Darius Garland vs Robert Williams III: who to start in Week 1
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Robert Williams III 2. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.9 projected fantasy points to 43.6 for Robert Williams III. Over the season, Darius Garland leads in points leagues (32.3 fantasy points a game to 21.8) and Robert Williams III 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #64
- 32.3 FP/G, slot 6.04, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #111
- -1.5 z, slot 10.03, $7
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #173
- 21.8 FP/G, slot 15.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #110
- -1.5 z, slot 10.02, $7
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.3 fantasy points per game against 21.8, 64th on our board to 173rd.
9-cat leagues: Robert Williams III instead, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (110th to 111th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Robert Williams III in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Robert Williams III produces more: 46.1 fantasy points to 38.2, on 17.0 minutes a night against 30.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Robert Williams III 2. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.9 projected fantasy points to 43.6 for Robert Williams III.
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 | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.3 | 21.8 |
| Minutes | 30.4 | 17.0 |
| PointsPTS | 19.9 | 6.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.2 | 7.1 |
| AssistsAST | 6.5 | 1.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.8 | 0.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.9% | 71.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.0% | 58.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.3 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 59 |
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 | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.2 | 46.1 |
| Points | 23.5 | 14.4 |
| Rebounds | 2.6 | 15.1 |
| Assists | 7.7 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 3.0 |
| Threes | 3.3 | 0.3 |
| Turnovers | 3.9 | 1.8 |
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 | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | -1.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | +1.5 |
| Threes3PM | +1.2 | -1.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.4 | +1.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.7 | +1.2 |
| 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, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Darius Garland.
| Punt | Darius Garland | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#176) | +0.2 (#55) |
| REB | +0.2 (#51) | -2.3 (#151) |
| AST | -3.1 (#200) | -0.2 (#58) |
| STL | -1.4 (#117) | -0.2 (#68) |
| BLK | -0.4 (#68) | -3.3 (#185) |
| 3PM | -2.9 (#176) | +0.1 (#59) |
| FG% | -1.0 (#89) | -3.7 (#186) |
| FT% | -1.9 (#134) | -0.7 (#84) |
| TO | +0.2 (#58) | -2.9 (#137) |
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)
- Darius Garland: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Robert Williams III: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
Recent games
- Darius Garland: 33.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.3 on the board.
- Robert Williams III: 19.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.8 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 Robert Williams III playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Darius Garland
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Darius Garland or Robert Williams III?
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.3 fantasy points per game against 21.8, 64th on our board to 173rd. 9-cat leagues: Robert Williams III 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, Darius Garland or Robert Williams III?
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Robert Williams III in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Darius Garland or Robert Williams III?
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Robert Williams III 2. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.9 projected fantasy points to 43.6 for Robert Williams III.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number