Darius Garland vs Deandre Ayton: who to start in Week 2
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.7 projected fantasy points to 72.1 for Deandre Ayton. Over the season, Darius Garland leads in points leagues (32.2 fantasy points a game to 24.0) and Deandre Ayton in 9-cat leagues (119th against 121st). 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 27, 6:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #65
- 32.2 FP/G, slot 6.05, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #121
- -1.8 z, slot 11.01, $5
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #143
- 24.0 FP/G, slot 12.11, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #119
- -1.7 z, slot 10.11, $6
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.2 fantasy points per game against 24.0, 65th on our board to 143rd.
9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (119th to 121st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Deandre Ayton in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Darius Garland produces more: 37.8 fantasy points to 35.3, on 30.7 minutes a night against 24.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.7 projected fantasy points to 72.1 for Deandre Ayton.
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 | Darius Garland | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.2 | 24.0 |
| Minutes | 30.7 | 24.5 |
| PointsPTS | 19.6 | 10.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.3 | 7.3 |
| AssistsAST | 6.7 | 0.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 2.8 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.6% | 67.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.0% | 63.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.4 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 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 | Darius Garland | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.8 | 35.3 |
| Points | 23.1 | 16.1 |
| Rebounds | 2.7 | 10.7 |
| Assists | 7.9 | 1.2 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 3.2 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 4.0 | 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 | Darius Garland | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | +0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +1.6 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | -1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | +0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +1.2 | -1.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | +2.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.9 | +1.1 |
| Total | -1.8 | -1.7 |
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 Darius Garland.
| Punt | Darius Garland | Deandre Ayton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.4 (#194) | -0.8 (#93) |
| REB | -0.2 (#65) | -2.7 (#171) |
| AST | -3.6 (#217) | -0.3 (#63) |
| STL | -1.6 (#126) | -0.4 (#68) |
| BLK | -0.6 (#81) | -2.4 (#150) |
| 3PM | -3.2 (#190) | -0.0 (#59) |
| FG% | -1.3 (#95) | -4.7 (#235) |
| FT% | -2.2 (#149) | -0.9 (#94) |
| TO | +0.1 (#61) | -2.9 (#138) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Darius Garland: 3 games (Wed LAL, Fri @MIN, Sun @GSW).
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Mon @CHA, Wed @CLE, Fri CHA).
Recent games
- Darius Garland: 32.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 32.2 on the board.
- Deandre Ayton: 13.8 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 24.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Darius Garland playing tonight? · Is Deandre Ayton playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Darius Garland
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Darius Garland or Deandre Ayton?
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.2 fantasy points per game against 24.0, 65th on our board to 143rd. 9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (119th to 121st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Darius Garland or Deandre Ayton?
Category by category, Darius Garland 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 2, Darius Garland or Deandre Ayton?
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Deandre Ayton 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.7 projected fantasy points to 72.1 for Deandre Ayton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 6:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number