Ja Morant or Jimmy Butler III? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 5th and 12th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 24, 2:27 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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The Week 1 call
Jimmy Butler III is listed Out (Knee) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands.
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): a dead heat at 0.0 projected fantasy points each.
Ja Morant's minutes are down: 24.7 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 28.0 on the board.
Jimmy Butler III's minutes are down: 27.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.1 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Ja Morant | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 0 | 0 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 24.7 (last 2) | 27.1 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 28.0 | 31.1 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 15.3 | 18.3 |
| Injury | None listed | Out (Knee) |
| Projected fantasy points | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Schedule: Ja Morant Wed PHX, Fri @SAC. Jimmy Butler III Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Ja Morant | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Rebounds | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Assists | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Steals | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Blocks | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 0.0 | 0.0 |
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: Jimmy Butler III, 37.4 fantasy points per game to 35.5.
9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III again, 15th overall against 115th.
Ja Morant vs Jimmy Butler III: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Ja Morant | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.5 | 37.4 |
| Minutes | 28.0 | 31.1 |
| PointsPTS | 18.7 | 20.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 8.0 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.9% | 51.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 88.9% | 86.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.3 | 1.6 |
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 Ja Morant playing tonight? · Is Jimmy Butler III playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Ja Morant or Jimmy Butler III in Week 1?
Jimmy Butler III is listed Out (Knee) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands. Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): a dead heat at 0.0 projected fantasy points each. Ja Morant's minutes are down: 24.7 a game over his last 2 games of 2026-27, against 28.0 on the board. Jimmy Butler III's minutes are down: 27.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.1 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Ja Morant or Jimmy Butler III?
Points leagues: Jimmy Butler III, 37.4 fantasy points per game to 35.5. 9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III again, 15th overall against 115th.
Who wins more categories, Ja Morant or Jimmy Butler III?
Ja Morant is ahead in 3 (assists, blocks, threes); Jimmy Butler III in 6 (points, rebounds, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 2:27 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number