Jalen Williams vs RJ Barrett: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 98.6 projected fantasy points to 97.3 for RJ Barrett. Over the season, Jalen Williams leads in both formats: 32.9 fantasy points a game to 32.4, and 77th against 142nd 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
- #61
- 32.4 FP/G, slot 6.01, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #142
- -2.2 z, slot 12.10, $3
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 32.9 fantasy points per game against 32.4, 59th on our board to 61st.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (77th to 142nd).
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and RJ Barrett in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Williams produces more: 41.2 fantasy points to 38.6, on 28.7 minutes a night against 30.2. 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), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 98.6 projected fantasy points to 97.3 for RJ Barrett.
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 | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.9 | 32.4 |
| Minutes | 28.7 | 30.2 |
| PointsPTS | 17.0 | 19.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 5.1 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.1% | 50.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 71.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 33 | 57 |
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 | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.2 | 38.6 |
| Points | 21.3 | 23.2 |
| Rebounds | 6.0 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 6.4 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.0 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 1.9 |
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 | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.9 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | -1.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| Total | -0.8 | -2.2 |
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 free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to RJ Barrett.
| Punt | Jalen Williams | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.9 (#105) | -2.8 (#207) |
| REB | -0.4 (#73) | -2.4 (#154) |
| AST | -1.6 (#132) | -2.2 (#162) |
| STL | -1.1 (#97) | -1.3 (#109) |
| BLK | -0.1 (#63) | -1.7 (#120) |
| 3PM | -0.1 (#62) | -2.2 (#146) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#80) | -3.3 (#167) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#106) | -0.9 (#92) |
| TO | -1.0 (#81) | -2.5 (#126) |
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).
- RJ Barrett: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- Jalen Williams: 29.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.9 on the board.
- RJ Barrett: 35.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.4 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 RJ Barrett playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Williams, RJ Barrett
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Williams or RJ Barrett?
Points leagues: Jalen Williams. 32.9 fantasy points per game against 32.4, 59th on our board to 61st. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -0.8 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (77th to 142nd).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Williams or RJ Barrett?
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and RJ Barrett in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Williams or RJ Barrett?
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 98.6 projected fantasy points to 97.3 for RJ Barrett.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number