Kel'el Ware vs Mark Williams: who to start in Week 1
Kel'el Ware plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mark Williams 2. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 80.6 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Mark Williams. Over the season, Mark Williams leads in both formats: 27.1 fantasy points a game to 26.9, and 58th against 62nd 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, 7:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #115
- 26.9 FP/G, slot 10.07, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #62
- -0.2 z, slot 6.02, $14
- Points leagues
- #113
- 27.1 FP/G, slot 10.05, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #58
- +0.0 z, slot 5.10, $15
Out (Shoulder)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Mark Williams. 27.1 fantasy points per game against 26.9, 113th on our board to 115th.
9-cat leagues: Mark Williams again, +0.0 in summed z-scores against -0.2 (58th to 62nd).
Category by category, Kel'el Ware is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, 3PM and TO) and Mark Williams in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Kel'el Ware produces more: 44.7 fantasy points to 41.3, on 21.6 minutes a night against 23.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Kel'el Ware plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mark Williams 2. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 80.6 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Mark Williams.
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 | Kel'el Ware | Mark Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.9 | 27.1 |
| Minutes | 21.6 | 23.6 |
| PointsPTS | 10.8 | 11.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.6 | 8.0 |
| AssistsAST | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.9% | 64.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 68.3% | 77.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 60 |
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 | Kel'el Ware | Mark Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 44.7 | 41.3 |
| Points | 18.0 | 17.8 |
| Rebounds | 14.4 | 12.1 |
| Assists | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 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 | Kel'el Ware | Mark Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.3 | +1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -1.5 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.6 | +1.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.3 | +1.0 |
| Total | -0.2 | +0.0 |
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 steals, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Kel'el Ware.
| Punt | Kel'el Ware | Mark Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.7 (#41) | +0.8 (#38) |
| REB | -1.7 (#122) | -1.2 (#97) |
| AST | +1.2 (#30) | +1.4 (#29) |
| STL | +0.4 (#50) | +0.3 (#57) |
| BLK | -1.2 (#95) | -0.7 (#81) |
| 3PM | +0.3 (#53) | +1.6 (#29) |
| FG% | -1.1 (#92) | -2.4 (#132) |
| FT% | +0.3 (#53) | +0.3 (#54) |
| TO | -1.7 (#98) | -1.1 (#86) |
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)
- Kel'el Ware: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Mark Williams: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW), listed Out.
Recent games
- Kel'el Ware: 14.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.9 on the board.
- Mark Williams: 21.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 27.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Kel'el Ware playing tonight? · Is Mark Williams playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Kel'el Ware, Mark Williams
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Kel'el Ware or Mark Williams?
Points leagues: Mark Williams. 27.1 fantasy points per game against 26.9, 113th on our board to 115th. 9-cat leagues: Mark Williams again, +0.0 in summed z-scores against -0.2 (58th to 62nd).
Who wins more categories, Kel'el Ware or Mark Williams?
Category by category, Kel'el Ware is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, 3PM and TO) and Mark Williams in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Kel'el Ware or Mark Williams?
Kel'el Ware plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Mark Williams 2. For that week alone, start Kel'el Ware: 80.6 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Mark Williams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 7:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number