Keegan Murray vs Zach LaVine: who to start in Week 1
Keegan Murray plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zach LaVine 3. For that week alone, start Keegan Murray: 84.2 projected fantasy points to 83.7 for Zach LaVine. Over the season, Keegan Murray leads in both formats: 28.1 fantasy points a game to 27.9, and 100th against 104th 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #99
- 28.1 FP/G, slot 9.03, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #100
- -1.3 z, slot 9.04, $8
Game-time decision (Ankle)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #102
- 27.9 FP/G, slot 9.06, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #104
- -1.4 z, slot 9.08, $7
The call
Points leagues: Keegan Murray. 28.1 fantasy points per game against 27.9, 99th on our board to 102nd.
9-cat leagues: Keegan Murray again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (100th to 104th).
Category by category, Keegan Murray is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Zach LaVine in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Zach LaVine produces more: 31.4 fantasy points to 30.1, on 32.0 minutes a night against 33.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Keegan Murray plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zach LaVine 3. For that week alone, start Keegan Murray: 84.2 projected fantasy points to 83.7 for Zach LaVine.
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 | Keegan Murray | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.1 | 27.9 |
| Minutes | 33.6 | 32.0 |
| PointsPTS | 13.1 | 19.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.4 | 3.0 |
| AssistsAST | 1.5 | 2.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.0% | 47.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.0% | 86.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 23 | 39 |
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 | Keegan Murray | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 30.1 | 31.4 |
| Points | 14.1 | 22.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.8 | 3.3 |
| Assists | 1.6 | 2.6 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 2.3 |
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 | Keegan Murray | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.0 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.5 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.6 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | +0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | -0.3 |
| Total | -1.3 | -1.4 |
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 rebounds, steals, blocks and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Zach LaVine.
| Punt | Keegan Murray | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.8 (#97) | -2.1 (#171) |
| REB | -1.4 (#114) | -0.2 (#57) |
| AST | -0.3 (#65) | -0.9 (#95) |
| STL | -1.5 (#121) | -0.8 (#85) |
| BLK | -3.0 (#168) | -0.7 (#78) |
| 3PM | -0.9 (#90) | -2.6 (#170) |
| FG% | +0.1 (#59) | -1.2 (#90) |
| FT% | -1.4 (#111) | -2.5 (#155) |
| TO | -2.4 (#119) | -1.2 (#86) |
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)
- Keegan Murray: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM), listed GTD.
- Zach LaVine: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM).
Recent games
- Keegan Murray: 13.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 28.1 on the board.
- Zach LaVine: 35.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 27.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Keegan Murray playing tonight? · Is Zach LaVine playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Zach LaVine
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Keegan Murray or Zach LaVine?
Points leagues: Keegan Murray. 28.1 fantasy points per game against 27.9, 99th on our board to 102nd. 9-cat leagues: Keegan Murray again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (100th to 104th).
Who wins more categories, Keegan Murray or Zach LaVine?
Category by category, Keegan Murray is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Zach LaVine in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Keegan Murray or Zach LaVine?
Keegan Murray plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zach LaVine 3. For that week alone, start Keegan Murray: 84.2 projected fantasy points to 83.7 for Zach LaVine.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number