Bilal Coulibaly vs Keegan Murray: who to start in Week 1
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keegan Murray 3. For that week alone, start Keegan Murray: 84.2 projected fantasy points to 79.1 for Bilal Coulibaly. Over the season, Keegan Murray leads in points leagues (28.1 fantasy points a game to 26.4) and Bilal Coulibaly in 9-cat leagues (102nd against 103rd). 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #118
- 26.4 FP/G, slot 10.10, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #102
- -1.3 z, slot 9.06, $8
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #101
- 28.1 FP/G, slot 9.05, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #103
- -1.3 z, slot 9.07, $8
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Keegan Murray. 28.1 fantasy points per game against 26.4, 101st on our board to 118th.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly instead, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (102nd to 103rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Keegan Murray in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Bilal Coulibaly produces more: 36.0 fantasy points to 30.1, on 26.4 minutes a night against 33.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keegan Murray 3. For that week alone, start Keegan Murray: 84.2 projected fantasy points to 79.1 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 | Keegan Murray |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.4 | 28.1 |
| Minutes | 26.4 | 33.6 |
| PointsPTS | 11.6 | 13.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.3 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 2.3 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.2% | 41.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.0% | 80.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 23 |
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 | Keegan Murray |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.0 | 30.1 |
| Points | 15.9 | 14.1 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Assists | 3.2 | 1.6 |
| Steals | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 1.2 |
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 | Keegan Murray |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -1.0 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | +0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | +1.4 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -1.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | +0.9 |
| 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 assists, steals and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Keegan Murray.
| Punt | Bilal Coulibaly | Keegan Murray |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#82) | -0.8 (#94) |
| REB | -0.8 (#84) | -1.3 (#109) |
| AST | -0.7 (#87) | -0.3 (#63) |
| STL | -2.4 (#161) | -1.4 (#118) |
| BLK | -2.3 (#146) | -3.0 (#170) |
| 3PM | -0.8 (#87) | -0.9 (#91) |
| FG% | -0.8 (#82) | +0.1 (#58) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#93) | -1.3 (#110) |
| TO | -2.1 (#113) | -2.3 (#119) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Bilal Coulibaly: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Keegan Murray: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM).
Recent games
- Bilal Coulibaly: 27.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 26.4 on the board.
- Keegan Murray: 13.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 28.1 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 Keegan Murray playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Bilal Coulibaly
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bilal Coulibaly or Keegan Murray?
Points leagues: Keegan Murray. 28.1 fantasy points per game against 26.4, 101st on our board to 118th. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly instead, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (102nd to 103rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Bilal Coulibaly or Keegan Murray?
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Keegan Murray in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bilal Coulibaly or Keegan Murray?
Bilal Coulibaly plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keegan Murray 3. For that week alone, start Keegan Murray: 84.2 projected fantasy points to 79.1 for Bilal Coulibaly.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number