Brandon Williams vs John Collins: who to start in Week 1
Brandon Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), John Collins 3. For that week alone, start John Collins: 73.7 projected fantasy points to 73.6 for Brandon Williams. Over the season, John Collins leads in both formats: 24.6 fantasy points a game to 24.5, and 104th against 209th 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 22, 1:54 PM 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
- Points leagues
- #140
- 24.6 FP/G, slot 12.08, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #104
- -1.4 z, slot 9.08, $8
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: John Collins. 24.6 fantasy points per game against 24.5, 140th on our board to 142nd.
9-cat leagues: John Collins again, -1.4 in summed z-scores against -3.9 (104th to 209th).
Category by category, Brandon Williams is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and John Collins in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Brandon Williams produces more: 40.3 fantasy points to 32.8, on 21.9 minutes a night against 27.0. 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), John Collins 3. For that week alone, start John Collins: 73.7 projected fantasy points to 73.6 for Brandon Williams.
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 | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.5 | 24.6 |
| Minutes | 21.9 | 27.0 |
| PointsPTS | 13.1 | 13.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 1.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.4% | 54.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.2% | 76.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 66 | 69 |
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 | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.3 | 32.8 |
| Points | 21.5 | 17.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 7.1 |
| Assists | 6.3 | 1.4 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 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 | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.3 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | +0.1 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.1 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | +0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | +0.7 |
| Total | -3.9 | -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
No punt changes the answer: John Collins stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Brandon Williams | John Collins |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.3 (#237) | -0.8 (#96) |
| REB | -2.9 (#184) | -1.3 (#106) |
| AST | -4.1 (#246) | -0.1 (#58) |
| STL | -4.1 (#244) | -1.1 (#95) |
| BLK | -3.3 (#184) | -1.7 (#117) |
| 3PM | -2.8 (#175) | -1.0 (#94) |
| FG% | -3.8 (#201) | -2.6 (#143) |
| FT% | -4.1 (#226) | -1.2 (#102) |
| TO | -3.9 (#172) | -2.2 (#116) |
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.
- John Collins: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
Recent games
- Brandon Williams: 30.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 24.5 on the board.
- John Collins: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 24.6 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 John Collins playing tonight?
Rookie cards: John Collins
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brandon Williams or John Collins?
Points leagues: John Collins. 24.6 fantasy points per game against 24.5, 140th on our board to 142nd. 9-cat leagues: John Collins again, -1.4 in summed z-scores against -3.9 (104th to 209th).
Who wins more categories, Brandon Williams or John Collins?
Category by category, Brandon Williams is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and John Collins in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandon Williams or John Collins?
Brandon Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), John Collins 3. For that week alone, start John Collins: 73.7 projected fantasy points to 73.6 for Brandon Williams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number