Darius Garland vs Stephon Castle: who to start in Week 3
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Stephon Castle 4. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 135.9 projected fantasy points to 94.0 for Darius Garland. Over the season, Stephon Castle leads in both formats: 34.0 fantasy points a game to 31.3, and 145th against 146th 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #82
- 31.3 FP/G, slot 7.10, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #146
- -2.3 z, slot 13.02, $2
- Points leagues
- #61
- 34.0 FP/G, slot 6.01, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #145
- -2.3 z, slot 13.01, $2
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Stephon Castle. 34.0 fantasy points per game against 31.3, 61st on our board to 82nd.
9-cat leagues: Stephon Castle again, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (145th to 146th).
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 3 (PTS, 3PM and FT%) and Stephon Castle in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Stephon Castle produces more: 41.0 fantasy points to 36.9, on 29.8 minutes a night against 30.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Stephon Castle 4. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 135.9 projected fantasy points to 94.0 for Darius Garland.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Darius Garland | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 31.3 | 34.0 |
| Minutes | 30.6 | 29.8 |
| PointsPTS | 19.4 | 16.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.1 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 6.6 | 6.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.5% | 45.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.1% | 73.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 68 |
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 | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.9 | 41.0 |
| Points | 22.8 | 19.4 |
| Rebounds | 2.4 | 6.5 |
| Assists | 7.8 | 8.1 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 3.1 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 4.2 | 3.7 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Darius Garland | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | -0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | +1.4 | +1.5 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | +0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +1.0 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.0 | -1.3 |
| Total | -2.3 | -2.3 |
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, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Darius Garland.
| Punt | Darius Garland | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.8 (#207) | -2.2 (#187) |
| REB | -0.6 (#86) | -2.2 (#149) |
| AST | -3.8 (#239) | -3.9 (#242) |
| STL | -2.0 (#142) | -2.7 (#175) |
| BLK | -1.1 (#102) | -1.5 (#112) |
| 3PM | -3.4 (#210) | -2.1 (#158) |
| FG% | -1.6 (#111) | -2.1 (#131) |
| FT% | -3.0 (#185) | -1.4 (#115) |
| TO | -0.3 (#70) | -0.9 (#84) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Darius Garland: 3 games (Mon TOR, Wed MIA, Sun NOP), 1 back-to-back.
- Stephon Castle: 4 games (Mon UTA, Wed DAL, Fri @SAC, Sat @POR), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Darius Garland: 28.6 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 31.3 on the board.
- Stephon Castle: 30.9 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 34.0 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Darius Garland playing tonight? · Is Stephon Castle playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Darius Garland, Stephon Castle
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Darius Garland or Stephon Castle?
Points leagues: Stephon Castle. 34.0 fantasy points per game against 31.3, 61st on our board to 82nd. 9-cat leagues: Stephon Castle again, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (145th to 146th).
Who wins more categories, Darius Garland or Stephon Castle?
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 3 (PTS, 3PM and FT%) and Stephon Castle in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and TO).
Who should I start in Week 3, Darius Garland or Stephon Castle?
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Stephon Castle 4. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 135.9 projected fantasy points to 94.0 for Darius Garland.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number