Grayson Allen vs Payton Pritchard: who to start in Week 1
Grayson Allen plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Grayson Allen: 86.7 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard. Over the season, Payton Pritchard leads in points leagues (30.3 fantasy points a game to 28.9) and Grayson Allen in 9-cat leagues (69th against 71st). 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 22, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #97
- 28.9 FP/G, slot 9.01, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #69
- -0.4 z, slot 6.09, $13
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #84
- 30.3 FP/G, slot 7.12, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #71
- -0.4 z, slot 6.11, $13
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 28.9, 84th on our board to 97th.
9-cat leagues: Grayson Allen instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (69th to 71st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Grayson Allen is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Payton Pritchard in 4 (REB, AST, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Grayson Allen produces more: 36.2 fantasy points to 33.9, on 28.8 minutes a night against 32.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Grayson Allen plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Grayson Allen: 86.7 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard.
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 | Grayson Allen | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.9 | 30.3 |
| Minutes | 28.8 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 16.8 | 17.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 3.2 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.5% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.8% | 88.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 51 | 79 |
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 | Grayson Allen | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.2 | 33.9 |
| Points | 21.0 | 19.1 |
| Rebounds | 3.8 | 4.4 |
| Assists | 4.8 | 5.5 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 1.5 |
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 | Grayson Allen | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.7 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | +1.6 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.5 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | +0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +0.7 |
| Total | -0.4 | -0.4 |
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
Punting steals, blocks, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Payton Pritchard.
| Punt | Grayson Allen | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#80) | -0.6 (#83) |
| REB | +0.9 (#39) | +0.5 (#46) |
| AST | -0.6 (#78) | -1.2 (#105) |
| STL | -1.2 (#99) | +0.4 (#48) |
| BLK | +0.5 (#46) | +0.8 (#41) |
| 3PM | -2.1 (#144) | -1.6 (#118) |
| FG% | +1.4 (#39) | +0.2 (#56) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#103) | -1.1 (#98) |
| TO | -0.5 (#69) | -1.2 (#89) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Grayson Allen: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
- Payton Pritchard: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Grayson Allen: 26.6 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.9 on the board.
- Payton Pritchard: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 30.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Grayson Allen playing tonight? · Is Payton Pritchard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Payton Pritchard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Grayson Allen or Payton Pritchard?
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 30.3 fantasy points per game against 28.9, 84th on our board to 97th. 9-cat leagues: Grayson Allen instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (69th to 71st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Grayson Allen or Payton Pritchard?
Category by category, Grayson Allen is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Payton Pritchard in 4 (REB, AST, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Grayson Allen or Payton Pritchard?
Grayson Allen plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Grayson Allen: 86.7 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Payton Pritchard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number