Cade Cunningham vs Trey Murphy III: who to start in Week 1
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Trey Murphy III 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 144.1 projected fantasy points to 109.6 for Trey Murphy III. Over the season, Cade Cunningham leads in points leagues (48.0 fantasy points a game to 36.5) and Trey Murphy III in 9-cat leagues (16th against 17th). 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
- #7
- 48.0 FP/G, slot 1.07, $38
- 9-cat leagues
- #17
- +3.1 z, slot 2.05, $32
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #41
- 36.5 FP/G, slot 4.05, $21
- 9-cat leagues
- #16
- +3.2 z, slot 2.04, $33
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham. 48.0 fantasy points per game against 36.5, 7th on our board to 41st.
9-cat leagues: Trey Murphy III instead, +3.2 in summed z-scores against +3.1 (16th to 17th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Cade Cunningham is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and BLK) and Trey Murphy III in 5 (REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cade Cunningham produces more: 50.9 fantasy points to 37.3, on 34.0 minutes a night against 35.3. 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), Trey Murphy III 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 144.1 projected fantasy points to 109.6 for Trey Murphy III.
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 | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 48.0 | 36.5 |
| Minutes | 34.0 | 35.3 |
| PointsPTS | 23.8 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.5 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 9.8 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 3.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.0% | 46.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.1% | 88.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.8 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 66 |
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 | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 50.9 | 37.3 |
| Points | 25.2 | 21.3 |
| Rebounds | 5.8 | 5.7 |
| Assists | 10.4 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 4.0 | 1.7 |
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 | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.3 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +3.1 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | +1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | +1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.4 | +0.2 |
| Total | +3.1 | +3.2 |
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 threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Cade Cunningham.
| Punt | Cade Cunningham | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.7 (#22) | +2.4 (#12) |
| REB | +3.2 (#17) | +3.5 (#12) |
| AST | -0.2 (#64) | +3.1 (#13) |
| STL | +1.9 (#24) | +2.1 (#23) |
| BLK | +2.7 (#20) | +4.0 (#11) |
| 3PM | +2.6 (#16) | +1.5 (#33) |
| FG% | +3.9 (#14) | +4.1 (#13) |
| FT% | +2.5 (#17) | +2.1 (#24) |
| TO | +5.6 (#9) | +3.1 (#21) |
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)
- Cade Cunningham: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI).
- Trey Murphy III: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Cade Cunningham: 39.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 48.0 on the board.
- Trey Murphy III: 17.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 36.5 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 Trey Murphy III playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Cade Cunningham
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cade Cunningham or Trey Murphy III?
Points leagues: Cade Cunningham. 48.0 fantasy points per game against 36.5, 7th on our board to 41st. 9-cat leagues: Trey Murphy III instead, +3.2 in summed z-scores against +3.1 (16th to 17th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Cade Cunningham or Trey Murphy III?
Category by category, Cade Cunningham is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and BLK) and Trey Murphy III in 5 (REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cade Cunningham or Trey Murphy III?
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Trey Murphy III 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 144.1 projected fantasy points to 109.6 for Trey Murphy III.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number