Jalen Williams vs Nikola Vučević: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nikola Vučević 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 98.6 projected fantasy points to 87.1 for Nikola Vučević. Over the season, Jalen Williams leads in points leagues (32.9 fantasy points a game to 29.0) and Nikola Vučević in 9-cat leagues (77th against 78th). 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 25, 6:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #60
- 32.9 FP/G, slot 5.12, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #78
- -0.8 z, slot 7.06, $11
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #92
- 29.0 FP/G, slot 8.08, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #77
- -0.7 z, slot 7.05, $11
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 32.9 fantasy points per game against 29.0, 60th on our board to 92nd.
9-cat leagues: Nikola Vučević instead, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.8 (77th to 78th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%) and Nikola Vučević in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Williams produces more: 41.2 fantasy points to 40.8, on 28.7 minutes a night against 25.6. 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), Nikola Vučević 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 98.6 projected fantasy points to 87.1 for Nikola Vučević.
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 | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.9 | 29.0 |
| Minutes | 28.7 | 25.6 |
| PointsPTS | 17.0 | 13.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 7.6 |
| AssistsAST | 5.1 | 3.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.1% | 49.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 33 | 64 |
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 | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.2 | 40.8 |
| Points | 21.3 | 18.7 |
| Rebounds | 6.0 | 10.7 |
| Assists | 6.4 | 4.2 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 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 | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | +0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.9 | -0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +0.9 |
| 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, threes, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Williams.
| Punt | Jalen Williams | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#104) | -0.2 (#65) |
| REB | -0.5 (#73) | -1.7 (#124) |
| AST | -1.7 (#130) | -0.5 (#71) |
| STL | -1.1 (#100) | +0.5 (#46) |
| BLK | -0.2 (#62) | -0.7 (#80) |
| 3PM | -0.1 (#66) | -0.5 (#79) |
| FG% | -0.8 (#80) | -1.0 (#85) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#109) | -0.9 (#89) |
| TO | -1.0 (#81) | -1.7 (#100) |
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).
- Nikola Vučević: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Recent games
- Jalen Williams: 29.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.9 on the board.
- Nikola Vučević: 2.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 29.0 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 Nikola Vučević playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Williams
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Williams or Nikola Vučević?
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 32.9 fantasy points per game against 29.0, 60th on our board to 92nd. 9-cat leagues: Nikola Vučević instead, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.8 (77th to 78th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Williams or Nikola Vučević?
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%) and Nikola Vučević in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Williams or Nikola Vučević?
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nikola Vučević 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 98.6 projected fantasy points to 87.1 for Nikola Vučević.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 6:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number