CJ McCollum vs Peyton Watson: who to start in Week 1
CJ McCollum plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start CJ McCollum: 90.4 projected fantasy points to 56.0 for Peyton Watson. Over the season, CJ McCollum leads in points leagues (30.1 fantasy points a game to 28.0) and Peyton Watson in 9-cat leagues (110th against 111th). 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, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #85
- 30.1 FP/G, slot 8.01, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #111
- -1.5 z, slot 10.03, $7
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #104
- 28.0 FP/G, slot 9.08, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #110
- -1.5 z, slot 10.02, $7
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: CJ McCollum. 30.1 fantasy points per game against 28.0, 85th on our board to 104th.
9-cat leagues: Peyton Watson instead, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (110th to 111th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, CJ McCollum is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Peyton Watson in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, CJ McCollum produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 34.1, on 29.5 minutes a night against 29.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
CJ McCollum plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start CJ McCollum: 90.4 projected fantasy points to 56.0 for Peyton Watson.
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 | CJ McCollum | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.1 | 28.0 |
| Minutes | 29.5 | 29.6 |
| PointsPTS | 18.8 | 14.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.6 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.7% | 49.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.7% | 73.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 76 | 54 |
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 | CJ McCollum | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.8 | 34.1 |
| Points | 22.9 | 17.8 |
| Rebounds | 3.9 | 5.9 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 3.2 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 2.1 |
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 | CJ McCollum | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.6 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | +0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +1.0 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.0 | +0.2 |
| Total | -1.5 | -1.5 |
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, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to CJ McCollum.
| Punt | CJ McCollum | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#164) | -1.2 (#120) |
| REB | -0.4 (#69) | -1.3 (#110) |
| AST | -1.8 (#134) | -0.8 (#85) |
| STL | -1.0 (#93) | -1.3 (#112) |
| BLK | -1.1 (#90) | -2.6 (#158) |
| 3PM | -2.6 (#168) | -1.4 (#107) |
| FG% | -1.1 (#93) | -1.9 (#120) |
| FT% | -1.5 (#116) | -0.8 (#87) |
| TO | -1.6 (#98) | -1.7 (#100) |
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)
- CJ McCollum: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back.
- Peyton Watson: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- CJ McCollum: 22.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 30.1 on the board.
- Peyton Watson: 27.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is CJ McCollum playing tonight? · Is Peyton Watson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: CJ McCollum, Peyton Watson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, CJ McCollum or Peyton Watson?
Points leagues: CJ McCollum. 30.1 fantasy points per game against 28.0, 85th on our board to 104th. 9-cat leagues: Peyton Watson instead, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (110th to 111th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, CJ McCollum or Peyton Watson?
Category by category, CJ McCollum is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Peyton Watson in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, CJ McCollum or Peyton Watson?
CJ McCollum plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start CJ McCollum: 90.4 projected fantasy points to 56.0 for Peyton Watson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number