Derrick White vs Zion Williamson: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Derrick White in both formats: 35.3 fantasy points a game to 35.2 in points leagues, and 29th against 102nd 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
- #47
- 35.3 FP/G, slot 4.11, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #29
- +1.6 z, slot 3.05, $24
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #49
- 35.2 FP/G, slot 5.01, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #102
- -1.4 z, slot 9.06, $8
The call
Points leagues: draft Derrick White. 35.3 fantasy points per game against 35.2, 47th on our board to 49th.
9-cat leagues: Derrick White again, +1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (29th to 102nd).
Category by category, Derrick White is ahead in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Zion Williamson in 3 (PTS, REB and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Zion Williamson produces more: 42.6 fantasy points to 37.3, on 29.7 minutes a night against 34.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Derrick White plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 projected fantasy points to 70.6 for Derrick White.
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 | Derrick White | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.3 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 34.1 | 29.7 |
| PointsPTS | 16.5 | 21.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.4 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 5.4 | 3.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.3 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 39.4% | 60.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 90.2% | 71.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 2.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 62 |
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 | Derrick White | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.3 | 42.6 |
| Points | 17.4 | 25.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 6.9 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 2.9 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 2.5 |
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 | Derrick White | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.0 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.2 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -2.1 | +2.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.8 | -1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | -0.2 |
| Total | +1.6 | -1.4 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Derrick White stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Derrick White | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.6 (#22) | -2.2 (#173) |
| REB | +2.3 (#21) | -1.9 (#129) |
| AST | +0.7 (#41) | -1.3 (#118) |
| STL | +1.2 (#30) | -1.4 (#119) |
| BLK | +0.4 (#55) | -1.4 (#102) |
| 3PM | +0.4 (#51) | +0.2 (#56) |
| FG% | +4.2 (#13) | -5.1 (#254) |
| FT% | +0.7 (#44) | +0.5 (#50) |
| TO | +1.5 (#41) | -1.3 (#91) |
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)
- Derrick White: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
- Zion Williamson: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Derrick White: 23.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.3 on the board.
- Zion Williamson: 30.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.2 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 Derrick White or Zion Williamson in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Derrick White. 35.3 fantasy points per game against 35.2, 47th on our board to 49th. 9-cat leagues: Derrick White again, +1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (29th to 102nd).
Who wins more categories, Derrick White or Zion Williamson?
Category by category, Derrick White is ahead in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Zion Williamson in 3 (PTS, REB and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Derrick White or Zion Williamson?
Derrick White plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 projected fantasy points to 70.6 for Derrick White.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number