Isaiah Hartenstein vs Naji Marshall: who to start in Week 1
Isaiah Hartenstein plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Naji Marshall 3. For that week alone, start Naji Marshall: 84.7 projected fantasy points to 83.7 for Isaiah Hartenstein. Over the season, Naji Marshall leads in points leagues (28.2 fantasy points a game to 27.9) and Isaiah Hartenstein in 9-cat leagues (116th against 143rd). 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 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #106
- 27.9 FP/G, slot 9.10, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #116
- -1.6 z, slot 10.08, $6
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #99
- 28.2 FP/G, slot 9.03, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #143
- -2.2 z, slot 12.11, $3
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Naji Marshall. 28.2 fantasy points per game against 27.9, 99th on our board to 106th.
9-cat leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein instead, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (116th to 143rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Isaiah Hartenstein is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Naji Marshall in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Isaiah Hartenstein produces more: 42.4 fantasy points to 34.3, on 23.7 minutes a night against 29.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Isaiah Hartenstein plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Naji Marshall 3. For that week alone, start Naji Marshall: 84.7 projected fantasy points to 83.7 for Isaiah Hartenstein.
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 | Isaiah Hartenstein | Naji Marshall |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 27.9 | 28.2 |
| Minutes | 23.7 | 29.7 |
| PointsPTS | 8.7 | 15.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.8 | 4.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.4 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 58.7% | 50.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 61.0% | 75.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 47 | 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 | Isaiah Hartenstein | Naji Marshall |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.4 | 34.3 |
| Points | 13.2 | 18.5 |
| Rebounds | 13.4 | 5.5 |
| Assists | 5.2 | 4.3 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.7 | 2.0 |
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 | Isaiah Hartenstein | Naji Marshall |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -0.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.4 | -0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | -1.3 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.1 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.2 | -0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| Total | -1.6 | -2.2 |
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, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Naji Marshall.
| Punt | Isaiah Hartenstein | Naji Marshall |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.3 (#72) | -2.0 (#168) |
| REB | -3.3 (#216) | -1.8 (#127) |
| AST | -1.6 (#130) | -2.3 (#167) |
| STL | -1.5 (#121) | -2.8 (#174) |
| BLK | -2.2 (#144) | -1.1 (#93) |
| 3PM | +0.1 (#60) | -1.5 (#113) |
| FG% | -3.5 (#175) | -3.1 (#159) |
| FT% | -0.4 (#74) | -1.7 (#124) |
| TO | -1.9 (#109) | -2.5 (#125) |
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)
- Isaiah Hartenstein: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC).
- Naji Marshall: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Isaiah Hartenstein: 16.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 27.9 on the board.
- Naji Marshall: 28.0 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 28.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Isaiah Hartenstein playing tonight? · Is Naji Marshall playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Isaiah Hartenstein or Naji Marshall?
Points leagues: Naji Marshall. 28.2 fantasy points per game against 27.9, 99th on our board to 106th. 9-cat leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein instead, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (116th to 143rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Isaiah Hartenstein or Naji Marshall?
Category by category, Isaiah Hartenstein is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Naji Marshall in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Isaiah Hartenstein or Naji Marshall?
Isaiah Hartenstein plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Naji Marshall 3. For that week alone, start Naji Marshall: 84.7 projected fantasy points to 83.7 for Isaiah Hartenstein.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number