Cedric Coward vs Deandre Ayton: who to start in Week 1
Cedric Coward plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 76.7 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Cedric Coward. Over the season, Cedric Coward leads in points leagues (26.0 fantasy points a game to 25.6) and Deandre Ayton in 9-cat leagues (98th against 139th). 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, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #127
- 26.0 FP/G, slot 11.07, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #139
- -2.2 z, slot 12.07, $3
Out (Wrist)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #129
- 25.6 FP/G, slot 11.09, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #98
- -1.2 z, slot 9.02, $8
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Cedric Coward. 26.0 fantasy points per game against 25.6, 127th on our board to 129th.
9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (98th to 139th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Cedric Coward is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Deandre Ayton in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cedric Coward produces more: 36.1 fantasy points to 35.7, on 25.9 minutes a night against 25.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Cedric Coward plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 76.7 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Cedric Coward.
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 | Cedric Coward | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.0 | 25.6 |
| Minutes | 25.9 | 25.8 |
| PointsPTS | 13.2 | 11.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.9 | 7.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 0.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.2% | 68.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.3% | 63.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 62 | 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 | Cedric Coward | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.1 | 35.7 |
| Points | 18.3 | 16.6 |
| Rebounds | 8.3 | 10.7 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 1.1 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 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 | Cedric Coward | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.1 | +0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | -1.1 | -1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | +0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | +2.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +1.0 |
| Total | -2.2 | -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 rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Cedric Coward.
| Punt | Cedric Coward | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#143) | -0.5 (#80) |
| REB | -2.3 (#149) | -2.3 (#150) |
| AST | -1.7 (#139) | +0.1 (#49) |
| STL | -1.1 (#98) | +0.1 (#59) |
| BLK | -1.9 (#125) | -2.1 (#140) |
| 3PM | -2.0 (#136) | +0.4 (#49) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#125) | -4.5 (#234) |
| FT% | -2.5 (#161) | -0.3 (#70) |
| TO | -2.6 (#131) | -2.4 (#120) |
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)
- Cedric Coward: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC), listed Out.
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Cedric Coward: 21.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.0 on the board.
- Deandre Ayton: 16.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 25.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Cedric Coward playing tonight? · Is Deandre Ayton playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Cedric Coward
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cedric Coward or Deandre Ayton?
Points leagues: Cedric Coward. 26.0 fantasy points per game against 25.6, 127th on our board to 129th. 9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (98th to 139th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Cedric Coward or Deandre Ayton?
Category by category, Cedric Coward is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Deandre Ayton in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cedric Coward or Deandre Ayton?
Cedric Coward plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 76.7 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Cedric Coward.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number