Jalen Williams vs Naz Reid: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Williams in both formats: 33.3 fantasy points a game to 28.7 in points leagues, and 83rd against 85th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #63
- 33.3 FP/G, slot 6.03, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #83
- -0.6 z, slot 7.11, $12
Game-time decision (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #102
- 28.7 FP/G, slot 9.06, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #85
- -0.7 z, slot 8.01, $12
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Williams. 33.3 fantasy points per game against 28.7, 63rd on our board to 102nd.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (83rd to 85th).
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Naz Reid in 4 (REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Williams produces more: 42.2 fantasy points to 39.6, on 28.4 minutes a night against 26.1. 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), Naz Reid 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.8 projected fantasy points to 86.1 for Naz Reid.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Jalen Williams | Naz Reid |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.3 | 28.7 |
| Minutes | 28.4 | 26.1 |
| PointsPTS | 17.1 | 13.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.6 | 6.2 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 0.7 | 2.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.4% | 45.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.7% | 73.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| 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 | Naz Reid |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.2 | 39.6 |
| Points | 21.7 | 18.8 |
| Rebounds | 5.8 | 8.6 |
| Assists | 7.0 | 3.0 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 0.9 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 2.3 |
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 | Naz Reid |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | +0.2 |
| AssistsAST | +0.9 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -1.0 | +0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | +0.3 |
| Total | -0.6 | -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 points, assists, steals, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Naz Reid.
| Punt | Jalen Williams | Naz Reid |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#94) | -0.2 (#72) |
| REB | -0.2 (#62) | -0.9 (#85) |
| AST | -1.6 (#131) | +0.0 (#58) |
| STL | -1.2 (#103) | -0.6 (#77) |
| BLK | +0.1 (#63) | -1.5 (#104) |
| 3PM | +0.2 (#58) | -1.1 (#98) |
| FG% | -0.9 (#84) | -0.2 (#67) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#103) | -0.4 (#75) |
| TO | -0.6 (#74) | -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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jalen Williams: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC), listed GTD.
- Naz Reid: 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 10 of 2025-26, against 33.3 on the board.
- Naz Reid: 27.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Jalen Williams or Naz Reid in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Williams. 33.3 fantasy points per game against 28.7, 63rd on our board to 102nd. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (83rd to 85th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Williams or Naz Reid?
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Naz Reid in 4 (REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Williams or Naz Reid?
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Naz Reid 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.8 projected fantasy points to 86.1 for Naz Reid.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number