Dyson Daniels vs Ja Morant: who to start in Week 1
Dyson Daniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja Morant 2. For that week alone, start Dyson Daniels: 107.3 projected fantasy points to 71.0 for Ja Morant. Over the season, Dyson Daniels leads in both formats: 35.8 fantasy points a game to 35.5, and 28th against 115th 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, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #42
- 35.8 FP/G, slot 4.06, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #28
- +2.3 z, slot 3.04, $29
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #45
- 35.5 FP/G, slot 4.09, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #115
- -1.6 z, slot 10.07, $6
The call
Points leagues: Dyson Daniels. 35.8 fantasy points per game against 35.5, 42nd on our board to 45th.
9-cat leagues: Dyson Daniels again, +2.3 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (28th to 115th).
Category by category, Dyson Daniels is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Ja Morant in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Ja Morant produces more: 45.7 fantasy points to 39.4, on 28.0 minutes a night against 32.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Dyson Daniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja Morant 2. For that week alone, start Dyson Daniels: 107.3 projected fantasy points to 71.0 for Ja Morant.
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 | Dyson Daniels | Ja Morant |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.8 | 35.5 |
| Minutes | 32.7 | 28.0 |
| PointsPTS | 12.3 | 18.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.8 | 3.3 |
| AssistsAST | 5.6 | 8.0 |
| StealsSTL | 2.4 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.4% | 41.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 59.9% | 88.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 3.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 76 | 20 |
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 | Dyson Daniels | Ja Morant |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.4 | 45.7 |
| Points | 13.5 | 24.0 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 4.3 |
| Assists | 6.2 | 10.3 |
| Steals | 2.7 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 0.3 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 4.3 |
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 | Dyson Daniels | Ja Morant |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.0 | +2.2 |
| StealsSTL | +3.8 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -1.4 | -0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.6 | -1.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.2 | +1.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | -1.8 |
| Total | +2.3 | -1.6 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Dyson Daniels stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Dyson Daniels | Ja Morant |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.9 (#8) | -2.0 (#164) |
| REB | +1.7 (#28) | -0.5 (#76) |
| AST | +1.2 (#33) | -3.8 (#233) |
| STL | -1.5 (#122) | -1.9 (#136) |
| BLK | +2.7 (#21) | -0.8 (#84) |
| 3PM | +3.6 (#11) | -1.1 (#100) |
| FG% | +1.0 (#40) | +0.2 (#57) |
| FT% | +3.5 (#11) | -3.2 (#183) |
| TO | +2.0 (#37) | +0.2 (#59) |
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)
- Dyson Daniels: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back.
- Ja Morant: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
Recent games
- Dyson Daniels: 47.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 35.8 on the board.
- Ja Morant: 33.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 35.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Dyson Daniels playing tonight? · Is Ja Morant playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ja Morant
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Dyson Daniels or Ja Morant?
Points leagues: Dyson Daniels. 35.8 fantasy points per game against 35.5, 42nd on our board to 45th. 9-cat leagues: Dyson Daniels again, +2.3 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (28th to 115th).
Who wins more categories, Dyson Daniels or Ja Morant?
Category by category, Dyson Daniels is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Ja Morant in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Dyson Daniels or Ja Morant?
Dyson Daniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ja Morant 2. For that week alone, start Dyson Daniels: 107.3 projected fantasy points to 71.0 for Ja Morant.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number