Karl-Anthony Towns vs Nickeil Alexander-Walker: who to start in Week 1
Karl-Anthony Towns plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nickeil Alexander-Walker 3. For that week alone, start Karl-Anthony Towns: 121.4 projected fantasy points to 103.7 for Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Over the season, Karl-Anthony Towns leads in both formats: 40.5 fantasy points a game to 34.6, and 24th against 25th 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 22, 4:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #25
- 40.5 FP/G, slot 3.01, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #24
- +2.6 z, slot 2.12, $30
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #51
- 34.6 FP/G, slot 5.03, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #25
- +2.3 z, slot 3.01, $28
The call
Points leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns. 40.5 fantasy points per game against 34.6, 25th on our board to 51st.
9-cat leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns again, +2.6 in summed z-scores against +2.3 (24th to 25th).
Category by category, Karl-Anthony Towns is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Karl-Anthony Towns produces more: 47.7 fantasy points to 37.5, on 30.5 minutes a night against 33.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Karl-Anthony Towns plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nickeil Alexander-Walker 3. For that week alone, start Karl-Anthony Towns: 121.4 projected fantasy points to 103.7 for Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.5 | 34.6 |
| Minutes | 30.5 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 20.0 | 21.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 11.9 | 3.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.9 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 3.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.8% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.6% | 87.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 78 |
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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 47.7 | 37.5 |
| Points | 23.6 | 23.3 |
| Rebounds | 14.0 | 3.8 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 3.6 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 2.2 |
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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | +0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.7 | -1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | +0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.1 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.0 | +1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.6 | +1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.9 | -0.3 |
| Total | +2.6 | +2.3 |
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 and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
| Punt | Karl-Anthony Towns | Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.0 (#19) | +1.3 (#29) |
| REB | -0.2 (#58) | +3.5 (#13) |
| AST | +2.9 (#15) | +2.1 (#23) |
| STL | +3.0 (#14) | +1.4 (#29) |
| BLK | +2.5 (#22) | +2.6 (#21) |
| 3PM | +2.6 (#17) | +0.4 (#52) |
| FG% | +2.0 (#30) | +3.2 (#18) |
| FT% | +1.9 (#26) | +1.0 (#39) |
| TO | +3.5 (#19) | +2.6 (#29) |
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)
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 39.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 40.5 on the board.
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 44.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 34.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Karl-Anthony Towns playing tonight? · Is Nickeil Alexander-Walker playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Karl-Anthony Towns, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Karl-Anthony Towns or Nickeil Alexander-Walker?
Points leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns. 40.5 fantasy points per game against 34.6, 25th on our board to 51st. 9-cat leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns again, +2.6 in summed z-scores against +2.3 (24th to 25th).
Who wins more categories, Karl-Anthony Towns or Nickeil Alexander-Walker?
Category by category, Karl-Anthony Towns is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Karl-Anthony Towns or Nickeil Alexander-Walker?
Karl-Anthony Towns plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nickeil Alexander-Walker 3. For that week alone, start Karl-Anthony Towns: 121.4 projected fantasy points to 103.7 for Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 4:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number