Deandre Ayton vs Reed Sheppard: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Reed Sheppard in both formats: 27.0 fantasy points a game to 26.7 in points leagues, and 65th against 91st in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #119
- 26.7 FP/G, slot 10.11, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #91
- -1.1 z, slot 8.07, $10
- Points leagues
- #117
- 27.0 FP/G, slot 10.09, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #65
- -0.2 z, slot 6.05, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Reed Sheppard. 27.0 fantasy points per game against 26.7, 117th on our board to 119th.
9-cat leagues: Reed Sheppard again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (65th to 91st).
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Reed Sheppard in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Reed Sheppard produces more: 37.2 fantasy points to 35.4, on 26.2 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), Reed Sheppard 3. For that week alone, start Reed Sheppard: 81.1 projected fantasy points to 80.2 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Deandre Ayton | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.7 | 27.0 |
| Minutes | 27.2 | 26.2 |
| PointsPTS | 12.5 | 13.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.0 | 2.9 |
| AssistsAST | 0.8 | 3.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 67.1% | 43.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 64.5% | 80.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| 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 | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.4 | 37.2 |
| Points | 16.5 | 18.6 |
| Rebounds | 10.6 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 1.1 | 4.6 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 2.0 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| 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 | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.0 | -1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -1.4 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | +1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | -0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.5 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +0.5 |
| Total | -1.1 | -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 assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Deandre Ayton.
| Punt | Deandre Ayton | Reed Sheppard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.4 (#78) | +0.2 (#56) |
| REB | -2.3 (#146) | +1.1 (#36) |
| AST | +0.3 (#51) | -0.2 (#67) |
| STL | +0.1 (#62) | -1.6 (#124) |
| BLK | -1.9 (#125) | -0.2 (#68) |
| 3PM | +0.6 (#48) | -1.4 (#110) |
| FG% | -4.3 (#213) | +1.0 (#46) |
| FT% | -0.1 (#65) | -0.3 (#72) |
| TO | -2.2 (#116) | -0.7 (#76) |
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)
- Deandre Ayton: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Reed Sheppard: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Deandre Ayton: 26.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 26.7 on the board.
- Reed Sheppard: 28.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 27.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Deandre Ayton or Reed Sheppard in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Reed Sheppard. 27.0 fantasy points per game against 26.7, 117th on our board to 119th. 9-cat leagues: Reed Sheppard again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (65th to 91st).
Who wins more categories, Deandre Ayton or Reed Sheppard?
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Reed Sheppard in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Deandre Ayton or Reed Sheppard?
Deandre Ayton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Reed Sheppard 3. For that week alone, start Reed Sheppard: 81.1 projected fantasy points to 80.2 for Deandre Ayton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number