Marvin Bagley III vs Miles McBride: who to start in Week 1
Marvin Bagley III plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Miles McBride 3. For that week alone, start Miles McBride: 61.1 projected fantasy points to 44.9 for Marvin Bagley III. Over the season, Marvin Bagley III leads in both formats: 22.4 fantasy points a game to 20.4, and 180th against 184th 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, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #168
- 22.4 FP/G, slot 14.12
- 9-cat leagues
- #180
- -3.2 z, slot 15.12
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #201
- 20.4 FP/G, slot 17.09
- 9-cat leagues
- #184
- -3.3 z, slot 16.04
The call
Points leagues: Marvin Bagley III. 22.4 fantasy points per game against 20.4, 168th on our board to 201st.
9-cat leagues: Marvin Bagley III again, -3.2 in summed z-scores against -3.3 (180th to 184th).
Category by category, Marvin Bagley III is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Miles McBride in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Marvin Bagley III produces more: 40.3 fantasy points to 28.7, on 20.0 minutes a night against 25.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Marvin Bagley III plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Miles McBride 3. For that week alone, start Miles McBride: 61.1 projected fantasy points to 44.9 for Marvin Bagley III.
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 | Marvin Bagley III | Miles McBride |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.4 | 20.4 |
| Minutes | 20.0 | 25.6 |
| PointsPTS | 10.4 | 11.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.1 | 2.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.4 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.4 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 61.8% | 41.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 66.0% | 78.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 60 | 41 |
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 | Marvin Bagley III | Miles McBride |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.3 | 28.7 |
| Points | 18.8 | 16.1 |
| Rebounds | 11.0 | 3.3 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.7 | 3.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 1.2 |
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 | Marvin Bagley III | Miles McBride |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.1 | -1.6 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -1.5 | -0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -1.2 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.5 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.0 | -0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +1.3 |
| Total | -3.2 | -3.3 |
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 rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Miles McBride.
| Punt | Marvin Bagley III | Miles McBride |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#176) | -2.5 (#194) |
| REB | -3.7 (#239) | -1.8 (#127) |
| AST | -2.1 (#156) | -2.8 (#190) |
| STL | -1.8 (#130) | -2.8 (#181) |
| BLK | -3.6 (#206) | -2.5 (#150) |
| 3PM | -1.9 (#135) | -4.4 (#241) |
| FG% | -5.4 (#269) | -2.2 (#129) |
| FT% | -2.2 (#144) | -3.4 (#187) |
| TO | -4.5 (#193) | -4.7 (#201) |
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)
- Marvin Bagley III: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- Miles McBride: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL).
Recent games
- Marvin Bagley III: 23.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.4 on the board.
- Miles McBride: 7.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Marvin Bagley III playing tonight? · Is Miles McBride playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Marvin Bagley III or Miles McBride?
Points leagues: Marvin Bagley III. 22.4 fantasy points per game against 20.4, 168th on our board to 201st. 9-cat leagues: Marvin Bagley III again, -3.2 in summed z-scores against -3.3 (180th to 184th).
Who wins more categories, Marvin Bagley III or Miles McBride?
Category by category, Marvin Bagley III is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Miles McBride in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Marvin Bagley III or Miles McBride?
Marvin Bagley III plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Miles McBride 3. For that week alone, start Miles McBride: 61.1 projected fantasy points to 44.9 for Marvin Bagley III.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number