Paul George vs Zion Williamson: who to start in Week 1
Paul George plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.7 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Paul George. Over the season, Paul George leads in both formats: 35.3 fantasy points a game to 35.2, and 20th against 84th 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
- #45
- 35.3 FP/G, slot 4.09, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #20
- +2.8 z, slot 2.08, $31
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #46
- 35.2 FP/G, slot 4.10, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #84
- -0.9 z, slot 7.12, $11
The call
Points leagues: Paul George. 35.3 fantasy points per game against 35.2, 45th on our board to 46th.
9-cat leagues: Paul George again, +2.8 in summed z-scores against -0.9 (20th to 84th).
Category by category, Paul George is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Zion Williamson in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Zion Williamson produces more: 42.5 fantasy points to 41.5, on 29.8 minutes a night against 30.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Paul George plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.7 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Paul George.
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 | Paul George | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.3 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 30.7 | 29.8 |
| PointsPTS | 18.6 | 21.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 5.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.6 | 3.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 3.0 | 0.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.1% | 58.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.8% | 73.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 37 | 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 | Paul George | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.5 | 42.5 |
| Points | 21.8 | 25.4 |
| Rebounds | 6.2 | 6.7 |
| Assists | 4.2 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 2.2 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 3.5 | 0.2 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 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 | Paul George | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | +2.4 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +1.4 | -1.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.9 | +2.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | -1.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| Total | +2.8 | -0.9 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Paul George stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Paul George | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.3 (#14) | -1.7 (#146) |
| REB | +3.1 (#19) | -1.2 (#103) |
| AST | +2.7 (#16) | -0.7 (#84) |
| STL | +0.3 (#54) | -1.2 (#101) |
| BLK | +3.4 (#14) | -0.8 (#79) |
| 3PM | +1.3 (#34) | +0.6 (#46) |
| FG% | +3.8 (#15) | -4.0 (#208) |
| FT% | +2.4 (#20) | +0.6 (#47) |
| TO | +2.8 (#23) | -0.6 (#71) |
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)
- Paul George: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
- Zion Williamson: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Paul George: 60.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 35.3 on the board.
- Zion Williamson: 36.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 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 Paul George playing tonight? · Is Zion Williamson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Paul George, Zion Williamson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Paul George or Zion Williamson?
Points leagues: Paul George. 35.3 fantasy points per game against 35.2, 45th on our board to 46th. 9-cat leagues: Paul George again, +2.8 in summed z-scores against -0.9 (20th to 84th).
Who wins more categories, Paul George or Zion Williamson?
Category by category, Paul George is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Zion Williamson in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Paul George or Zion Williamson?
Paul George plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.7 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Paul George.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 4:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number