Darius Garland vs Keegan Murray: who to start in Week 1
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keegan Murray 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 97.5 projected fantasy points to 86.1 for Keegan Murray. Over the season, Darius Garland leads in points leagues (32.5 fantasy points a game to 28.7) and Keegan Murray in 9-cat leagues (98th against 100th). 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, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- 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 leagues.
- Points leagues
- #99
- 28.7 FP/G, slot 9.03, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #98
- -1.2 z, slot 9.02, $9
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.5 fantasy points per game against 28.7, 65th on our board to 99th.
9-cat leagues: Keegan Murray instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (98th to 100th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%) and Keegan Murray in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Darius Garland produces more: 39.0 fantasy points to 30.3, on 30.0 minutes a night against 34.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keegan Murray 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 97.5 projected fantasy points to 86.1 for Keegan 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 | Darius Garland | Keegan Murray |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.5 | 28.7 |
| Minutes | 30.0 | 34.1 |
| PointsPTS | 19.5 | 13.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.3 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 6.5 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 1.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.9% | 40.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.2% | 77.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 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 | Darius Garland | Keegan Murray |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.0 | 30.3 |
| Points | 23.4 | 14.0 |
| Rebounds | 2.8 | 5.9 |
| Assists | 7.8 | 1.6 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 1.5 |
| Threes | 3.3 | 1.3 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 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 | Darius Garland | Keegan Murray |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | +1.6 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | -1.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | +1.0 |
| Total | -1.3 | -1.2 |
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 rebounds, steals, blocks and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Darius Garland.
| Punt | Darius Garland | Keegan Murray |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#157) | -0.7 (#91) |
| REB | +0.4 (#50) | -1.3 (#109) |
| AST | -2.9 (#195) | -0.2 (#65) |
| STL | -1.2 (#103) | -1.4 (#113) |
| BLK | -0.2 (#64) | -3.1 (#172) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#161) | -0.9 (#91) |
| FG% | -0.8 (#80) | +0.3 (#54) |
| FT% | -1.7 (#125) | -1.1 (#95) |
| TO | +0.0 (#61) | -2.2 (#117) |
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)
- Darius Garland: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Keegan Murray: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM).
Recent games
- Darius Garland: 37.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 32.5 on the board.
- Keegan Murray: 9.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Darius Garland playing tonight? · Is Keegan Murray playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Darius Garland
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Darius Garland or Keegan Murray?
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.5 fantasy points per game against 28.7, 65th on our board to 99th. 9-cat leagues: Keegan Murray instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (98th to 100th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Darius Garland or Keegan Murray?
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%) and Keegan Murray in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Darius Garland or Keegan Murray?
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keegan Murray 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 97.5 projected fantasy points to 86.1 for Keegan Murray.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number