Dillon Brooks vs Ziaire Williams: who to start in Week 1
Dillon Brooks plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ziaire Williams 3. For that week alone, start Ziaire Williams: 56.7 projected fantasy points to 55.9 for Dillon Brooks. Over the season, Dillon Brooks leads in points leagues (28.0 fantasy points a game to 18.9) and Ziaire Williams in 9-cat leagues (176th against 178th). 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 23, 3:53 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #103
- 28.0 FP/G, slot 9.07, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #178
- -3.2 z, slot 15.10
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #221
- 18.9 FP/G, slot 19.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #176
- -3.1 z, slot 15.08
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Dillon Brooks. 28.0 fantasy points per game against 18.9, 103rd on our board to 221st.
9-cat leagues: Ziaire Williams instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.2 (176th to 178th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Dillon Brooks is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and 3PM) and Ziaire Williams in 4 (STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Dillon Brooks produces more: 33.4 fantasy points to 29.7, on 30.2 minutes a night against 22.9. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Dillon Brooks plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ziaire Williams 3. For that week alone, start Ziaire Williams: 56.7 projected fantasy points to 55.9 for Dillon Brooks.
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 | Dillon Brooks | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.0 | 18.9 |
| Minutes | 30.2 | 22.9 |
| PointsPTS | 19.6 | 10.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.6 | 2.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.7 | 1.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.2% | 43.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.9% | 85.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 56 |
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 | Dillon Brooks | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.4 | 29.7 |
| Points | 23.3 | 15.9 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 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 | Dillon Brooks | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | -1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.0 | -1.5 |
| AssistsAST | -1.0 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | +0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.6 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.5 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +1.0 |
| Total | -3.2 | -3.1 |
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 steals, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Dillon Brooks.
| Punt | Dillon Brooks | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.8 (#264) | -2.0 (#168) |
| REB | -2.3 (#147) | -1.7 (#124) |
| AST | -2.3 (#167) | -2.0 (#149) |
| STL | -3.1 (#190) | -4.1 (#238) |
| BLK | -2.2 (#140) | -2.6 (#153) |
| 3PM | -3.9 (#223) | -3.0 (#181) |
| FG% | -1.7 (#110) | -2.6 (#142) |
| FT% | -3.7 (#207) | -3.5 (#197) |
| TO | -3.3 (#148) | -4.2 (#178) |
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)
- Dillon Brooks: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
- Ziaire Williams: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
Recent games
- Dillon Brooks: 12.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.0 on the board.
- Ziaire Williams: 19.6 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 18.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Dillon Brooks playing tonight? · Is Ziaire Williams playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Dillon Brooks or Ziaire Williams?
Points leagues: Dillon Brooks. 28.0 fantasy points per game against 18.9, 103rd on our board to 221st. 9-cat leagues: Ziaire Williams instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.2 (176th to 178th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Dillon Brooks or Ziaire Williams?
Category by category, Dillon Brooks is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and 3PM) and Ziaire Williams in 4 (STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Dillon Brooks or Ziaire Williams?
Dillon Brooks plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ziaire Williams 3. For that week alone, start Ziaire Williams: 56.7 projected fantasy points to 55.9 for Dillon Brooks.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 3:53 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number