Cason Wallace vs Deandre Ayton: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Deandre Ayton in points leagues (26.7 fantasy points a game to 22.2) and Cason Wallace in 9-cat leagues (90th against 91st). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #178
- 22.2 FP/G, slot 15.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #90
- -1.1 z, slot 8.06, $10
Game-time decision (Rest)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #119
- 26.7 FP/G, slot 10.11, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #91
- -1.1 z, slot 8.07, $10
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Deandre Ayton. 26.7 fantasy points per game against 22.2, 119th on our board to 178th.
9-cat leagues: Cason Wallace instead, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (90th to 91st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Cason Wallace is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Deandre Ayton in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Deandre Ayton produces more: 35.4 fantasy points to 30.0, on 27.2 minutes a night against 26.6. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Cason Wallace plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 80.2 projected fantasy points to 66.5 for Cason Wallace.
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 | Cason Wallace | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.2 | 26.7 |
| Minutes | 26.6 | 27.2 |
| PointsPTS | 8.6 | 12.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 8.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 0.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.9 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.2% | 67.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.9% | 64.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 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 | Cason Wallace | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 30.0 | 35.4 |
| Points | 11.6 | 16.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.2 | 10.6 |
| Assists | 3.5 | 1.1 |
| Steals | 2.6 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.3 | 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 | Cason Wallace | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | +1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | +2.6 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | +0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.7 | +2.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +0.9 |
| Total | -1.1 | -1.1 |
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 assists, steals, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Deandre Ayton.
| Punt | Cason Wallace | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.3 (#54) | -0.4 (#78) |
| REB | -0.0 (#60) | -2.3 (#146) |
| AST | -0.6 (#77) | +0.3 (#51) |
| STL | -3.7 (#220) | +0.1 (#62) |
| BLK | -0.6 (#74) | -1.9 (#125) |
| 3PM | -0.8 (#89) | +0.6 (#48) |
| FG% | -0.6 (#77) | -4.3 (#213) |
| FT% | -1.1 (#99) | -0.1 (#65) |
| TO | -2.3 (#117) | -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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Cason Wallace: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC), listed GTD.
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Cason Wallace: 18.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.2 on the board.
- Deandre Ayton: 26.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 26.7 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 Cason Wallace or Deandre Ayton in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Deandre Ayton. 26.7 fantasy points per game against 22.2, 119th on our board to 178th. 9-cat leagues: Cason Wallace instead, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (90th to 91st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Cason Wallace or Deandre Ayton?
Category by category, Cason Wallace is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Deandre Ayton in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cason Wallace or Deandre Ayton?
Cason Wallace plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 80.2 projected fantasy points to 66.5 for Cason Wallace.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number