Cason Wallace vs Santi Aldama: who to start in Week 1
Cason Wallace plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Santi Aldama 3. For that week alone, start Santi Aldama: 89.6 projected fantasy points to 65.4 for Cason Wallace. Over the season, Santi Aldama leads in points leagues (29.9 fantasy points a game to 21.8) and Cason Wallace in 9-cat leagues (92nd against 94th). 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #172
- 21.8 FP/G, slot 15.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #92
- -1.1 z, slot 8.08, $9
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #82
- 29.9 FP/G, slot 7.10, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #94
- -1.2 z, slot 8.10, $9
Game-time decision (Knee)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Santi Aldama. 29.9 fantasy points per game against 21.8, 82nd on our board to 172nd.
9-cat leagues: Cason Wallace instead, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (92nd to 94th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Cason Wallace is ahead in 3 (STL, FT% and TO) and Santi Aldama in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, 3PM and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Santi Aldama produces more: 38.6 fantasy points to 30.2, on 27.9 minutes a night against 26.0. 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), Santi Aldama 3. For that week alone, start Santi Aldama: 89.6 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 | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.8 | 29.9 |
| Minutes | 26.0 | 27.9 |
| PointsPTS | 8.4 | 14.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 2.0 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.5% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.9% | 66.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 43 |
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 | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 30.2 | 38.6 |
| Points | 11.7 | 18.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.1 | 8.6 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 2.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 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 | Cason Wallace | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.3 | +0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | +2.7 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | +0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | -1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.1 | -1.2 |
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 steals, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Santi Aldama.
| Punt | Cason Wallace | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.2 (#52) | -0.8 (#99) |
| REB | +0.1 (#52) | -1.8 (#128) |
| AST | -0.6 (#80) | -0.9 (#95) |
| STL | -3.9 (#230) | -0.8 (#85) |
| BLK | -0.5 (#74) | -1.5 (#108) |
| 3PM | -0.9 (#92) | -1.2 (#101) |
| FG% | -0.5 (#76) | -1.5 (#102) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#101) | -0.1 (#66) |
| TO | -2.4 (#123) | -2.0 (#110) |
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).
- Santi Aldama: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back, listed GTD.
Recent games
- Cason Wallace: 19.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.8 on the board.
- Santi Aldama: 27.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.9 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 Santi Aldama playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Santi Aldama
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cason Wallace or Santi Aldama?
Points leagues: Santi Aldama. 29.9 fantasy points per game against 21.8, 82nd on our board to 172nd. 9-cat leagues: Cason Wallace instead, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (92nd to 94th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Cason Wallace or Santi Aldama?
Category by category, Cason Wallace is ahead in 3 (STL, FT% and TO) and Santi Aldama in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, 3PM and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cason Wallace or Santi Aldama?
Cason Wallace plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Santi Aldama 3. For that week alone, start Santi Aldama: 89.6 projected fantasy points to 65.4 for Cason Wallace.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number