Jake LaRavia vs Ziaire Williams: who to start in Week 1
Jake LaRavia plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ziaire Williams 3. For that week alone, start Jake LaRavia: 58.9 projected fantasy points to 58.5 for Ziaire Williams. Over the season, Jake LaRavia leads in points leagues (19.6 fantasy points a game to 19.5) and Ziaire Williams in 9-cat leagues (157th against 172nd). 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, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #209
- 19.6 FP/G, slot 18.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #172
- -3.0 z, slot 15.04
Day to day (Ankle)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #212
- 19.5 FP/G, slot 18.08
- 9-cat leagues
- #157
- -2.5 z, slot 14.01
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jake LaRavia. 19.6 fantasy points per game against 19.5, 209th on our board to 212th.
9-cat leagues: Ziaire Williams instead, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -3.0 (157th to 172nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jake LaRavia is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and FG%) and Ziaire Williams in 4 (PTS, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Ziaire Williams produces more: 30.0 fantasy points to 28.6, on 23.4 minutes a night against 24.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jake LaRavia plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ziaire Williams 3. For that week alone, start Jake LaRavia: 58.9 projected fantasy points to 58.5 for Ziaire 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 | Jake LaRavia | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 19.6 | 19.5 |
| Minutes | 24.7 | 23.4 |
| PointsPTS | 8.3 | 10.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 2.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.6% | 44.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.3% | 86.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 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 | Jake LaRavia | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.6 | 30.0 |
| Points | 12.1 | 16.0 |
| Rebounds | 5.6 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.5 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 1.6 |
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 | Jake LaRavia | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +1.0 |
| Total | -3.0 | -2.5 |
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 threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jake LaRavia.
| Punt | Jake LaRavia | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#142) | -1.5 (#134) |
| REB | -2.3 (#145) | -1.1 (#99) |
| AST | -2.1 (#155) | -1.3 (#118) |
| STL | -3.7 (#220) | -3.5 (#210) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#159) | -2.0 (#134) |
| 3PM | -2.4 (#157) | -2.4 (#159) |
| FG% | -3.2 (#163) | -2.1 (#126) |
| FT% | -2.8 (#168) | -3.0 (#180) |
| TO | -4.1 (#181) | -3.6 (#160) |
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)
- Jake LaRavia: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA), listed DTD.
- Ziaire Williams: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
Recent games
- Jake LaRavia: 17.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 19.6 on the board.
- Ziaire Williams: 24.3 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 19.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jake LaRavia playing tonight? · Is Ziaire Williams playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jake LaRavia or Ziaire Williams?
Points leagues: Jake LaRavia. 19.6 fantasy points per game against 19.5, 209th on our board to 212th. 9-cat leagues: Ziaire Williams instead, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -3.0 (157th to 172nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jake LaRavia or Ziaire Williams?
Category by category, Jake LaRavia is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and FG%) and Ziaire Williams in 4 (PTS, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jake LaRavia or Ziaire Williams?
Jake LaRavia plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ziaire Williams 3. For that week alone, start Jake LaRavia: 58.9 projected fantasy points to 58.5 for Ziaire Williams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number