Where should Zion Williamson be drafted in 2026-27?

The No. 133 player on the 2026-27 projection, down from No. 120 in 2025-26. Yahoo drafters take him at 67.8 on average, 65 picks before his rank: he costs more than he returns.

How many games will Zion Williamson play in 2026-27?

Our projection has him at 59 games, after 62 last season.

Zion Williamson

New Orleans Pelicans · PF · Age 26 · 6′6″ · 8th season

Rankings Darryn Peterson Dylan Harper

Rank#133PF #53 · of 233

Value-0.4999-cat, per game

Yahoo ADP67.8ESPN 65.0

$ Max value$1Yahoo avg $4.6

Games5929 min a game

Rostered91.9%ESPN leagues

Fantasy outlook

The No. 133 player on the 2026-27 projection, down from No. 120 in 2025-26. He is top 5 in field-goal percentage among rotation players; the cost is free-throw percentage at 71.1%. Yahoo drafters take him at 67.8 on average, 65 picks before his rank: he costs more than he returns.

Stats over time

Falling: 27.0 in 2020-21, 21.0 last season, and top 50 among rotation players every season on our board.

Last season21.0

5-season average24.3

Trend a season−1.3

2026-27 proj.21.3

Fairly steady: between 21.0 (2025-26) and 27.0 (2020-21).
Per 36 minutes: 29.3 in 2020-21, 25.5 last season, on 33.2 → 29.7 minutes: the change is his game, not his playing time.
The projection (21.3) is in line with last season (21.0).

PTS rank among rotation players

23-24#24of 24724-25#15of 26625-26#30of 27226-27*#57of 213

Per game, from ESPN box scores. * Our 2026-27 projection, dashed.

Season by season

Season	Rank	Value	GP	MIN	PTS	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	FGM/FGA	FT%	FTM/FTA	TO
2026-27Proj.	133	-0.499	59	29	21.3	0.0	5.9	3.5	1.0	0.7	60.6%	8.0/13.2	71.1%	5.3/7.4	2.1
2025-26	120	-0.127	62	30	21.0	0.0	5.7	3.2	1.0	0.5	60.0%	7.8/13.0	71.6%	5.4/7.5	2.0
2024-25	68	0.187	30	29	24.6	0.1	7.2	5.3	1.2	0.9	56.7%	9.6/16.9	65.6%	5.3/8.0	3.0
2023-24	82	-0.116	70	32	22.9	0.1	5.8	5.0	1.1	0.7	57.0%	8.9/15.6	70.2%	5.0/7.1	2.8
2022-23	-	-	29	33	26.0	0.2	7.0	4.6	1.1	0.6	60.5%	9.8/16.2	70.9%	6.1/8.6	3.4
2020-21	-	-	61	33	27.0	0.2	7.2	3.7	0.9	0.6	61.2%	10.4/17.0	69.0%	6.0/8.7	2.7

Rank, Value and colours start with 2023-24, the first season on our board; earlier seasons show ESPN's box scores.

Category profile · 2026-27

PTS

21.3#57 of 2130.33

3PM

0.0#201 of 213-0.84

REB

5.9#94 of 213-0.29

AST

3.5#91 of 213-0.18

STL

1.0#116 of 213-0.08

BLK

0.7#78 of 213-0.20

FG%

60.6%8.0/13.2#4 of 2131.02

FT%

71.1%5.3/7.4#208 of 213-1.20

TO

2.1#137 of 213-0.02

Rank among rotation players (20+ minutes, 20+ games). Colour is the value in the category, as in Rankings.

Team role · New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans starter at PF, with Karlo Matkovic behind him. 65 minutes a night of the 2025-26 rotation left, most of it Jose Alvarado, Micah Peavy, and Kevon Looney; Bennedict Mathurin is the arrival projected for the most minutes (25).

PF

1Zion Williamson
2Karlo Matkovic
3Derik Queen
4Saddiq Bey
5Trendon WatfordNew
6Malik DiaNew
7Julian ReeseNew

Left since 2025-26

Jose AlvaradoSigned by NY Jul 622 min → NY
Micah PeavyTraded Sep 815 min → MEM
Kevon Looney15 min → LAL
Jordan HawkinsTraded Sep 814 min → CHI
Minutes a night65

Arrived

Julian ReeseSigned Sep 2431 min from WSH
Bennedict MathurinSigned Sep 1030 min from LAC
Trendon WatfordSigned Aug 1716 min from PHI
AJ JohnsonAcquired Sep 810 min from DAL
Jaron Pierre Jr.new
Malik DiaSigned Aug 18new

Depth chart from ESPN. Who left and arrived: last season's box scores against today's roster; how and when: ESPN's transaction feed, where it lists the move. Minutes are last season's, per game. New Orleans Pelicans depth chart

Season	Team	GP	MIN	PTS	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	FGM/FGA	FT%	FTM/FTA	TO
2025-26	NO	62	29.7	21.0	0.0	5.7	3.2	1.0	0.5	60.0%	7.8/13.0	72.0%	5.4/7.5	2.0
2024-25	NO	30	28.6	24.6	0.1	7.2	5.3	1.2	0.9	56.8%	9.6/16.9	66.3%	5.3/8.0	3.0
2023-24	NO	70	31.5	22.9	0.1	5.8	5.0	1.1	0.7	57.1%	8.9/15.6	70.4%	5.0/7.1	2.8
2022-23	NO	29	33.0	26.0	0.2	7.0	4.6	1.1	0.6	60.5%	9.8/16.2	70.9%	6.1/8.6	3.4
2020-21	NO	61	33.2	27.0	0.2	7.2	3.7	0.9	0.6	61.2%	10.4/17.0	69.0%	6.0/8.7	2.7
2019-20	NO	24	27.8	22.5	0.3	6.3	2.1	0.7	0.4	58.7%	8.8/15.0	64.9%	4.8/7.4	2.5

Box-score averages from ESPN.

Zion Williamson in fantasy basketball

The outlook above is written from our 2026-27 projection and his recent seasons, and changes with every projection run. His Value and ranks are the same numbers Rankings shows.