Damian Lillard or Darius Garland? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), PGs ranked 20th and 22nd at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Nov 3, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 31.9
- 9-cat
- #136
- Last 6 FP
- 31.9
4 games in Week 3, 1 back-to-back
Week 3 pick in points leagues.
- FP/G
- 31.1
- 9-cat
- #164
- Last 7 FP
- 28.8
3 games in Week 3, 1 back-to-back
Week 3 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 3 call
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Damian Lillard. Damian Lillard has 3 games counted to 2 for Darius Garland, for 95.6 projected fantasy points against 62.2.
9-cat leagues: Darius Garland instead, -5.5 category value for the week to -6.1, because his category mix is worth more there.
Damian Lillard has 1 back-to-back and Darius Garland has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Damian Lillard played 30.2 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 29.2 on the board.
Darius Garland played 32.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 30.9 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8), side by side
| This week | Damian Lillard | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 30.2 (last 5) | 32.4 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 29.2 | 30.9 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 16.9 | 17.1 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 95.6 | 62.2 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -6.1 | -5.5 |
Schedule: Damian Lillard Mon @DEN, Wed @PHX, Fri @LAL, Sat SAS. Darius Garland Mon TOR, Wed MIA, Sun NOP.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Damian Lillard | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 58.0 | 38.4 |
| Rebounds | 13.0 | 4.3 |
| Assists | 12.0 | 13.3 |
| Steals | 3.0 | 1.8 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 8.5 | 5.2 |
| Turnovers | 6.5 | 7.4 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 5 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Damian Lillard, 31.9 fantasy points per game to 31.1.
9-cat leagues: Damian Lillard again, 136th overall against 164th.
Damian Lillard vs Darius Garland: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Damian Lillard | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 31.9 | 31.1 |
| Minutes | 29.2 | 30.9 |
| PointsPTS | 19.3 | 19.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.3 | 2.2 |
| AssistsAST | 4.0 | 6.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.8 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 39.8% | 45.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.5% | 84.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.2 | 3.7 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 3 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Damian Lillard playing tonight? · Is Darius Garland playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Damian Lillard or Darius Garland in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Damian Lillard. Damian Lillard has 3 games counted to 2 for Darius Garland, for 95.6 projected fantasy points against 62.2. 9-cat leagues: Darius Garland instead, -5.5 category value for the week to -6.1, because his category mix is worth more there. Damian Lillard has 1 back-to-back and Darius Garland has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on. Damian Lillard played 30.2 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 29.2 on the board. Darius Garland played 32.4 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 30.9 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Damian Lillard or Darius Garland?
Points leagues: Damian Lillard, 31.9 fantasy points per game to 31.1. 9-cat leagues: Damian Lillard again, 136th overall against 164th.
Who wins more categories, Damian Lillard or Darius Garland?
Damian Lillard is ahead in 5 (rebounds, steals, blocks, threes, turnovers); Darius Garland in 3 (assists, field goal percentage, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number