Naji Marshall vs RJ Barrett: who to start in Week 1
Naji Marshall plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 97.3 projected fantasy points to 84.7 for Naji Marshall. Over the season, RJ Barrett leads in both formats: 32.4 fantasy points a game to 28.2, and 142nd 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #99
- 28.2 FP/G, slot 9.03, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #143
- -2.2 z, slot 12.11, $3
- Points leagues
- #61
- 32.4 FP/G, slot 6.01, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #142
- -2.2 z, slot 12.10, $3
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: RJ Barrett. 32.4 fantasy points per game against 28.2, 61st on our board to 99th.
9-cat leagues: RJ Barrett again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (142nd to 143rd).
Category by category, Naji Marshall is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and RJ Barrett in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, RJ Barrett produces more: 38.6 fantasy points to 34.3, on 30.2 minutes a night against 29.7. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Naji Marshall plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 97.3 projected fantasy points to 84.7 for Naji Marshall.
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 | Naji Marshall | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.2 | 32.4 |
| Minutes | 29.7 | 30.2 |
| PointsPTS | 15.3 | 19.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.6 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.6% | 50.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.2% | 71.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 74 | 57 |
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 | Naji Marshall | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.3 | 38.6 |
| Points | 18.5 | 23.2 |
| Rebounds | 5.5 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 4.3 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.0 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 1.9 |
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 | Naji Marshall | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | -0.1 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.3 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.4 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | -1.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +0.3 |
| Total | -2.2 | -2.2 |
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, rebounds, blocks, threes, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Naji Marshall.
| Punt | Naji Marshall | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#168) | -2.8 (#207) |
| REB | -1.8 (#127) | -2.4 (#154) |
| AST | -2.3 (#167) | -2.2 (#162) |
| STL | -2.8 (#174) | -1.3 (#109) |
| BLK | -1.1 (#93) | -1.7 (#120) |
| 3PM | -1.5 (#113) | -2.2 (#146) |
| FG% | -3.1 (#159) | -3.3 (#167) |
| FT% | -1.7 (#124) | -0.9 (#92) |
| TO | -2.5 (#125) | -2.5 (#126) |
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)
- Naji Marshall: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
- RJ Barrett: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- Naji Marshall: 32.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 28.2 on the board.
- RJ Barrett: 35.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Naji Marshall playing tonight? · Is RJ Barrett playing tonight?
Rookie cards: RJ Barrett
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Naji Marshall or RJ Barrett?
Points leagues: RJ Barrett. 32.4 fantasy points per game against 28.2, 61st on our board to 99th. 9-cat leagues: RJ Barrett again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (142nd to 143rd).
Who wins more categories, Naji Marshall or RJ Barrett?
Category by category, Naji Marshall is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and RJ Barrett in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Naji Marshall or RJ Barrett?
Naji Marshall plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 97.3 projected fantasy points to 84.7 for Naji Marshall.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number