Darius Garland vs Jalen Williams: who to start in Week 2
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.7 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jalen Williams. Over the season, Jalen Williams leads in both formats: 32.4 fantasy points a game to 32.2, and 81st against 123rd 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 26, 4:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #65
- 32.2 FP/G, slot 6.05, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #123
- -1.8 z, slot 11.03, $5
- Points leagues
- #63
- 32.4 FP/G, slot 6.03, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #81
- -0.9 z, slot 7.09, $10
Out (Ankle)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 32.4 fantasy points per game against 32.2, 63rd on our board to 65th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.9 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (81st to 123rd).
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and 3PM) and Jalen Williams in 6 (REB, STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Williams produces more: 40.3 fantasy points to 37.8, on 28.9 minutes a night against 30.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.7 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jalen Williams.
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 | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.2 | 32.4 |
| Minutes | 30.7 | 28.9 |
| PointsPTS | 19.6 | 16.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.3 | 4.6 |
| AssistsAST | 6.7 | 5.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.8 | 0.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.6% | 46.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.0% | 83.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.4 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 33 |
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 | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.8 | 40.3 |
| Points | 23.1 | 20.5 |
| Rebounds | 2.7 | 5.7 |
| Assists | 7.9 | 6.4 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.2 | 0.9 |
| Turnovers | 4.0 | 2.3 |
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 | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | +0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.5 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.6 | +0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | -1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.9 | +0.1 |
| Total | -1.8 | -0.9 |
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 and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Darius Garland.
| Punt | Darius Garland | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.5 (#195) | -1.0 (#102) |
| REB | -0.2 (#59) | -0.5 (#76) |
| AST | -3.6 (#219) | -1.7 (#136) |
| STL | -1.6 (#125) | -1.3 (#111) |
| BLK | -0.7 (#80) | -0.3 (#65) |
| 3PM | -3.2 (#191) | -0.1 (#63) |
| FG% | -1.3 (#100) | -0.7 (#79) |
| FT% | -2.2 (#150) | -1.4 (#112) |
| TO | +0.1 (#60) | -1.0 (#84) |
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).
- Jalen Williams: 3 games (Mon PHX, Wed @DAL, Sat @HOU), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- Darius Garland: 32.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 32.2 on the board.
- Jalen Williams: 27.9 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 32.4 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 Jalen Williams playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Darius Garland, Jalen Williams
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Darius Garland or Jalen Williams?
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 32.4 fantasy points per game against 32.2, 63rd on our board to 65th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.9 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (81st to 123rd).
Who wins more categories, Darius Garland or Jalen Williams?
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and 3PM) and Jalen Williams in 6 (REB, STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Darius Garland or Jalen Williams?
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.7 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jalen Williams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 4:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number