Norman Powell vs Zion Williamson: who to start in Week 1
Norman Powell 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 94.5 for Norman Powell. Over the season, Zion Williamson leads in both formats: 35.2 fantasy points a game to 31.5, and 69th against 70th 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, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #72
- 31.5 FP/G, slot 6.12, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #70
- -0.4 z, slot 6.10, $13
- 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 and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Zion Williamson. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 31.5, 48th on our board to 72nd.
9-cat leagues: Zion Williamson again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (69th to 70th).
Category by category, Norman Powell is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Zion Williamson in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Zion Williamson produces more: 41.9 fantasy points to 38.4, on 30.2 minutes a night against 29.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Norman Powell 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 94.5 for Norman Powell.
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 | Norman Powell | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 31.5 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 29.5 | 30.2 |
| PointsPTS | 21.3 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.5 | 5.2 |
| AssistsAST | 2.3 | 3.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 2.6 | 0.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.1% | 59.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.3% | 73.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 58 | 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 | Norman Powell | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.4 | 41.9 |
| Points | 26.0 | 25.0 |
| Rebounds | 4.3 | 6.3 |
| Assists | 2.8 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 3.2 | 0.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 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 | Norman Powell | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.9 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.0 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +1.0 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.9 | +2.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | -1.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | -0.3 |
| Total | -0.4 | -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, assists, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Norman Powell.
| Punt | Norman Powell | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.3 (#125) | -1.2 (#120) |
| REB | +0.6 (#45) | -0.5 (#72) |
| AST | +0.1 (#52) | -0.2 (#61) |
| STL | -1.1 (#96) | -1.0 (#93) |
| BLK | +0.5 (#46) | -0.3 (#66) |
| 3PM | -1.5 (#115) | +1.1 (#36) |
| FG% | +0.5 (#52) | -3.8 (#197) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#106) | +1.1 (#38) |
| TO | -0.3 (#68) | -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)
- Norman Powell: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Zion Williamson: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Norman Powell: 30.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 31.5 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 Norman Powell playing tonight? · Is Zion Williamson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Zion Williamson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Norman Powell or Zion Williamson?
Points leagues: Zion Williamson. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 31.5, 48th on our board to 72nd. 9-cat leagues: Zion Williamson again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (69th to 70th).
Who wins more categories, Norman Powell or Zion Williamson?
Category by category, Norman Powell is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Zion Williamson in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Norman Powell or Zion Williamson?
Norman Powell 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 94.5 for Norman Powell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number