Ja Morant or Stephon Castle? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 9th and 13th at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 35.2
- 9-cat
- #149
- Last 10 FP
- 37.5
Day to day (Rest)
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Stephon Castle. Stephon Castle has 3 games counted to 2 for Ja Morant, for 105.6 projected fantasy points against 71.5.
9-cat leagues: Ja Morant instead, -4.9 category value for the week to -7.4, because his category mix is worth more there.
Stephon Castle has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Ja Morant played 30.3 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 28.4 on the board.
Stephon Castle's minutes are up: 33.3 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 30.0 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 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Ja Morant | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 30.3 (last 5) | 33.3 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 28.4 | 30.0 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.9 | 13.8 |
| Injury | None listed | Day to day (Rest) |
| Projected fantasy points | 71.5 | 105.6 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -4.9 | -7.4 |
Schedule: Ja Morant Wed PHX, Fri @SAC. Stephon Castle Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Ja Morant | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 38.9 | 50.0 |
| Rebounds | 6.5 | 16.0 |
| Assists | 16.1 | 22.1 |
| Steals | 2.0 | 3.4 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 3.6 |
| Turnovers | 7.1 | 9.6 |
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 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Ja Morant, 35.8 fantasy points per game to 35.2.
9-cat leagues: Ja Morant again, 147th overall against 149th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Ja Morant | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.8 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 28.4 | 30.0 |
| PointsPTS | 19.4 | 16.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 8.1 | 7.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.0% | 47.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 89.7% | 73.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.5 | 3.2 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
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Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Common questions
Should I start Ja Morant or Stephon Castle in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Stephon Castle. Stephon Castle has 3 games counted to 2 for Ja Morant, for 105.6 projected fantasy points against 71.5. 9-cat leagues: Ja Morant instead, -4.9 category value for the week to -7.4, because his category mix is worth more there. Stephon Castle has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Ja Morant played 30.3 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 28.4 on the board. Stephon Castle's minutes are up: 33.3 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 30.0 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Ja Morant or Stephon Castle?
Points leagues: Ja Morant, 35.8 fantasy points per game to 35.2. 9-cat leagues: Ja Morant again, 147th overall against 149th.
Who wins more categories, Ja Morant or Stephon Castle?
Ja Morant is ahead in 3 (points, assists, free throw percentage); Stephon Castle in 5 (rebounds, steals, threes, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number