Jalen Williams vs Kel'el Ware: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 98.6 projected fantasy points to 78.3 for Kel'el Ware. Over the season, Jalen Williams leads in both formats: 32.9 fantasy points a game to 26.1, and 77th against 78th in 9-cat. 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
- #59
- 32.9 FP/G, slot 5.11, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #77
- -0.8 z, slot 7.05, $11
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #126
- 26.1 FP/G, slot 11.06, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #78
- -0.8 z, slot 7.06, $11
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 32.9 fantasy points per game against 26.1, 59th on our board to 126th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -0.8 (77th to 78th).
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%) and Kel'el Ware in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Kel'el Ware produces more: 44.3 fantasy points to 41.2, on 21.2 minutes a night against 28.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 98.6 projected fantasy points to 78.3 for Kel'el Ware.
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 | Jalen Williams | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.9 | 26.1 |
| Minutes | 28.7 | 21.2 |
| PointsPTS | 17.0 | 10.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 8.4 |
| AssistsAST | 5.1 | 0.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.1% | 53.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 62.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 33 | 77 |
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 | Jalen Williams | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.2 | 44.3 |
| Points | 21.3 | 18.3 |
| Rebounds | 6.0 | 14.2 |
| Assists | 6.4 | 1.2 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.6 |
| Threes | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| 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 | Jalen Williams | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | +1.2 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | -1.5 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.9 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | +0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +1.2 |
| Total | -0.8 | -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 points, assists, steals and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Kel'el Ware.
| Punt | Jalen Williams | Kel'el Ware |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.9 (#105) | +0.1 (#58) |
| REB | -0.4 (#73) | -2.2 (#142) |
| AST | -1.6 (#132) | +0.6 (#43) |
| STL | -1.1 (#97) | -0.1 (#61) |
| BLK | -0.1 (#63) | -1.7 (#114) |
| 3PM | -0.1 (#62) | -0.3 (#67) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#80) | -1.9 (#119) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#106) | -0.0 (#61) |
| TO | -1.0 (#81) | -2.1 (#115) |
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)
- Jalen Williams: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC).
- Kel'el Ware: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Williams: 29.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.9 on the board.
- Kel'el Ware: 13.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 26.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jalen Williams playing tonight? · Is Kel'el Ware playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Williams, Kel'el Ware
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Williams or Kel'el Ware?
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 32.9 fantasy points per game against 26.1, 59th on our board to 126th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -0.8 (77th to 78th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Williams or Kel'el Ware?
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%) and Kel'el Ware in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Williams or Kel'el Ware?
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kel'el Ware 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 98.6 projected fantasy points to 78.3 for Kel'el Ware.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number