Paul Reed vs Ziaire Williams: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Paul Reed in both formats: 19.5 fantasy points a game to 18.9 in points leagues, and 173rd against 174th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #213
- 19.5 FP/G, slot 18.09
- 9-cat leagues
- #173
- -3.1 z, slot 15.05
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #223
- 18.9 FP/G, slot 19.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #174
- -3.1 z, slot 15.06
Game-time decision (Foot)
The call
Points leagues: draft Paul Reed. 19.5 fantasy points per game against 18.9, 213th on our board to 223rd.
9-cat leagues: Paul Reed again, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (173rd to 174th).
Category by category, Paul Reed is ahead in 5 (REB, AST, BLK, FG% and TO) and Ziaire Williams in 4 (PTS, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Paul Reed produces more: 50.7 fantasy points to 29.7, on 13.9 minutes a night against 22.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Paul Reed plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ziaire Williams 3. For that week alone, start Paul Reed: 58.6 projected fantasy points to 56.6 for Ziaire 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Paul Reed | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 19.5 | 18.9 |
| Minutes | 13.9 | 22.9 |
| PointsPTS | 7.8 | 10.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 2.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.2 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 61.7% | 42.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 66.4% | 85.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 65 | 56 |
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 Reed | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 50.7 | 29.7 |
| Points | 20.1 | 16.1 |
| Rebounds | 11.7 | 3.8 |
| Assists | 3.2 | 1.7 |
| Steals | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 2.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 0.5 | 2.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 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 | Paul Reed | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.6 | -1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | -1.6 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | +1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -1.5 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.1 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.7 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +1.0 |
| Total | -3.1 | -3.1 |
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, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Ziaire Williams.
| Punt | Paul Reed | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#133) | -2.0 (#162) |
| REB | -2.8 (#179) | -1.7 (#126) |
| AST | -1.9 (#142) | -1.9 (#141) |
| STL | -2.8 (#173) | -4.1 (#244) |
| BLK | -3.9 (#225) | -2.7 (#153) |
| 3PM | -1.6 (#114) | -3.0 (#181) |
| FG% | -4.9 (#249) | -2.5 (#137) |
| FT% | -2.4 (#149) | -3.5 (#194) |
| TO | -4.6 (#193) | -4.3 (#178) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Paul Reed: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
- Ziaire Williams: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA), listed GTD.
Recent games
- Paul Reed: 26.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 19.5 on the board.
- Ziaire Williams: 22.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 18.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Paul Reed or Ziaire Williams in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Paul Reed. 19.5 fantasy points per game against 18.9, 213th on our board to 223rd. 9-cat leagues: Paul Reed again, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (173rd to 174th).
Who wins more categories, Paul Reed or Ziaire Williams?
Category by category, Paul Reed is ahead in 5 (REB, AST, BLK, FG% and TO) and Ziaire Williams in 4 (PTS, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Paul Reed or Ziaire Williams?
Paul Reed plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ziaire Williams 3. For that week alone, start Paul Reed: 58.6 projected fantasy points to 56.6 for Ziaire Williams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number