Darius Garland or Desmond Bane? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 14th and 17th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Darius Garland. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 32.3 fantasy points to 32.0.
9-cat leagues: Desmond Bane instead, 0.2 category value for the week to -1.5, because his category mix is worth more there.
Darius Garland's minutes are up: 34.3 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 30.4 on the board.
Desmond Bane's minutes are down: 30.0 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 33.2 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.
Darius Garland rookie cardsDesmond Bane rookie cards
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Darius Garland | Desmond Bane |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 1 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 34.3 (last 2) | 30.0 (last 2) |
| Minutes, board | 30.4 | 33.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.9 | 15.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 32.3 | 32.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -1.5 | 0.2 |
Schedule: Darius Garland Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC. Desmond Bane Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Darius Garland | Desmond Bane |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 19.9 | 19.1 |
| Rebounds | 2.2 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 6.5 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.3 | 2.1 |
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 2 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Darius Garland, 32.3 fantasy points per game to 32.0.
9-cat leagues: Desmond Bane instead, 51st overall against 111th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Darius Garland vs Desmond Bane: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Darius Garland | Desmond Bane |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.3 | 32.0 |
| Minutes | 30.4 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 19.9 | 19.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.2 | 4.0 |
| AssistsAST | 6.5 | 3.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.8 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.9% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.0% | 88.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.3 | 2.1 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Darius Garland playing tonight? · Is Desmond Bane playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Darius Garland or Desmond Bane in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Darius Garland. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 32.3 fantasy points to 32.0. 9-cat leagues: Desmond Bane instead, 0.2 category value for the week to -1.5, because his category mix is worth more there. Darius Garland's minutes are up: 34.3 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 30.4 on the board. Desmond Bane's minutes are down: 30.0 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 33.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Darius Garland or Desmond Bane?
Points leagues: Darius Garland, 32.3 fantasy points per game to 32.0. 9-cat leagues: Desmond Bane instead, 51st overall against 111th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Darius Garland or Desmond Bane?
Darius Garland is ahead in 4 (points, assists, threes, field goal percentage); Desmond Bane in 5 (rebounds, steals, blocks, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number