Ja Morant vs Peyton Watson: who to start in Week 1
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 72.1 projected fantasy points to 56.0 for Peyton Watson. Over the season, Ja Morant leads in both formats: 36.0 fantasy points a game to 28.0, and 109th against 110th 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 22, 2:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #43
- 36.0 FP/G, slot 4.07, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #109
- -1.5 z, slot 10.01, $7
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #104
- 28.0 FP/G, slot 9.08, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #110
- -1.5 z, slot 10.02, $7
The call
Points leagues: Ja Morant. 36.0 fantasy points per game against 28.0, 43rd on our board to 104th.
9-cat leagues: Ja Morant again, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (109th to 110th).
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%) and Peyton Watson in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ja Morant produces more: 46.2 fantasy points to 34.1, on 28.1 minutes a night against 29.6. 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), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 72.1 projected fantasy points to 56.0 for Peyton Watson.
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 | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 36.0 | 28.0 |
| Minutes | 28.1 | 29.6 |
| PointsPTS | 19.1 | 14.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.4 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 8.0 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.1% | 49.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 89.7% | 73.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.4 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 20 | 54 |
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 | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.2 | 34.1 |
| Points | 24.5 | 17.8 |
| Rebounds | 4.3 | 5.9 |
| Assists | 10.3 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 4.3 | 2.1 |
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 | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | +2.2 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.7 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.7 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.0 | +0.2 |
| Total | -1.5 | -1.5 |
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 points, assists, steals and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Peyton Watson.
| Punt | Ja Morant | Peyton Watson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#161) | -1.2 (#120) |
| REB | -0.4 (#66) | -1.3 (#110) |
| AST | -3.8 (#237) | -0.8 (#85) |
| STL | -1.8 (#135) | -1.3 (#112) |
| BLK | -0.7 (#76) | -2.6 (#158) |
| 3PM | -1.1 (#97) | -1.4 (#107) |
| FG% | +0.2 (#59) | -1.9 (#120) |
| FT% | -3.3 (#183) | -0.8 (#87) |
| TO | +0.5 (#56) | -1.7 (#100) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Ja Morant: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
- Peyton Watson: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Ja Morant: 35.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 36.0 on the board.
- Peyton Watson: 27.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.0 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 Peyton Watson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ja Morant, Peyton Watson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ja Morant or Peyton Watson?
Points leagues: Ja Morant. 36.0 fantasy points per game against 28.0, 43rd on our board to 104th. 9-cat leagues: Ja Morant again, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.5 (109th to 110th).
Who wins more categories, Ja Morant or Peyton Watson?
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%) and Peyton Watson in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ja Morant or Peyton Watson?
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Peyton Watson 2. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 72.1 projected fantasy points to 56.0 for Peyton Watson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 2:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number