Luke Kornet vs Naji Marshall: who to start in Week 1
Luke Kornet plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Naji Marshall 3. For that week alone, start Naji Marshall: 83.3 projected fantasy points to 59.1 for Luke Kornet. Over the season, Naji Marshall leads in both formats: 27.8 fantasy points a game to 19.7, and 141st against 143rd 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 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #208
- 19.7 FP/G, slot 18.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #143
- -2.3 z, slot 12.11, $3
- Points leagues
- #106
- 27.8 FP/G, slot 9.10, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #141
- -2.3 z, slot 12.09, $3
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Naji Marshall. 27.8 fantasy points per game against 19.7, 106th on our board to 208th.
9-cat leagues: Naji Marshall again, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (141st to 143rd).
Category by category, Luke Kornet is ahead in 5 (REB, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Naji Marshall in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Luke Kornet produces more: 34.6 fantasy points to 33.9, on 20.5 minutes a night against 29.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Luke Kornet plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Naji Marshall 3. For that week alone, start Naji Marshall: 83.3 projected fantasy points to 59.1 for Luke Kornet.
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 | Luke Kornet | Naji Marshall |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 19.7 | 27.8 |
| Minutes | 20.5 | 29.5 |
| PointsPTS | 6.4 | 15.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 4.5 |
| AssistsAST | 1.7 | 3.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.4 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 65.5% | 51.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.5% | 76.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.4 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 68 | 74 |
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 | Luke Kornet | Naji Marshall |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.6 | 33.9 |
| Points | 11.2 | 18.7 |
| Rebounds | 10.1 | 5.5 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 4.2 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.7 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| Turnovers | 0.7 | 2.0 |
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 | Luke Kornet | Naji Marshall |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.8 | -0.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.0 | -0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -1.0 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.6 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -0.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.1 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | -0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.9 | +0.3 |
| Total | -2.3 | -2.3 |
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, steals and threes flips the 9-cat answer to Luke Kornet.
| Punt | Luke Kornet | Naji Marshall |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.6 (#86) | -2.2 (#173) |
| REB | -2.5 (#166) | -2.0 (#132) |
| AST | -1.3 (#118) | -2.3 (#166) |
| STL | -0.8 (#85) | -2.7 (#172) |
| BLK | -3.2 (#183) | -1.3 (#100) |
| 3PM | -0.7 (#83) | -1.7 (#122) |
| FG% | -3.8 (#198) | -3.3 (#171) |
| FT% | -2.4 (#154) | -2.0 (#134) |
| TO | -4.5 (#192) | -2.7 (#130) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Luke Kornet: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
- Naji Marshall: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Luke Kornet: 8.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 19.7 on the board.
- Naji Marshall: 28.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 27.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Luke Kornet playing tonight? · Is Naji Marshall playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Luke Kornet or Naji Marshall?
Points leagues: Naji Marshall. 27.8 fantasy points per game against 19.7, 106th on our board to 208th. 9-cat leagues: Naji Marshall again, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (141st to 143rd).
Who wins more categories, Luke Kornet or Naji Marshall?
Category by category, Luke Kornet is ahead in 5 (REB, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Naji Marshall in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Luke Kornet or Naji Marshall?
Luke Kornet plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Naji Marshall 3. For that week alone, start Naji Marshall: 83.3 projected fantasy points to 59.1 for Luke Kornet.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number