Cason Wallace vs Derik Queen: who to start in Week 1
Cason Wallace plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Derik Queen 3. For that week alone, start Derik Queen: 88.3 projected fantasy points to 65.4 for Cason Wallace. Over the season, Derik Queen leads in both formats: 29.4 fantasy points a game to 21.8, and 90th against 91st 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #171
- 21.8 FP/G, slot 15.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #91
- -1.1 z, slot 8.07, $9
- Points leagues
- #87
- 29.4 FP/G, slot 8.03, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #90
- -1.1 z, slot 8.06, $9
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Derik Queen. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 21.8, 87th on our board to 171st.
9-cat leagues: Derik Queen again, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (90th to 91st).
Category by category, Cason Wallace is ahead in 3 (STL, 3PM and TO) and Derik Queen in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Derik Queen produces more: 42.7 fantasy points to 30.2, on 24.8 minutes a night against 26.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Cason Wallace plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Derik Queen 3. For that week alone, start Derik Queen: 88.3 projected fantasy points to 65.4 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Cason Wallace | Derik Queen |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.8 | 29.4 |
| Minutes | 26.0 | 24.8 |
| PointsPTS | 8.4 | 11.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 7.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 2.0 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.5% | 48.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.9% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 81 |
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 | Derik Queen |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 30.2 | 42.7 |
| Points | 11.7 | 17.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.1 | 10.6 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 4.9 |
| Steals | 2.8 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 3.1 |
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 | Derik Queen |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | +0.7 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | +2.7 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | +0.4 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | -1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | -0.3 |
| 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 points, rebounds, assists, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Cason Wallace.
| Punt | Cason Wallace | Derik Queen |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.2 (#54) | -0.3 (#72) |
| REB | +0.0 (#53) | -1.9 (#132) |
| AST | -0.7 (#80) | -0.9 (#98) |
| STL | -3.9 (#230) | -1.3 (#111) |
| BLK | -0.5 (#74) | -1.8 (#121) |
| 3PM | -0.9 (#89) | +0.3 (#52) |
| FG% | -0.5 (#74) | -1.3 (#95) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#103) | -1.4 (#114) |
| TO | -2.5 (#122) | -0.9 (#77) |
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 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Cason Wallace: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC).
- Derik Queen: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Cason Wallace: 19.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.8 on the board.
- Derik Queen: 30.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 29.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Cason Wallace playing tonight? · Is Derik Queen playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Derik Queen
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cason Wallace or Derik Queen?
Points leagues: Derik Queen. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 21.8, 87th on our board to 171st. 9-cat leagues: Derik Queen again, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (90th to 91st).
Who wins more categories, Cason Wallace or Derik Queen?
Category by category, Cason Wallace is ahead in 3 (STL, 3PM and TO) and Derik Queen in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cason Wallace or Derik Queen?
Cason Wallace plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Derik Queen 3. For that week alone, start Derik Queen: 88.3 projected fantasy points to 65.4 for Cason Wallace.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number