Deandre Ayton vs Julian Champagnie: who to start in Week 2
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Julian Champagnie 3. For that week alone, start Julian Champagnie: 72.2 projected fantasy points to 72.1 for Deandre Ayton. Over the season, Julian Champagnie leads in both formats: 24.1 fantasy points a game to 24.0, and 63rd against 119th 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 28, 2:33 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #144
- 24.0 FP/G, slot 12.12, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #119
- -1.7 z, slot 10.11, $5
- Points leagues
- #143
- 24.1 FP/G, slot 12.11, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #63
- -0.2 z, slot 6.03, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Julian Champagnie. 24.1 fantasy points per game against 24.0, 143rd on our board to 144th.
9-cat leagues: Julian Champagnie again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (63rd to 119th).
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Julian Champagnie in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Deandre Ayton produces more: 35.3 fantasy points to 31.3, on 24.5 minutes a night against 27.7. 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), Julian Champagnie 3. For that week alone, start Julian Champagnie: 72.2 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 | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.0 | 24.1 |
| Minutes | 24.5 | 27.7 |
| PointsPTS | 10.9 | 11.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.3 | 5.1 |
| AssistsAST | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 67.5% | 45.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 63.6% | 85.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| 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 | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.3 | 31.3 |
| Points | 16.1 | 15.0 |
| Rebounds | 10.7 | 6.7 |
| Assists | 1.2 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 1.0 |
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 | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.4 | -1.0 |
| StealsSTL | -1.4 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | +0.0 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.4 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +1.4 |
| Total | -1.7 | -0.2 |
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 threes flips the 9-cat answer to Deandre Ayton.
| Punt | Deandre Ayton | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.8 (#97) | +0.6 (#47) |
| REB | -2.7 (#172) | +0.0 (#55) |
| AST | -0.3 (#65) | +0.8 (#38) |
| STL | -0.4 (#68) | -0.0 (#58) |
| BLK | -2.4 (#148) | -0.3 (#74) |
| 3PM | -0.0 (#57) | -1.3 (#105) |
| FG% | -4.7 (#233) | +0.4 (#53) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#92) | -0.5 (#75) |
| TO | -3.0 (#139) | -1.7 (#101) |
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).
- Julian Champagnie: 3 games (Tue SAC, Wed @UTA, Sat MIN), 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.
- Julian Champagnie: 27.4 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 24.1 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 Julian Champagnie playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Deandre Ayton or Julian Champagnie?
Points leagues: Julian Champagnie. 24.1 fantasy points per game against 24.0, 143rd on our board to 144th. 9-cat leagues: Julian Champagnie again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (63rd to 119th).
Who wins more categories, Deandre Ayton or Julian Champagnie?
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Julian Champagnie in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Deandre Ayton or Julian Champagnie?
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Julian Champagnie 3. For that week alone, start Julian Champagnie: 72.2 projected fantasy points to 72.1 for Deandre Ayton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 28, 2026 at 2:33 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number