Cade Cunningham vs Jamal Murray: who to start in Week 1
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jamal Murray 2. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 141.9 projected fantasy points to 82.9 for Jamal Murray. Over the season, Cade Cunningham leads in both formats: 47.3 fantasy points a game to 41.4, and 17th against 18th 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #8
- 47.3 FP/G, slot 1.08, $37
- 9-cat leagues
- #17
- +3.0 z, slot 2.05, $33
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #19
- 41.4 FP/G, slot 2.07, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #18
- +3.0 z, slot 2.06, $33
The call
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham. 47.3 fantasy points per game against 41.4, 8th on our board to 19th.
9-cat leagues: Cade Cunningham again, +3.0 in summed z-scores against +3.0 (17th to 18th).
Category by category, Cade Cunningham is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, STL and BLK) and Jamal Murray in 5 (PTS, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cade Cunningham produces more: 50.4 fantasy points to 42.1, on 33.8 minutes a night against 35.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jamal Murray 2. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 141.9 projected fantasy points to 82.9 for Jamal Murray.
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 | Cade Cunningham | Jamal Murray |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 47.3 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 33.8 | 35.5 |
| PointsPTS | 23.3 | 24.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.2 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 9.7 | 6.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 3.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.4% | 47.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.2% | 86.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 4.0 | 2.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 75 |
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 | Cade Cunningham | Jamal Murray |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 50.4 | 42.1 |
| Points | 24.9 | 24.6 |
| Rebounds | 5.6 | 4.8 |
| Assists | 10.3 | 7.0 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 3.1 |
| Turnovers | 4.2 | 2.6 |
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 | Cade Cunningham | Jamal Murray |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.2 | +1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +3.1 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | +1.0 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | +1.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +1.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.6 | -0.8 |
| Total | +3.0 | +3.0 |
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 rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jamal Murray.
| Punt | Cade Cunningham | Jamal Murray |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.7 (#24) | +1.5 (#27) |
| REB | +3.2 (#16) | +3.5 (#12) |
| AST | -0.2 (#59) | +1.2 (#32) |
| STL | +2.0 (#22) | +3.2 (#12) |
| BLK | +2.4 (#23) | +3.7 (#13) |
| 3PM | +2.6 (#18) | +1.3 (#34) |
| FG% | +3.6 (#17) | +3.7 (#16) |
| FT% | +2.6 (#18) | +1.6 (#31) |
| TO | +5.7 (#8) | +3.8 (#16) |
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)
- Cade Cunningham: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
- Jamal Murray: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
Recent games
- Cade Cunningham: 37.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 47.3 on the board.
- Jamal Murray: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 41.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Cade Cunningham playing tonight? · Is Jamal Murray playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Cade Cunningham, Jamal Murray
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cade Cunningham or Jamal Murray?
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham. 47.3 fantasy points per game against 41.4, 8th on our board to 19th. 9-cat leagues: Cade Cunningham again, +3.0 in summed z-scores against +3.0 (17th to 18th).
Who wins more categories, Cade Cunningham or Jamal Murray?
Category by category, Cade Cunningham is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, STL and BLK) and Jamal Murray in 5 (PTS, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cade Cunningham or Jamal Murray?
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jamal Murray 2. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 141.9 projected fantasy points to 82.9 for Jamal Murray.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number