Collin Gillespie vs Deandre Ayton: who to start in Week 1
Collin Gillespie plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 79.3 projected fantasy points to 52.6 for Collin Gillespie. Over the season, Deandre Ayton leads in both formats: 26.4 fantasy points a game to 26.3, and 87th against 103rd 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 22, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #122
- 26.3 FP/G, slot 11.02, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #103
- -1.3 z, slot 9.07, $8
- Points leagues
- #121
- 26.4 FP/G, slot 11.01, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #87
- -1.0 z, slot 8.03, $10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Deandre Ayton. 26.4 fantasy points per game against 26.3, 121st on our board to 122nd.
9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (87th to 103rd).
Category by category, Collin Gillespie is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Deandre Ayton in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Deandre Ayton produces more: 36.0 fantasy points to 33.8, on 26.4 minutes a night against 28.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Collin Gillespie plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 79.3 projected fantasy points to 52.6 for Collin Gillespie.
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 | Collin Gillespie | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.3 | 26.4 |
| Minutes | 28.1 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 11.9 | 12.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 7.7 |
| AssistsAST | 4.5 | 0.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 39.8% | 67.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.3% | 63.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 80 | 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 | Collin Gillespie | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.8 | 36.0 |
| Points | 15.2 | 16.8 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 10.5 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 1.0 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 3.5 | 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 | Collin Gillespie | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | +0.9 |
| AssistsAST | +0.4 | -1.5 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | -1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | +0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.5 | +2.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +1.0 |
| Total | -1.3 | -1.0 |
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, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Collin Gillespie.
| Punt | Collin Gillespie | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.6 (#85) | -0.3 (#73) |
| REB | -0.5 (#73) | -2.1 (#139) |
| AST | -1.8 (#142) | +0.5 (#44) |
| STL | -2.5 (#166) | +0.3 (#55) |
| BLK | -0.3 (#69) | -2.0 (#130) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#158) | +0.7 (#44) |
| FG% | +0.3 (#55) | -4.2 (#216) |
| FT% | -1.5 (#114) | -0.0 (#63) |
| TO | -1.5 (#96) | -2.2 (#113) |
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)
- Collin Gillespie: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Collin Gillespie: 12.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.3 on the board.
- Deandre Ayton: 21.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Collin Gillespie playing tonight? · Is Deandre Ayton playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Collin Gillespie
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Collin Gillespie or Deandre Ayton?
Points leagues: Deandre Ayton. 26.4 fantasy points per game against 26.3, 121st on our board to 122nd. 9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (87th to 103rd).
Who wins more categories, Collin Gillespie or Deandre Ayton?
Category by category, Collin Gillespie is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Deandre Ayton in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Collin Gillespie or Deandre Ayton?
Collin Gillespie plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 79.3 projected fantasy points to 52.6 for Collin Gillespie.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number