Ja Morant vs Jimmy Butler: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jimmy Butler in both formats: 37.4 fantasy points a game to 35.8 in points leagues, and 20th against 147th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #45
- 35.8 FP/G, slot 4.09, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #147
- -2.4 z, slot 13.03, $2
- Points leagues
- #42
- 37.4 FP/G, slot 4.06, $22
- 9-cat leagues
- #20
- +2.9 z, slot 2.08, $31
Out (Knee)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jimmy Butler. 37.4 fantasy points per game against 35.8, 42nd on our board to 45th.
9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler again, +2.9 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (20th to 147th).
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 4 (AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Jimmy Butler in 5 (PTS, REB, STL, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ja Morant produces more: 45.3 fantasy points to 43.2, on 28.4 minutes a night against 31.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler 3. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 71.5 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler.
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 | Ja Morant | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.8 | 37.4 |
| Minutes | 28.4 | 31.1 |
| PointsPTS | 19.4 | 20.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 8.1 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.0% | 51.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 89.7% | 86.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.5 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 20 | 38 |
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 | Ja Morant | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.3 | 43.2 |
| Points | 24.6 | 23.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.1 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 10.2 | 5.6 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Turnovers | 4.5 | 1.8 |
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 | Ja Morant | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +2.1 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.1 | +1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | -0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -2.0 | +0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.8 | +1.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.1 | +0.4 |
| Total | -2.4 | +2.9 |
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: Jimmy Butler stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Ja Morant | Jimmy Butler |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.9 (#214) | +2.3 (#13) |
| REB | -1.3 (#104) | +2.9 (#18) |
| AST | -4.7 (#279) | +2.3 (#20) |
| STL | -2.4 (#159) | +1.7 (#26) |
| BLK | -1.7 (#117) | +3.8 (#12) |
| 3PM | -1.9 (#133) | +3.6 (#9) |
| FG% | -0.4 (#69) | +2.2 (#29) |
| FT% | -4.3 (#233) | +1.3 (#34) |
| TO | -0.3 (#68) | +2.5 (#26) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Ja Morant: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
- Jimmy Butler: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- Ja Morant: 35.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.8 on the board.
- Jimmy Butler: 38.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 37.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Ja Morant or Jimmy Butler in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jimmy Butler. 37.4 fantasy points per game against 35.8, 42nd on our board to 45th. 9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler again, +2.9 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (20th to 147th).
Who wins more categories, Ja Morant or Jimmy Butler?
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 4 (AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Jimmy Butler in 5 (PTS, REB, STL, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ja Morant or Jimmy Butler?
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler 3. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 71.5 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number