Julius Randle vs Moussa Diabaté: who to start in Week 2
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Moussa Diabaté 4. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 114.0 projected fantasy points to 107.4 for Moussa Diabaté. Over the season, Julius Randle leads in both formats: 38.0 fantasy points a game to 26.9, and 70th against 71st 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 27, 8:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #35
- 38.0 FP/G, slot 3.11, $24
- 9-cat leagues
- #70
- -0.3 z, slot 6.10, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #115
- 26.9 FP/G, slot 10.07, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #71
- -0.4 z, slot 6.11, $13
The call
Points leagues: Julius Randle. 38.0 fantasy points per game against 26.9, 35th on our board to 115th.
9-cat leagues: Julius Randle again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (70th to 71st).
Category by category, Julius Randle is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Moussa Diabaté in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Julius Randle produces more: 41.5 fantasy points to 36.6, on 32.9 minutes a night against 26.4. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Moussa Diabaté 4. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 114.0 projected fantasy points to 107.4 for Moussa Diabaté.
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 | Julius Randle | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.0 | 26.9 |
| Minutes | 32.9 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 21.3 | 8.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.8 | 8.9 |
| AssistsAST | 5.3 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.5% | 64.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.7% | 68.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 79 | 73 |
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 | Julius Randle | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.5 | 36.6 |
| Points | 23.2 | 11.1 |
| Rebounds | 7.4 | 12.1 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 2.7 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.2 | 1.6 |
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 | Julius Randle | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.9 | -1.5 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | +1.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.8 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | -1.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.0 | +1.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | -0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | +0.9 |
| Total | -0.3 | -0.4 |
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, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Moussa Diabaté.
| Punt | Julius Randle | Moussa Diabaté |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#120) | +1.1 (#31) |
| REB | -1.0 (#92) | -2.1 (#143) |
| AST | -1.3 (#112) | +0.5 (#45) |
| STL | -0.2 (#63) | -0.5 (#75) |
| BLK | +0.4 (#49) | -1.3 (#102) |
| 3PM | -0.2 (#66) | +1.4 (#32) |
| FG% | -0.7 (#80) | -2.3 (#135) |
| FT% | -0.5 (#73) | +0.6 (#45) |
| TO | +0.9 (#45) | -1.4 (#95) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Julius Randle: 3 games (Tue @BOS, Fri DET, Sun @IND).
- Moussa Diabaté: 4 games (Mon WAS, Wed @DET, Fri @WAS, Sat PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Julius Randle: 38.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 38.0 on the board.
- Moussa Diabaté: 32.0 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 26.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Julius Randle playing tonight? · Is Moussa Diabaté playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Julius Randle, Moussa Diabaté
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Julius Randle or Moussa Diabaté?
Points leagues: Julius Randle. 38.0 fantasy points per game against 26.9, 35th on our board to 115th. 9-cat leagues: Julius Randle again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (70th to 71st).
Who wins more categories, Julius Randle or Moussa Diabaté?
Category by category, Julius Randle is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Moussa Diabaté in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Julius Randle or Moussa Diabaté?
Julius Randle plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Moussa Diabaté 4. For that week alone, start Julius Randle: 114.0 projected fantasy points to 107.4 for Moussa Diabaté.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 8:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number