Bilal Coulibaly vs Darius Garland: who to start in Week 1
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Darius Garland 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 97.5 projected fantasy points to 80.1 for Bilal Coulibaly. Over the season, Darius Garland leads in both formats: 32.5 fantasy points a game to 26.7, and 100th against 101st 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, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #116
- 26.7 FP/G, slot 10.08, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #101
- -1.3 z, slot 9.05, $9
- Points leagues
- #65
- 32.5 FP/G, slot 6.05, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #100
- -1.3 z, slot 9.04, $9
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.5 fantasy points per game against 26.7, 65th on our board to 116th.
9-cat leagues: Darius Garland again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (100th to 101st).
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Darius Garland in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Darius Garland produces more: 39.0 fantasy points to 36.4, on 30.0 minutes a night against 26.4. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Darius Garland 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 97.5 projected fantasy points to 80.1 for Bilal Coulibaly.
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 | Bilal Coulibaly | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.7 | 32.5 |
| Minutes | 26.4 | 30.0 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 19.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 2.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 6.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.5% | 46.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.1% | 82.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 2.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 45 |
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 | Bilal Coulibaly | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.4 | 39.0 |
| Points | 15.9 | 23.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.7 | 2.8 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 2.1 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 3.3 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 3.5 |
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 | Bilal Coulibaly | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | +0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -1.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | +1.5 |
| StealsSTL | +1.4 | -0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | -1.3 |
| Total | -1.3 | -1.3 |
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 points, assists, threes, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Bilal Coulibaly.
| Punt | Bilal Coulibaly | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#79) | -1.9 (#157) |
| REB | -0.8 (#83) | +0.4 (#50) |
| AST | -0.7 (#83) | -2.9 (#195) |
| STL | -2.7 (#175) | -1.2 (#103) |
| BLK | -2.2 (#143) | -0.2 (#64) |
| 3PM | -0.8 (#89) | -2.5 (#161) |
| FG% | -0.8 (#79) | -0.8 (#80) |
| FT% | -0.7 (#82) | -1.7 (#125) |
| TO | -1.9 (#108) | +0.0 (#61) |
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)
- Bilal Coulibaly: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Darius Garland: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
Recent games
- Bilal Coulibaly: 32.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.7 on the board.
- Darius Garland: 37.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 32.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Bilal Coulibaly playing tonight? · Is Darius Garland playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Bilal Coulibaly, Darius Garland
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bilal Coulibaly or Darius Garland?
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.5 fantasy points per game against 26.7, 65th on our board to 116th. 9-cat leagues: Darius Garland again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (100th to 101st).
Who wins more categories, Bilal Coulibaly or Darius Garland?
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Darius Garland in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bilal Coulibaly or Darius Garland?
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Darius Garland 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 97.5 projected fantasy points to 80.1 for Bilal Coulibaly.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number