Deandre Ayton vs Quentin Grimes: who to start in Week 1
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Quentin Grimes 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 74.9 projected fantasy points to 74.6 for Quentin Grimes. Over the season, Deandre Ayton leads in both formats: 25.0 fantasy points a game to 24.9, and 102nd against 139th 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 25, 2:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #134
- 25.0 FP/G, slot 12.02, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #102
- -1.4 z, slot 9.06, $8
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #136
- 24.9 FP/G, slot 12.04, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #139
- -2.2 z, slot 12.07, $3
The call
Points leagues: Deandre Ayton. 25.0 fantasy points per game against 24.9, 134th on our board to 136th.
9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton again, -1.4 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (102nd to 139th).
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Quentin Grimes in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Deandre Ayton produces more: 35.7 fantasy points to 30.5, on 25.2 minutes a night against 29.4. 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), Quentin Grimes 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 74.9 projected fantasy points to 74.6 for Quentin Grimes.
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 | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.0 | 24.9 |
| Minutes | 25.2 | 29.4 |
| PointsPTS | 11.5 | 13.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.5 | 3.8 |
| AssistsAST | 0.7 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 68.0% | 45.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 63.6% | 85.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 75 |
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 | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.7 | 30.5 |
| Points | 16.5 | 16.2 |
| Rebounds | 10.7 | 4.7 |
| Assists | 1.1 | 4.1 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 2.1 |
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 | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -1.4 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.4 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.5 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | +0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +0.2 |
| Total | -1.4 | -2.2 |
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 rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Quentin Grimes.
| Punt | Deandre Ayton | Quentin Grimes |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.6 (#85) | -1.6 (#146) |
| REB | -2.4 (#160) | -1.4 (#115) |
| AST | +0.0 (#53) | -2.1 (#151) |
| STL | -0.1 (#62) | -1.8 (#133) |
| BLK | -2.1 (#143) | -1.7 (#116) |
| 3PM | +0.3 (#51) | -2.3 (#152) |
| FG% | -4.5 (#229) | -1.8 (#113) |
| FT% | -0.5 (#78) | -2.8 (#168) |
| TO | -2.6 (#128) | -2.5 (#123) |
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)
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Quentin Grimes: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
Recent games
- Deandre Ayton: 16.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 25.0 on the board.
- Quentin Grimes: 27.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 24.9 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 Quentin Grimes playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Quentin Grimes
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Deandre Ayton or Quentin Grimes?
Points leagues: Deandre Ayton. 25.0 fantasy points per game against 24.9, 134th on our board to 136th. 9-cat leagues: Deandre Ayton again, -1.4 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (102nd to 139th).
Who wins more categories, Deandre Ayton or Quentin Grimes?
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Quentin Grimes in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Deandre Ayton or Quentin Grimes?
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Quentin Grimes 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 74.9 projected fantasy points to 74.6 for Quentin Grimes.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number