Kris Dunn vs Peyton Watson: who to start in Week 1
Kris Dunn plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start Kris Dunn: 65.1 projected fantasy points to 54.2 for Peyton Watson. Over the season, Peyton Watson leads in both formats: 27.1 fantasy points a game to 21.7, and 128th against 129th 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 25, 10:29 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #174
- 21.7 FP/G, slot 15.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #129
- -1.9 z, slot 11.09, $4
- Points leagues
- #111
- 27.1 FP/G, slot 10.03, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #128
- -1.9 z, slot 11.08, $4
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Peyton Watson. 27.1 fantasy points per game against 21.7, 111th on our board to 174th.
9-cat leagues: Peyton Watson again, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (128th to 129th).
Category by category, Kris Dunn is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO) and Peyton Watson in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Peyton Watson produces more: 32.9 fantasy points to 28.4, on 29.7 minutes a night against 27.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Kris Dunn plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start Kris Dunn: 65.1 projected fantasy points to 54.2 for Peyton Watson.
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 | Kris Dunn | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.7 | 27.1 |
| Minutes | 27.5 | 29.7 |
| PointsPTS | 7.2 | 14.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.9 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.4% | 47.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.4% | 74.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 54 |
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 | Kris Dunn | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.4 | 32.9 |
| Points | 9.5 | 17.0 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 5.5 |
| Assists | 5.1 | 2.6 |
| Steals | 2.2 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 2.3 |
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 | Kris Dunn | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.6 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.0 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +1.8 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | -0.1 |
| Total | -1.9 | -1.9 |
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, blocks, threes and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Kris Dunn.
| Punt | Kris Dunn | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.4 (#79) | -1.6 (#141) |
| REB | -1.1 (#95) | -1.6 (#121) |
| AST | -2.1 (#156) | -1.3 (#114) |
| STL | -3.9 (#228) | -1.9 (#140) |
| BLK | -1.3 (#102) | -3.1 (#174) |
| 3PM | -1.4 (#105) | -1.8 (#127) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#126) | -2.2 (#128) |
| FT% | -1.7 (#123) | -1.4 (#112) |
| TO | -2.6 (#126) | -1.9 (#106) |
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)
- Kris Dunn: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Peyton Watson: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Kris Dunn: 30.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.7 on the board.
- Peyton Watson: 20.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 27.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Kris Dunn playing tonight? · Is Peyton Watson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Peyton Watson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Kris Dunn or Peyton Watson?
Points leagues: Peyton Watson. 27.1 fantasy points per game against 21.7, 111th on our board to 174th. 9-cat leagues: Peyton Watson again, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (128th to 129th).
Who wins more categories, Kris Dunn or Peyton Watson?
Category by category, Kris Dunn is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO) and Peyton Watson in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Kris Dunn or Peyton Watson?
Kris Dunn plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start Kris Dunn: 65.1 projected fantasy points to 54.2 for Peyton Watson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 10:29 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number