Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Williams? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 11th and 16th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 33.0
- 9-cat
- #81
- Last 1 FP
- 29.4
3 games in Week 1
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jalen Williams. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 33.0 fantasy points to 32.7.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -1.6 category value for the week to -3.2.
Andrew Nembhard's minutes are up: 33.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 31.5 on the board.
Jalen Williams played 29.9 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 28.5 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Andrew Nembhard | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 33.7 (last 1) | 29.9 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 31.5 | 28.5 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 10.7 | 19.2 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 65.3 | 66.1 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -3.2 | -1.6 |
Schedule: Andrew Nembhard Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN. Jalen Williams Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Andrew Nembhard | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 34.0 | 33.5 |
| Rebounds | 5.5 | 9.5 |
| Assists | 15.5 | 10.5 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 2.3 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 3.5 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 4.8 | 3.6 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 1 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Jalen Williams, 33.0 fantasy points per game to 32.7.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, 81st overall against 115th.
Andrew Nembhard vs Jalen Williams: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Andrew Nembhard | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.7 | 33.0 |
| Minutes | 31.5 | 28.5 |
| PointsPTS | 17.0 | 16.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.8 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 7.8 | 5.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 0.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.0% | 47.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.8% | 82.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.8 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Andrew Nembhard playing tonight? · Is Jalen Williams playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Williams in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jalen Williams. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 33.0 fantasy points to 32.7. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, -1.6 category value for the week to -3.2. Andrew Nembhard's minutes are up: 33.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 31.5 on the board. Jalen Williams played 29.9 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 28.5 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Williams?
Points leagues: Jalen Williams, 33.0 fantasy points per game to 32.7. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams again, 81st overall against 115th.
Who wins more categories, Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Williams?
Andrew Nembhard is ahead in 3 (assists, threes, free throw percentage); Jalen Williams in 5 (rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number