Darius Garland vs Onyeka Okongwu: who to start in Week 1
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Onyeka Okongwu 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.9 projected fantasy points to 96.3 for Onyeka Okongwu. Over the season, Darius Garland leads in points leagues (32.3 fantasy points a game to 32.1) and Onyeka Okongwu in 9-cat leagues (45th against 111th). 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
- #64
- 32.3 FP/G, slot 6.04, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #111
- -1.5 z, slot 10.03, $7
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #65
- 32.1 FP/G, slot 6.05, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #45
- +0.7 z, slot 4.09, $19
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.3 fantasy points per game against 32.1, 64th on our board to 65th.
9-cat leagues: Onyeka Okongwu instead, +0.7 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (45th to 111th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Onyeka Okongwu in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Darius Garland produces more: 38.2 fantasy points to 38.0, on 30.4 minutes a night against 30.4. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Onyeka Okongwu 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.9 projected fantasy points to 96.3 for Onyeka Okongwu.
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 | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.3 | 32.1 |
| Minutes | 30.4 | 30.4 |
| PointsPTS | 19.9 | 14.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.2 | 7.2 |
| AssistsAST | 6.5 | 3.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 2.8 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.9% | 47.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.0% | 76.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.3 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 74 |
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 | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.2 | 38.0 |
| Points | 23.5 | 17.1 |
| Rebounds | 2.6 | 8.6 |
| Assists | 7.7 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 3.3 | 2.2 |
| Turnovers | 3.9 | 1.9 |
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 | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | +0.7 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | +1.2 | +0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.4 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.7 | +0.3 |
| Total | -1.5 | +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 rebounds flips the 9-cat answer to Darius Garland.
| Punt | Darius Garland | Onyeka Okongwu |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#176) | +1.0 (#31) |
| REB | +0.2 (#51) | -0.1 (#56) |
| AST | -3.1 (#200) | +0.8 (#39) |
| STL | -1.4 (#117) | +0.8 (#42) |
| BLK | -0.4 (#68) | -0.0 (#59) |
| 3PM | -2.9 (#176) | +0.4 (#48) |
| FG% | -1.0 (#89) | +0.7 (#48) |
| FT% | -1.9 (#134) | +0.9 (#41) |
| TO | +0.2 (#58) | +0.4 (#57) |
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)
- Darius Garland: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Onyeka Okongwu: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Darius Garland: 33.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.3 on the board.
- Onyeka Okongwu: 19.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.1 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 Onyeka Okongwu playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Darius Garland, Onyeka Okongwu
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Darius Garland or Onyeka Okongwu?
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.3 fantasy points per game against 32.1, 64th on our board to 65th. 9-cat leagues: Onyeka Okongwu instead, +0.7 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (45th to 111th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Darius Garland or Onyeka Okongwu?
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Onyeka Okongwu in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Darius Garland or Onyeka Okongwu?
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Onyeka Okongwu 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.9 projected fantasy points to 96.3 for Onyeka Okongwu.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number