Jamal Murray vs Kevin Durant: who to start in Week 1
Jamal Murray plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kevin Durant 3. For that week alone, start Kevin Durant: 124.0 projected fantasy points to 82.9 for Jamal Murray. Over the season, Jamal Murray leads in points leagues (41.4 fantasy points a game to 41.3) and Kevin Durant in 9-cat leagues (13th against 18th). 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, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #19
- 41.4 FP/G, slot 2.07, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #18
- +3.0 z, slot 2.06, $33
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #20
- 41.3 FP/G, slot 2.08, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #13
- +3.5 z, slot 2.01, $36
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jamal Murray. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 41.3, 19th on our board to 20th.
9-cat leagues: Kevin Durant instead, +3.5 in summed z-scores against +3.0 (13th to 18th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jamal Murray is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and TO) and Kevin Durant in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jamal Murray produces more: 42.1 fantasy points to 40.8, on 35.5 minutes a night against 36.5. 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), Kevin Durant 3. For that week alone, start Kevin Durant: 124.0 projected fantasy points to 82.9 for Jamal Murray.
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 | Jamal Murray | Kevin Durant |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 41.4 | 41.3 |
| Minutes | 35.5 | 36.5 |
| PointsPTS | 24.2 | 25.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 6.9 | 4.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 3.1 | 2.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.1% | 52.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.8% | 86.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.5 | 3.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 78 |
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 | Kevin Durant |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.1 | 40.8 |
| Points | 24.6 | 25.5 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 5.5 |
| Assists | 7.0 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 3.1 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 3.2 |
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 | Jamal Murray | Kevin Durant |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.4 | +1.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.7 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | +0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +1.5 | +0.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.4 | +1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.2 | +1.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.8 | -1.6 |
| Total | +3.0 | +3.5 |
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 blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jamal Murray.
| Punt | Jamal Murray | Kevin Durant |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.5 (#27) | +1.7 (#22) |
| REB | +3.5 (#12) | +3.7 (#11) |
| AST | +1.2 (#32) | +2.8 (#15) |
| STL | +3.2 (#12) | +4.1 (#7) |
| BLK | +3.7 (#13) | +3.2 (#18) |
| 3PM | +1.3 (#34) | +2.5 (#20) |
| FG% | +3.7 (#16) | +2.6 (#25) |
| FT% | +1.6 (#31) | +1.9 (#24) |
| TO | +3.8 (#16) | +5.2 (#12) |
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)
- Jamal Murray: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- Kevin Durant: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jamal Murray: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 41.4 on the board.
- Kevin Durant: 39.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 41.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jamal Murray playing tonight? · Is Kevin Durant playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jamal Murray, Kevin Durant
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jamal Murray or Kevin Durant?
Points leagues: Jamal Murray. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 41.3, 19th on our board to 20th. 9-cat leagues: Kevin Durant instead, +3.5 in summed z-scores against +3.0 (13th to 18th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jamal Murray or Kevin Durant?
Category by category, Jamal Murray is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and TO) and Kevin Durant in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jamal Murray or Kevin Durant?
Jamal Murray plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kevin Durant 3. For that week alone, start Kevin Durant: 124.0 projected fantasy points to 82.9 for Jamal Murray.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number