Ja Morant vs Trae Young: who to start in Week 3
Ja Morant plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Trae Young 4. For that week alone, start Trae Young: 140.4 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Ja Morant. Over the season, Trae Young leads in both formats: 35.1 fantasy points a game to 34.3, and 89th against 119th 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #59
- 34.3 FP/G, slot 5.11, $17
- 9-cat leagues
- #119
- -1.7 z, slot 10.11, $6
Out (Hamstring)
- Points leagues
- #55
- 35.1 FP/G, slot 5.07, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #89
- -0.9 z, slot 8.05, $10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Trae Young. 35.1 fantasy points per game against 34.3, 55th on our board to 59th.
9-cat leagues: Trae Young again, -0.9 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (89th to 119th).
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FT%) and Trae Young in 4 (AST, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ja Morant produces more: 44.3 fantasy points to 44.1, on 27.9 minutes a night against 28.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Ja Morant plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Trae Young 4. For that week alone, start Trae Young: 140.4 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Ja Morant.
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 | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 34.3 | 35.1 |
| Minutes | 27.9 | 28.7 |
| PointsPTS | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 2.5 |
| AssistsAST | 7.5 | 8.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.2% | 43.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 89.3% | 83.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.1 | 2.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 20 | 15 |
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 | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 44.3 | 44.1 |
| Points | 24.1 | 23.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.0 | 3.1 |
| Assists | 9.7 | 10.8 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 4.0 | 3.3 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Ja Morant | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | +1.9 | +2.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | +0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.5 | +0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.4 | -0.9 |
| Total | -1.7 | -0.9 |
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: Trae Young stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Ja Morant | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.1 (#171) | -1.3 (#124) |
| REB | -0.5 (#83) | +0.5 (#46) |
| AST | -3.6 (#224) | -3.4 (#214) |
| STL | -1.5 (#119) | -0.5 (#71) |
| BLK | -0.8 (#89) | +0.2 (#55) |
| 3PM | -1.2 (#107) | -1.1 (#99) |
| FG% | -0.5 (#73) | -0.1 (#59) |
| FT% | -3.2 (#195) | -1.9 (#136) |
| TO | -0.3 (#69) | +0.0 (#65) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Ja Morant: 4 games (Mon @DEN, Wed @PHX, Fri @LAL, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
- Trae Young: 4 games (Mon @ORL, Wed ATL, Fri @ATL, Sat @OKC), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Ja Morant: 28.8 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 34.3 on the board.
- Trae Young: 39.7 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 35.1 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Ja Morant playing tonight? · Is Trae Young playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ja Morant
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ja Morant or Trae Young?
Points leagues: Trae Young. 35.1 fantasy points per game against 34.3, 55th on our board to 59th. 9-cat leagues: Trae Young again, -0.9 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (89th to 119th).
Who wins more categories, Ja Morant or Trae Young?
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FT%) and Trae Young in 4 (AST, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 3, Ja Morant or Trae Young?
Ja Morant plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Trae Young 4. For that week alone, start Trae Young: 140.4 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Ja Morant.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number