Jamal Murray vs James Harden: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jamal Murray in both formats: 42.9 fantasy points a game to 42.4 in points leagues, and 9th against 23rd 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
- #16
- 42.9 FP/G, slot 2.04, $30
- 9-cat leagues
- #9
- +3.9 z, slot 1.09, $37
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #18
- 42.4 FP/G, slot 2.06, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #23
- +2.5 z, slot 2.11, $29
The call
Points leagues: draft Jamal Murray. 42.9 fantasy points per game against 42.4, 16th on our board to 18th.
9-cat leagues: Jamal Murray again, +3.9 in summed z-scores against +2.5 (9th to 23rd).
Category by category, Jamal Murray is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 4 (REB, AST, STL and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, James Harden produces more: 43.8 fantasy points to 43.7, on 34.8 minutes a night against 35.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jamal Murray plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Jamal Murray: 85.8 projected fantasy points to 84.8 for James Harden.
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 | Jamal Murray | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 42.9 | 42.4 |
| Minutes | 35.4 | 34.8 |
| PointsPTS | 25.4 | 23.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.4 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 7.1 | 8.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.3% | 43.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.7% | 88.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.3 | 3.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 70 |
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 | Jamal Murray | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 43.7 | 43.8 |
| Points | 25.9 | 24.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Assists | 7.3 | 8.2 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.3 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 3.6 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Jamal Murray | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.5 | +1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.7 | +2.1 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +1.6 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -1.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.4 | +1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | -2.1 |
| Total | +3.9 | +2.5 |
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 turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to James Harden.
| Punt | Jamal Murray | James Harden |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.4 (#11) | +1.2 (#32) |
| REB | +4.8 (#9) | +3.1 (#17) |
| AST | +2.1 (#23) | +0.3 (#53) |
| STL | +4.3 (#6) | +2.2 (#22) |
| BLK | +4.8 (#8) | +3.2 (#16) |
| 3PM | +2.1 (#23) | +0.9 (#40) |
| FG% | +4.6 (#11) | +4.3 (#12) |
| FT% | +2.4 (#21) | +0.4 (#52) |
| TO | +4.6 (#16) | +4.7 (#14) |
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)
- Jamal Murray: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- James Harden: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Jamal Murray: 44.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 42.9 on the board.
- James Harden: 37.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 42.4 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Jamal Murray or James Harden in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jamal Murray. 42.9 fantasy points per game against 42.4, 16th on our board to 18th. 9-cat leagues: Jamal Murray again, +3.9 in summed z-scores against +2.5 (9th to 23rd).
Who wins more categories, Jamal Murray or James Harden?
Category by category, Jamal Murray is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FG% and TO) and James Harden in 4 (REB, AST, STL and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jamal Murray or James Harden?
Jamal Murray plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), James Harden 2. For that week alone, start Jamal Murray: 85.8 projected fantasy points to 84.8 for James Harden.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number