Ja Morant vs Jusuf Nurkić: who to start in Week 1
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 71.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić. Over the season, Ja Morant leads in points leagues (35.5 fantasy points a game to 33.5) and Jusuf Nurkić in 9-cat leagues (114th against 115th). 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
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #57
- 33.5 FP/G, slot 5.09, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #114
- -1.6 z, slot 10.06, $6
Out (Foot)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Ja Morant. 35.5 fantasy points per game against 33.5, 45th on our board to 57th.
9-cat leagues: Jusuf Nurkić instead, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (114th to 115th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Jusuf Nurkić in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ja Morant produces more: 45.7 fantasy points to 45.6, on 28.0 minutes a night against 26.4. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 71.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić.
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 | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.5 | 33.5 |
| Minutes | 28.0 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 18.7 | 10.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 10.4 |
| AssistsAST | 8.0 | 4.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.9% | 50.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.9% | 54.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.3 | 2.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 20 | 41 |
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 | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.7 | 45.6 |
| Points | 24.0 | 14.9 |
| Rebounds | 4.3 | 14.1 |
| Assists | 10.3 | 6.5 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Turnovers | 4.3 | 3.4 |
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 | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | +2.1 |
| AssistsAST | +2.2 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | +0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.7 | +0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.6 | -2.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.8 | -0.7 |
| Total | -1.6 | -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
Punting rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Ja Morant.
| Punt | Ja Morant | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#164) | -0.7 (#89) |
| REB | -0.5 (#76) | -4.1 (#258) |
| AST | -3.8 (#233) | -2.3 (#168) |
| STL | -1.9 (#136) | -2.2 (#154) |
| BLK | -0.8 (#84) | -1.7 (#116) |
| 3PM | -1.1 (#100) | -0.5 (#78) |
| FG% | +0.2 (#57) | -2.8 (#150) |
| FT% | -3.2 (#183) | +0.6 (#44) |
| TO | +0.2 (#59) | -0.9 (#78) |
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).
- Jusuf Nurkić: 3 games (Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL), 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.
- Jusuf Nurkić: 39.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 33.5 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 Jusuf Nurkić playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ja Morant, Jusuf Nurkić
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ja Morant or Jusuf Nurkić?
Points leagues: Ja Morant. 35.5 fantasy points per game against 33.5, 45th on our board to 57th. 9-cat leagues: Jusuf Nurkić instead, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (114th to 115th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Ja Morant or Jusuf Nurkić?
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Jusuf Nurkić in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ja Morant or Jusuf Nurkić?
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 71.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number