Kel'el Ware vs Zion Williamson: who to start in Week 1
Kel'el Ware 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 81.0 for Kel'el Ware. Over the season, Zion Williamson leads in points leagues (35.2 fantasy points a game to 27.0) and Kel'el Ware in 9-cat leagues (68th against 69th). 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #115
- 27.0 FP/G, slot 10.07, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #68
- -0.3 z, slot 6.08, $14
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #48
- 35.2 FP/G, slot 4.12, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #69
- -0.3 z, slot 6.09, $14
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Zion Williamson. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 27.0, 48th on our board to 115th.
9-cat leagues: Kel'el Ware instead, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (68th to 69th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Kel'el Ware is ahead in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Zion Williamson in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Kel'el Ware produces more: 44.9 fantasy points to 41.9, on 21.7 minutes a night against 30.2. 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), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 projected fantasy points to 81.0 for Kel'el Ware.
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 | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 27.0 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 21.7 | 30.2 |
| PointsPTS | 11.3 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.6 | 5.2 |
| AssistsAST | 0.7 | 3.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 53.9% | 59.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 69.1% | 73.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 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 | Kel'el Ware | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 44.9 | 41.9 |
| Points | 18.7 | 25.0 |
| Rebounds | 14.3 | 6.3 |
| Assists | 1.2 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 1.7 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 0.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 2.5 |
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 | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.3 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.5 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | +0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.8 | +2.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | -1.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | -0.3 |
| Total | -0.3 | -0.3 |
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, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Zion Williamson.
| Punt | Kel'el Ware | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.6 (#44) | -1.2 (#120) |
| REB | -1.8 (#126) | -0.5 (#72) |
| AST | +1.1 (#36) | -0.2 (#61) |
| STL | +0.4 (#49) | -1.0 (#93) |
| BLK | -1.3 (#101) | -0.3 (#66) |
| 3PM | +0.2 (#55) | +1.1 (#36) |
| FG% | -1.4 (#96) | -3.8 (#197) |
| FT% | +0.3 (#54) | +1.1 (#38) |
| TO | -1.5 (#96) | -0.0 (#62) |
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)
- Kel'el Ware: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Zion Williamson: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Kel'el Ware: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 27.0 on the board.
- Zion Williamson: 35.1 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 35.2 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 Zion Williamson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Kel'el Ware, Zion Williamson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Kel'el Ware or Zion Williamson?
Points leagues: Zion Williamson. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 27.0, 48th on our board to 115th. 9-cat leagues: Kel'el Ware instead, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (68th to 69th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Kel'el Ware or Zion Williamson?
Category by category, Kel'el Ware is ahead in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Zion Williamson in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Kel'el Ware or Zion Williamson?
Kel'el Ware 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 81.0 for Kel'el Ware.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number