John Collins vs Zion Williamson: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Zion Williamson in both formats: 35.2 fantasy points a game to 24.9 in points leagues, and 102nd against 104th 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
- #140
- 24.9 FP/G, slot 12.08, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #104
- -1.4 z, slot 9.08, $8
- Points leagues
- #49
- 35.2 FP/G, slot 5.01, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #102
- -1.4 z, slot 9.06, $8
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Zion Williamson. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 24.9, 49th on our board to 140th.
9-cat leagues: Zion Williamson again, -1.4 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (102nd to 104th).
Category by category, John Collins is ahead in 4 (BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Zion Williamson in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Zion Williamson produces more: 42.6 fantasy points to 33.0, on 29.7 minutes a night against 27.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
John Collins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 projected fantasy points to 74.7 for John Collins.
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 | John Collins | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.9 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 27.1 | 29.7 |
| PointsPTS | 13.6 | 21.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.0 | 3.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 55.2% | 60.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.6% | 71.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 2.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 62 |
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 | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.0 | 42.6 |
| Points | 18.0 | 25.5 |
| Rebounds | 7.1 | 6.9 |
| Assists | 1.3 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 2.5 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | John Collins | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -0.4 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.0 | +2.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | -1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | -0.2 |
| Total | -1.4 | -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, rebounds, assists, steals and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to John Collins.
| Punt | John Collins | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.9 (#103) | -2.2 (#173) |
| REB | -1.3 (#105) | -1.9 (#129) |
| AST | -0.1 (#63) | -1.3 (#118) |
| STL | -1.0 (#98) | -1.4 (#119) |
| BLK | -1.6 (#112) | -1.4 (#102) |
| 3PM | -1.0 (#96) | +0.2 (#56) |
| FG% | -2.7 (#143) | -5.1 (#254) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#104) | +0.5 (#50) |
| TO | -2.1 (#113) | -1.3 (#91) |
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)
- John Collins: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
- Zion Williamson: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- John Collins: 23.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 24.9 on the board.
- Zion Williamson: 30.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.2 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft John Collins or Zion Williamson in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Zion Williamson. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 24.9, 49th on our board to 140th. 9-cat leagues: Zion Williamson again, -1.4 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (102nd to 104th).
Who wins more categories, John Collins or Zion Williamson?
Category by category, John Collins is ahead in 4 (BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Zion Williamson in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, John Collins or Zion Williamson?
John Collins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 projected fantasy points to 74.7 for John Collins.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number