Ja Morant or Trey Murphy III? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 7th and 12th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 4:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 36.5
- 9-cat
- #16
- Last 1 FP
- 17.3
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Trey Murphy III. Trey Murphy III has 2 games counted to 1 for Ja Morant, for 73.1 projected fantasy points against 36.0.
9-cat leagues: Trey Murphy III again, 6.5 category value for the week to -1.5.
Trey Murphy III has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Ja Morant's minutes are up: 30.3 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 28.1 on the board.
Trey Murphy III's minutes are down: 31.6 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 35.3 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 | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 1 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 30.3 (last 5) | 31.6 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 28.1 | 35.3 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.9 | 12.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 36.0 | 73.1 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -1.5 | 6.5 |
Schedule: Ja Morant Wed PHX, Fri @SAC. Trey Murphy III Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Ja Morant | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 19.1 | 41.7 |
| Rebounds | 3.4 | 11.2 |
| Assists | 8.0 | 7.2 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 2.8 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 6.3 |
| Turnovers | 3.4 | 3.4 |
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 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Trey Murphy III, 36.5 fantasy points per game to 36.0.
9-cat leagues: Trey Murphy III again, 16th overall against 109th.
Ja Morant vs Trey Murphy III: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Ja Morant | Trey Murphy III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 36.0 | 36.5 |
| Minutes | 28.1 | 35.3 |
| PointsPTS | 19.1 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.4 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 8.0 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 3.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.1% | 46.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 89.7% | 88.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.4 | 1.7 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Ja Morant playing tonight? · Is Trey Murphy III playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Ja Morant or Trey Murphy III in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Trey Murphy III. Trey Murphy III has 2 games counted to 1 for Ja Morant, for 73.1 projected fantasy points against 36.0. 9-cat leagues: Trey Murphy III again, 6.5 category value for the week to -1.5. Trey Murphy III has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Ja Morant's minutes are up: 30.3 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 28.1 on the board. Trey Murphy III's minutes are down: 31.6 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 35.3 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Ja Morant or Trey Murphy III?
Points leagues: Trey Murphy III, 36.5 fantasy points per game to 36.0. 9-cat leagues: Trey Murphy III again, 16th overall against 109th.
Who wins more categories, Ja Morant or Trey Murphy III?
Ja Morant is ahead in 2 (assists, free throw percentage); Trey Murphy III in 7 (points, rebounds, steals, blocks, threes, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 4:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number