John Collins vs Robert Williams III: who to start in Week 1
John Collins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Robert Williams III 2. For that week alone, start John Collins: 73.7 projected fantasy points to 43.7 for Robert Williams III. Over the season, John Collins leads in both formats: 24.6 fantasy points a game to 21.8, and 106th against 107th 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 23, 3:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #140
- 24.6 FP/G, slot 12.08, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #106
- -1.3 z, slot 9.10, $8
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #177
- 21.8 FP/G, slot 15.09
- 9-cat leagues
- #107
- -1.4 z, slot 9.11, $8
The call
Points leagues: John Collins. 24.6 fantasy points per game against 21.8, 140th on our board to 177th.
9-cat leagues: John Collins again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (106th to 107th).
Category by category, John Collins is ahead in 4 (PTS, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Robert Williams III in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Robert Williams III produces more: 46.4 fantasy points to 32.8, on 17.0 minutes a night against 27.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
John Collins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Robert Williams III 2. For that week alone, start John Collins: 73.7 projected fantasy points to 43.7 for Robert Williams III.
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 | John Collins | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.6 | 21.8 |
| Minutes | 27.0 | 17.0 |
| PointsPTS | 13.1 | 6.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 7.2 |
| AssistsAST | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 54.7% | 69.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.6% | 59.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 59 |
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 | John Collins | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 32.8 | 46.4 |
| Points | 17.4 | 13.7 |
| Rebounds | 7.1 | 15.3 |
| Assists | 1.4 | 2.2 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 3.1 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 0.3 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 1.7 |
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 | John Collins | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -1.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | +0.7 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | +1.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.4 | -1.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.9 | +1.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | +1.4 |
| Total | -1.3 | -1.4 |
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, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Robert Williams III.
| Punt | John Collins | Robert Williams III |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.8 (#97) | +0.3 (#51) |
| REB | -1.2 (#105) | -2.3 (#149) |
| AST | -0.1 (#56) | -0.1 (#57) |
| STL | -1.0 (#95) | -0.2 (#68) |
| BLK | -1.7 (#117) | -3.3 (#188) |
| 3PM | -1.0 (#96) | +0.1 (#56) |
| FG% | -2.6 (#143) | -3.3 (#171) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#101) | -0.8 (#85) |
| TO | -2.2 (#117) | -3.0 (#140) |
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)
- John Collins: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
- Robert Williams III: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
Recent games
- John Collins: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 24.6 on the board.
- Robert Williams III: 18.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 21.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is John Collins playing tonight? · Is Robert Williams III playing tonight?
Rookie cards: John Collins
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, John Collins or Robert Williams III?
Points leagues: John Collins. 24.6 fantasy points per game against 21.8, 140th on our board to 177th. 9-cat leagues: John Collins again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (106th to 107th).
Who wins more categories, John Collins or Robert Williams III?
Category by category, John Collins is ahead in 4 (PTS, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Robert Williams III in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, John Collins or Robert Williams III?
John Collins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Robert Williams III 2. For that week alone, start John Collins: 73.7 projected fantasy points to 43.7 for Robert Williams III.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 3:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number