Franz Wagner vs Jalen Williams: who to start in Week 1
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Franz Wagner: 101.4 projected fantasy points to 98.6 for Jalen Williams. Over the season, Franz Wagner leads in points leagues (33.8 fantasy points a game to 32.9) and Jalen Williams in 9-cat leagues (77th against 95th). 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #56
- 33.8 FP/G, slot 5.08, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #95
- -1.2 z, slot 8.11, $8
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #59
- 32.9 FP/G, slot 5.11, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #77
- -0.8 z, slot 7.05, $11
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Franz Wagner. 33.8 fantasy points per game against 32.9, 56th on our board to 59th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams instead, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (77th to 95th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Franz Wagner is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, 3PM and FG%) and Jalen Williams in 4 (AST, STL, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Williams produces more: 41.2 fantasy points to 40.4, on 28.7 minutes a night against 30.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Franz Wagner: 101.4 projected fantasy points to 98.6 for Jalen Williams.
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 | Franz Wagner | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.8 | 32.9 |
| Minutes | 30.1 | 28.7 |
| PointsPTS | 20.5 | 17.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 3.5 | 5.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.0% | 47.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.0% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.0 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 34 | 33 |
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 | Franz Wagner | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.4 | 41.2 |
| Points | 24.5 | 21.3 |
| Rebounds | 6.3 | 6.0 |
| Assists | 4.2 | 6.4 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 2.2 |
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 | Franz Wagner | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.7 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | +0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| Total | -1.2 | -0.8 |
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 and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Franz Wagner.
| Punt | Franz Wagner | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#166) | -0.9 (#105) |
| REB | -1.2 (#104) | -0.4 (#73) |
| AST | -1.3 (#113) | -1.6 (#132) |
| STL | -1.1 (#99) | -1.1 (#97) |
| BLK | -0.6 (#77) | -0.1 (#63) |
| 3PM | -1.1 (#97) | -0.1 (#62) |
| FG% | -1.5 (#100) | -0.7 (#80) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#103) | -1.2 (#106) |
| TO | -1.0 (#83) | -1.0 (#81) |
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)
- Franz Wagner: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
- Jalen Williams: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC).
Recent games
- Franz Wagner: 33.2 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 33.8 on the board.
- Jalen Williams: 29.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Franz Wagner playing tonight? · Is Jalen Williams playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Franz Wagner, Jalen Williams
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Franz Wagner or Jalen Williams?
Points leagues: Franz Wagner. 33.8 fantasy points per game against 32.9, 56th on our board to 59th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams instead, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.2 (77th to 95th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Franz Wagner or Jalen Williams?
Category by category, Franz Wagner is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, 3PM and FG%) and Jalen Williams in 4 (AST, STL, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Franz Wagner or Jalen Williams?
Franz Wagner plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Franz Wagner: 101.4 projected fantasy points to 98.6 for Jalen Williams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number