Jamal Murray vs LeBron James: who to start in Week 1
Jamal Murray plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.8 projected fantasy points to 82.9 for Jamal Murray. Over the season, LeBron James leads in points leagues (41.4 fantasy points a game to 41.4) and Jamal Murray in 9-cat leagues (18th against 40th). 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
- #19
- 41.4 FP/G, slot 2.07, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #18
- +3.0 z, slot 2.06, $33
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #18
- 41.4 FP/G, slot 2.06, $29
- 9-cat leagues
- #40
- +1.0 z, slot 4.04, $21
Game-time decision (Back)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 41.4, 18th on our board to 19th.
9-cat leagues: Jamal Murray instead, +3.0 in summed z-scores against +1.0 (18th to 40th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jamal Murray is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FT% and TO) and LeBron James in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, LeBron James produces more: 44.9 fantasy points to 42.1, on 33.2 minutes a night against 35.5. 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), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.8 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 | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 41.4 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 35.5 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 24.2 | 20.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 6.5 |
| AssistsAST | 6.9 | 7.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 3.1 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.1% | 50.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.8% | 74.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 60 |
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 | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.1 | 44.9 |
| Points | 24.6 | 22.0 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 7.0 |
| Assists | 7.0 | 7.7 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 3.1 | 1.3 |
| 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 | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.4 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | +0.3 |
| AssistsAST | +1.7 | +1.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | +0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -0.1 |
| Threes3PM | +1.5 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.4 | +0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.2 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.8 | -1.4 |
| Total | +3.0 | +1.0 |
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 threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to LeBron James.
| Punt | Jamal Murray | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.5 (#27) | +0.2 (#51) |
| REB | +3.5 (#12) | +0.4 (#47) |
| AST | +1.2 (#32) | -0.9 (#94) |
| STL | +3.2 (#12) | +0.2 (#57) |
| BLK | +3.7 (#13) | +0.9 (#40) |
| 3PM | +1.3 (#34) | +1.3 (#31) |
| FG% | +3.7 (#16) | +0.0 (#59) |
| FT% | +1.6 (#31) | +1.8 (#25) |
| TO | +3.8 (#16) | +2.4 (#33) |
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).
- LeBron James: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed GTD.
Recent games
- Jamal Murray: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 41.4 on the board.
- LeBron James: 41.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 41.4 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 LeBron James playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jamal Murray, LeBron James
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jamal Murray or LeBron James?
Points leagues: LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 41.4, 18th on our board to 19th. 9-cat leagues: Jamal Murray instead, +3.0 in summed z-scores against +1.0 (18th to 40th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jamal Murray or LeBron James?
Category by category, Jamal Murray is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FT% and TO) and LeBron James in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jamal Murray or LeBron James?
Jamal Murray plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.8 projected fantasy points to 82.9 for Jamal Murray.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number