Deandre Ayton vs Myles Turner: who to start in Week 1
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Myles Turner 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 79.3 projected fantasy points to 78.0 for Myles Turner. Over the season, Deandre Ayton leads in both formats: 26.4 fantasy points a game to 26.0, and 87th against 88th 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 22, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #121
- 26.4 FP/G, slot 11.01, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #87
- -1.0 z, slot 8.03, $10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #129
- 26.0 FP/G, slot 11.09, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #88
- -1.0 z, slot 8.04, $10
The call
Points leagues: Deandre Ayton. 26.4 fantasy points per game against 26.0, 121st on our board to 129th.
9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (87th to 88th).
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and TO) and Myles Turner in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Deandre Ayton produces more: 36.0 fantasy points to 34.3, on 26.4 minutes a night against 27.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Myles Turner 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 79.3 projected fantasy points to 78.0 for Myles Turner.
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 | Myles Turner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.4 | 26.0 |
| Minutes | 26.4 | 27.2 |
| PointsPTS | 12.4 | 11.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.7 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 2.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 67.8% | 44.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 63.6% | 74.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 71 |
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 | Myles Turner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.0 | 34.3 |
| Points | 16.8 | 15.7 |
| Rebounds | 10.5 | 7.0 |
| Assists | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 2.1 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 1.7 |
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 | Myles Turner |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.9 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.5 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.4 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | +1.9 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.6 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.0 | -0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.0 | -1.0 |
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 points, rebounds, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Myles Turner.
| Punt | Deandre Ayton | Myles Turner |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.3 (#73) | -0.3 (#70) |
| REB | -2.1 (#139) | -1.0 (#89) |
| AST | +0.5 (#44) | -0.0 (#54) |
| STL | +0.3 (#55) | -0.1 (#66) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#130) | -3.1 (#175) |
| 3PM | +0.7 (#44) | -1.5 (#111) |
| FG% | -4.2 (#216) | -0.5 (#75) |
| FT% | -0.0 (#63) | -0.7 (#81) |
| TO | -2.2 (#113) | -1.9 (#107) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Myles Turner: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Deandre Ayton: 21.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.4 on the board.
- Myles Turner: 21.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.0 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 Myles Turner playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Myles Turner
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Deandre Ayton or Myles Turner?
Points leagues: Deandre Ayton. 26.4 fantasy points per game against 26.0, 121st on our board to 129th. 9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -1.0 (87th to 88th).
Who wins more categories, Deandre Ayton or Myles Turner?
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and TO) and Myles Turner in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Deandre Ayton or Myles Turner?
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Myles Turner 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 79.3 projected fantasy points to 78.0 for Myles Turner.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number