Jalen Williams vs Moussa Diabaté: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Moussa Diabaté 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.1 projected fantasy points to 79.5 for Moussa Diabaté. Over the season, Jalen Williams leads in points leagues (33.0 fantasy points a game to 26.5) and Moussa Diabaté in 9-cat leagues (80th against 81st). 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, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #62
- 33.0 FP/G, slot 6.02, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #81
- -0.8 z, slot 7.09, $11
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #119
- 26.5 FP/G, slot 10.11, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #80
- -0.7 z, slot 7.08, $11
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 33.0 fantasy points per game against 26.5, 62nd on our board to 119th.
9-cat leagues: Moussa Diabaté instead, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.8 (80th to 81st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Moussa Diabaté in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Williams produces more: 41.8 fantasy points to 36.0, on 28.5 minutes a night against 26.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Moussa Diabaté 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.1 projected fantasy points to 79.5 for Moussa Diabaté.
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 | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.0 | 26.5 |
| Minutes | 28.5 | 26.5 |
| PointsPTS | 16.7 | 8.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 8.7 |
| AssistsAST | 5.3 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.2% | 63.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.6% | 68.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 33 | 73 |
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 | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.8 | 36.0 |
| Points | 21.2 | 11.5 |
| Rebounds | 6.0 | 11.8 |
| Assists | 6.7 | 2.7 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 0.9 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 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 | Jalen Williams | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.0 | -1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | +1.3 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | +0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.9 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | +1.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +0.8 |
| Total | -0.8 | -0.7 |
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 rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Williams.
| Punt | Jalen Williams | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.9 (#100) | +0.6 (#44) |
| REB | -0.5 (#72) | -2.4 (#154) |
| AST | -1.7 (#130) | +0.1 (#52) |
| STL | -1.3 (#109) | -0.8 (#86) |
| BLK | -0.2 (#63) | -1.6 (#115) |
| 3PM | +0.0 (#61) | +0.9 (#39) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#78) | -2.6 (#147) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#100) | +0.2 (#57) |
| TO | -0.9 (#78) | -1.7 (#101) |
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)
- Jalen Williams: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC).
- Moussa Diabaté: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Williams: 29.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 33.0 on the board.
- Moussa Diabaté: 42.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.5 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 Moussa Diabaté playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Williams, Moussa Diabaté
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Williams or Moussa Diabaté?
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 33.0 fantasy points per game against 26.5, 62nd on our board to 119th. 9-cat leagues: Moussa Diabaté instead, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.8 (80th to 81st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Williams or Moussa Diabaté?
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Moussa Diabaté in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Williams or Moussa Diabaté?
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Moussa Diabaté 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.1 projected fantasy points to 79.5 for Moussa Diabaté.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number