Moussa Diabaté vs Trae Young: who to start in Week 3
Moussa Diabaté plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Trae Young 4. For that week alone, start Trae Young: 140.4 projected fantasy points to 80.4 for Moussa Diabaté. Over the season, Trae Young leads in both formats: 35.1 fantasy points a game to 26.8, and 89th against 90th 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #126
- 26.8 FP/G, slot 11.06, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #90
- -0.9 z, slot 8.06, $10
- Points leagues
- #55
- 35.1 FP/G, slot 5.07, $18
- 9-cat leagues
- #89
- -0.9 z, slot 8.05, $10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Trae Young. 35.1 fantasy points per game against 26.8, 55th on our board to 126th.
9-cat leagues: Trae Young again, -0.9 in summed z-scores against -0.9 (89th to 90th).
Category by category, Moussa Diabaté is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Trae Young in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Trae Young produces more: 44.1 fantasy points to 35.6, on 28.7 minutes a night against 27.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Moussa Diabaté plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Trae Young 4. For that week alone, start Trae Young: 140.4 projected fantasy points to 80.4 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Moussa Diabaté | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.8 | 35.1 |
| Minutes | 27.1 | 28.7 |
| PointsPTS | 8.4 | 18.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 9.0 | 2.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 8.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 64.4% | 43.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 68.8% | 83.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 2.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 15 |
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 | Moussa Diabaté | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.6 | 44.1 |
| Points | 11.1 | 23.5 |
| Rebounds | 11.9 | 3.1 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 10.8 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 3.3 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Moussa Diabaté | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.5 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.4 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +2.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.3 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.8 | +0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.8 | -0.9 |
| Total | -0.9 | -0.9 |
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 | Moussa Diabaté | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.5 (#44) | -1.3 (#124) |
| REB | -2.5 (#166) | +0.5 (#46) |
| AST | -0.1 (#59) | -3.4 (#214) |
| STL | -0.9 (#92) | -0.5 (#71) |
| BLK | -1.9 (#126) | +0.2 (#55) |
| 3PM | +0.9 (#40) | -1.1 (#99) |
| FG% | -2.8 (#155) | -0.1 (#59) |
| FT% | -0.0 (#57) | -1.9 (#136) |
| TO | -2.0 (#114) | +0.0 (#65) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Moussa Diabaté: 3 games (Mon DET, Wed @BKN, Fri BOS).
- Trae Young: 4 games (Mon @ORL, Wed ATL, Fri @ATL, Sat @OKC), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Moussa Diabaté: 30.2 fantasy points a game over his last 8 of 2026-27, against 26.8 on the board.
- Trae Young: 39.7 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 35.1 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Moussa Diabaté playing tonight? · Is Trae Young playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Moussa Diabaté
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Moussa Diabaté or Trae Young?
Points leagues: Trae Young. 35.1 fantasy points per game against 26.8, 55th on our board to 126th. 9-cat leagues: Trae Young again, -0.9 in summed z-scores against -0.9 (89th to 90th).
Who wins more categories, Moussa Diabaté or Trae Young?
Category by category, Moussa Diabaté is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Trae Young in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Moussa Diabaté or Trae Young?
Moussa Diabaté plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Trae Young 4. For that week alone, start Trae Young: 140.4 projected fantasy points to 80.4 for Moussa Diabaté.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number