De'Aaron Fox vs Zion Williamson: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Zion Williamson in points leagues (35.2 fantasy points a game to 34.5) and De'Aaron Fox in 9-cat leagues (71st against 102nd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #51
- 34.5 FP/G, slot 5.03, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #71
- -0.4 z, slot 6.11, $13
Day to day (Undisclosed)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #49
- 35.2 FP/G, slot 5.01, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #102
- -1.4 z, slot 9.06, $8
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Zion Williamson. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 49th on our board to 51st.
9-cat leagues: De'Aaron Fox instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (71st to 102nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Zion Williamson in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Zion Williamson produces more: 42.6 fantasy points to 40.1, on 29.7 minutes a night against 31.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 projected fantasy points to 103.6 for De'Aaron Fox.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | De'Aaron Fox | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.5 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 29.7 |
| PointsPTS | 18.6 | 21.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 6.2 | 3.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.6% | 60.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.0% | 71.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 62 |
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.1 | 42.6 |
| Points | 21.6 | 25.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 6.9 |
| Assists | 7.2 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 2.5 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | De'Aaron Fox | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.3 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.2 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.0 | +2.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | -0.2 |
| Total | -0.4 | -1.4 |
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 assists, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Zion Williamson.
| Punt | De'Aaron Fox | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.9 (#101) | -2.2 (#173) |
| REB | +0.4 (#52) | -1.9 (#129) |
| AST | -1.8 (#137) | -1.3 (#118) |
| STL | -1.1 (#101) | -1.4 (#119) |
| BLK | +0.4 (#53) | -1.4 (#102) |
| 3PM | -0.7 (#88) | +0.2 (#56) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#80) | -5.1 (#254) |
| FT% | -0.1 (#66) | +0.5 (#50) |
| TO | +0.1 (#59) | -1.3 (#91) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- De'Aaron Fox: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Zion Williamson: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Aaron Fox: 31.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 34.5 on the board.
- Zion Williamson: 30.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.2 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft De'Aaron Fox or Zion Williamson in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Zion Williamson. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 34.5, 49th on our board to 51st. 9-cat leagues: De'Aaron Fox instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (71st to 102nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Aaron Fox or Zion Williamson?
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Zion Williamson in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Aaron Fox or Zion Williamson?
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 projected fantasy points to 103.6 for De'Aaron Fox.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number