 149th on our board to 150th. 9-cat leagues: Jakob Poeltl instead, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -4.3 (137th to 219th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Brandon Williams or Jakob Poeltl?
Category by category, Brandon Williams is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Jakob Poeltl in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Brandon Williams or Jakob Poeltl?
Brandon Williams plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jakob Poeltl 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Williams: 94.6 projected fantasy points to 70.9 for Jakob Poeltl.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 8:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number