Deandre Ayton vs Jeremiah Fears: who to start in Week 2
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jeremiah Fears 3. For that week alone, start Jeremiah Fears: 72.5 projected fantasy points to 72.1 for Deandre Ayton. Over the season, Jeremiah Fears leads in points leagues (24.2 fantasy points a game to 24.0) and Deandre Ayton in 9-cat leagues (119th against 238th). 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, 8:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- 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.
- Points leagues
- #142
- 24.2 FP/G, slot 12.10, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #238
- -4.8 z, slot 20.10
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jeremiah Fears. 24.2 fantasy points per game against 24.0, 142nd on our board to 143rd.
9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -4.8 (119th to 238th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Jeremiah Fears in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Deandre Ayton produces more: 35.3 fantasy points to 34.5, on 24.5 minutes a night against 25.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jeremiah Fears 3. For that week alone, start Jeremiah Fears: 72.5 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 | Deandre Ayton | Jeremiah Fears |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.0 | 24.2 |
| Minutes | 24.5 | 25.2 |
| PointsPTS | 10.9 | 13.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.3 | 3.5 |
| AssistsAST | 0.8 | 3.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 67.5% | 41.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 63.6% | 79.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 82 |
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 | Deandre Ayton | Jeremiah Fears |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.3 | 34.5 |
| Points | 16.1 | 18.9 |
| Rebounds | 10.7 | 5.1 |
| Assists | 1.2 | 4.4 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 3.1 |
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 | Deandre Ayton | Jeremiah Fears |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | -1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -1.4 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -1.4 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -1.8 | -0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.5 | -1.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | -0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | -0.3 |
| Total | -1.7 | -4.8 |
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 field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jeremiah Fears.
| Punt | Deandre Ayton | Jeremiah Fears |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.8 (#93) | -4.2 (#285) |
| REB | -2.7 (#171) | -4.0 (#236) |
| AST | -0.3 (#63) | -4.5 (#263) |
| STL | -0.4 (#68) | -4.9 (#292) |
| BLK | -2.4 (#150) | -4.1 (#224) |
| 3PM | -0.0 (#59) | -4.2 (#236) |
| FG% | -4.7 (#235) | -3.6 (#183) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#94) | -4.7 (#244) |
| TO | -2.9 (#138) | -4.4 (#191) |
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)
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Mon @CHA, Wed @CLE, Fri CHA).
- Jeremiah Fears: 3 games (Wed DEN, Thu SAC, Sat ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Deandre Ayton: 13.8 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 24.0 on the board.
- Jeremiah Fears: 13.9 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 24.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Deandre Ayton playing tonight? · Is Jeremiah Fears playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jeremiah Fears
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Deandre Ayton or Jeremiah Fears?
Points leagues: Jeremiah Fears. 24.2 fantasy points per game against 24.0, 142nd on our board to 143rd. 9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -4.8 (119th to 238th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Deandre Ayton or Jeremiah Fears?
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Jeremiah Fears in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Deandre Ayton or Jeremiah Fears?
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jeremiah Fears 3. For that week alone, start Jeremiah Fears: 72.5 projected fantasy points to 72.1 for Deandre Ayton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 8:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number