Bobby Portis Jr. vs Moussa Diabaté: who to start in Week 1
Bobby Portis Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Moussa Diabaté 3. For that week alone, start Moussa Diabaté: 79.5 projected fantasy points to 73.7 for Bobby Portis Jr.. Over the season, Moussa Diabaté leads in both formats: 26.5 fantasy points a game to 24.6, and 80th against 138th 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, 3:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #139
- 24.6 FP/G, slot 12.07, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #138
- -2.3 z, slot 12.06, $3
- Points leagues
- #119
- 26.5 FP/G, slot 10.11, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #80
- -0.7 z, slot 7.08, $11
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Moussa Diabaté. 26.5 fantasy points per game against 24.6, 119th on our board to 139th.
9-cat leagues: Moussa Diabaté again, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (80th to 138th).
Category by category, Bobby Portis Jr. is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Moussa Diabaté in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Bobby Portis Jr. produces more: 36.5 fantasy points to 36.0, on 24.2 minutes a night against 26.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Bobby Portis Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Moussa Diabaté 3. For that week alone, start Moussa Diabaté: 79.5 projected fantasy points to 73.7 for Bobby Portis Jr..
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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Bobby Portis Jr. | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.6 | 26.5 |
| Minutes | 24.2 | 26.5 |
| PointsPTS | 13.2 | 8.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.2 | 8.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.1% | 63.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 70.6% | 68.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 67 | 73 |
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 | Bobby Portis Jr. | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.5 | 36.0 |
| Points | 19.7 | 11.5 |
| Rebounds | 9.3 | 11.8 |
| Assists | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 2.9 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 1.6 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Bobby Portis Jr. | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.2 | +1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -1.1 | +0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | +1.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +0.8 |
| Total | -2.3 | -0.7 |
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 blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Bobby Portis Jr..
| Punt | Bobby Portis Jr. | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#154) | +0.6 (#44) |
| REB | -2.5 (#167) | -2.4 (#154) |
| AST | -1.3 (#112) | +0.1 (#52) |
| STL | -1.3 (#108) | -0.8 (#86) |
| BLK | -1.5 (#108) | -1.6 (#115) |
| 3PM | -2.7 (#169) | +0.9 (#39) |
| FG% | -2.5 (#138) | -2.6 (#147) |
| FT% | -2.1 (#139) | +0.2 (#57) |
| TO | -3.4 (#151) | -1.7 (#101) |
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)
- Bobby Portis Jr.: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
- Moussa Diabaté: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Bobby Portis Jr. or Moussa Diabaté: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Bobby Portis Jr.: 17.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 24.6 on the board.
- Moussa Diabaté: 42.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 26.5 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Bobby Portis Jr. playing tonight? · Is Moussa Diabaté playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Moussa Diabaté
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bobby Portis Jr. or Moussa Diabaté?
Points leagues: Moussa Diabaté. 26.5 fantasy points per game against 24.6, 119th on our board to 139th. 9-cat leagues: Moussa Diabaté again, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (80th to 138th).
Who wins more categories, Bobby Portis Jr. or Moussa Diabaté?
Category by category, Bobby Portis Jr. is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Moussa Diabaté in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bobby Portis Jr. or Moussa Diabaté?
Bobby Portis Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Moussa Diabaté 3. For that week alone, start Moussa Diabaté: 79.5 projected fantasy points to 73.7 for Bobby Portis Jr..
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 3:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number