Ja Morant vs Jimmy Butler III: who to start in Week 1
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler III 3. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 71.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler III. Over the season, Jimmy Butler III leads in both formats: 37.4 fantasy points a game to 35.5, and 15th 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
- #45
- 35.5 FP/G, slot 4.09, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #115
- -1.6 z, slot 10.07, $6
- Points leagues
- #39
- 37.4 FP/G, slot 4.03, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #15
- +3.2 z, slot 2.03, $34
Out (Knee)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jimmy Butler III. 37.4 fantasy points per game against 35.5, 39th on our board to 45th.
9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III again, +3.2 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (15th to 115th).
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 3 (AST, BLK and 3PM) and Jimmy Butler III in 6 (PTS, REB, STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ja Morant produces more: 45.7 fantasy points to 43.2, on 28.0 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 III 3. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 71.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler III.
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 | Ja Morant | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.5 | 37.4 |
| Minutes | 28.0 | 31.1 |
| PointsPTS | 18.7 | 20.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 8.0 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.9% | 51.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.9% | 86.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.3 | 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 III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.7 | 43.2 |
| Points | 24.0 | 23.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.3 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 10.3 | 5.6 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| Turnovers | 4.3 | 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 III |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +2.2 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | +1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.7 | +0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.6 | +1.6 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.8 | +0.3 |
| Total | -1.6 | +3.2 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Jimmy Butler III stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Ja Morant | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#164) | +2.5 (#9) |
| REB | -0.5 (#76) | +3.3 (#15) |
| AST | -3.8 (#233) | +2.5 (#20) |
| STL | -1.9 (#136) | +2.0 (#23) |
| BLK | -0.8 (#84) | +4.1 (#9) |
| 3PM | -1.1 (#100) | +3.9 (#9) |
| FG% | +0.2 (#57) | +2.5 (#27) |
| FT% | -3.2 (#183) | +1.5 (#32) |
| TO | +0.2 (#59) | +2.8 (#25) |
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)
- Ja Morant: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
- Jimmy Butler III: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- Ja Morant: 33.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 35.5 on the board.
- Jimmy Butler III: 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
Is Ja Morant playing tonight? · Is Jimmy Butler III playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ja Morant
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ja Morant or Jimmy Butler III?
Points leagues: Jimmy Butler III. 37.4 fantasy points per game against 35.5, 39th on our board to 45th. 9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III again, +3.2 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (15th to 115th).
Who wins more categories, Ja Morant or Jimmy Butler III?
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 3 (AST, BLK and 3PM) and Jimmy Butler III in 6 (PTS, REB, STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ja Morant or Jimmy Butler III?
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jimmy Butler III 3. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 71.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jimmy Butler III.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number