Paul George vs Trey Murphy III: who to start in Week 1
Paul George plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Trey Murphy III 3. For that week alone, start Trey Murphy III: 107.0 projected fantasy points to 70.2 for Paul George. Over the season, Trey Murphy III leads in both formats: 35.7 fantasy points a game to 35.1, and 19th against 21st 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, 4:27 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #47
- 35.1 FP/G, slot 4.11, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #21
- +2.8 z, slot 2.09, $31
- Points leagues
- #44
- 35.7 FP/G, slot 4.08, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #19
- +2.9 z, slot 2.07, $32
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Trey Murphy III. 35.7 fantasy points per game against 35.1, 44th on our board to 47th.
9-cat leagues: Trey Murphy III again, +2.9 in summed z-scores against +2.8 (19th to 21st).
Category by category, Paul George is ahead in 2 (STL and BLK) and Trey Murphy III in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Paul George produces more: 41.0 fantasy points to 36.7, on 30.8 minutes a night against 35.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Paul George plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Trey Murphy III 3. For that week alone, start Trey Murphy III: 107.0 projected fantasy points to 70.2 for Paul George.
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 | Paul George | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.1 | 35.7 |
| Minutes | 30.8 | 35.0 |
| PointsPTS | 18.4 | 20.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.4 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.5 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.9 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.8% | 46.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.8% | 88.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 37 | 66 |
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 | Paul George | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.0 | 36.7 |
| Points | 21.5 | 20.7 |
| Rebounds | 6.3 | 5.8 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 2.2 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 3.5 | 3.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 1.8 |
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 | Paul George | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +2.3 | +1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +1.4 | +1.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.9 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| Total | +2.8 | +2.9 |
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, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Paul George.
| Punt | Paul George | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.3 (#14) | +2.1 (#16) |
| REB | +3.0 (#18) | +3.1 (#17) |
| AST | +2.7 (#17) | +2.8 (#14) |
| STL | +0.4 (#51) | +1.8 (#26) |
| BLK | +3.4 (#15) | +3.7 (#14) |
| 3PM | +1.2 (#35) | +1.3 (#33) |
| FG% | +3.9 (#12) | +3.8 (#14) |
| FT% | +2.3 (#21) | +1.8 (#27) |
| TO | +2.7 (#29) | +2.7 (#28) |
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)
- Paul George: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
- Trey Murphy III: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Paul George: 46.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 35.1 on the board.
- Trey Murphy III: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 35.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Paul George playing tonight? · Is Trey Murphy III playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Paul George
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Paul George or Trey Murphy III?
Points leagues: Trey Murphy III. 35.7 fantasy points per game against 35.1, 44th on our board to 47th. 9-cat leagues: Trey Murphy III again, +2.9 in summed z-scores against +2.8 (19th to 21st).
Who wins more categories, Paul George or Trey Murphy III?
Category by category, Paul George is ahead in 2 (STL and BLK) and Trey Murphy III in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Paul George or Trey Murphy III?
Paul George plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Trey Murphy III 3. For that week alone, start Trey Murphy III: 107.0 projected fantasy points to 70.2 for Paul George.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:27 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number