Aaron Wiggins vs Javon Small: who to start in Week 1
Aaron Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Javon Small: 62.1 projected fantasy points to 59.6 for Aaron Wiggins. Over the season, Javon Small leads in points leagues (20.7 fantasy points a game to 19.9) and Aaron Wiggins in 9-cat leagues (183rd against 184th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #206
- 19.9 FP/G, slot 18.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #183
- -3.4 z, slot 16.03
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #193
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #184
- -3.4 z, slot 16.04
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Javon Small. 20.7 fantasy points per game against 19.9, 193rd on our board to 206th.
9-cat leagues: Aaron Wiggins instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (183rd to 184th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Aaron Wiggins is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM and TO) and Javon Small in 3 (AST, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Javon Small produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 31.5, on 20.2 minutes a night against 22.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Aaron Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Javon Small: 62.1 projected fantasy points to 59.6 for Aaron Wiggins.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Aaron Wiggins | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 19.9 | 20.7 |
| Minutes | 22.7 | 20.2 |
| PointsPTS | 10.7 | 9.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| AssistsAST | 1.6 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.1% | 46.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.0% | 82.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 65 | 41 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Aaron Wiggins | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 31.5 | 36.8 |
| Points | 16.9 | 17.2 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 5.6 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 6.5 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 2.4 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Aaron Wiggins | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.0 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +0.0 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.8 | +0.6 |
| Total | -3.4 | -3.4 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
Punting points, steals, blocks, threes and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Javon Small.
| Punt | Aaron Wiggins | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.4 (#194) | -2.2 (#181) |
| REB | -2.3 (#149) | -2.3 (#152) |
| AST | -2.4 (#172) | -3.5 (#219) |
| STL | -3.5 (#212) | -2.9 (#180) |
| BLK | -3.0 (#167) | -2.6 (#154) |
| 3PM | -3.6 (#209) | -3.2 (#188) |
| FG% | -3.2 (#163) | -3.3 (#169) |
| FT% | -3.1 (#182) | -3.6 (#202) |
| TO | -4.3 (#187) | -4.1 (#182) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Aaron Wiggins: 3 games (Wed @ORL, Fri @CHA, Sat HOU), 1 back-to-back.
- Javon Small: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
Recent games
- Aaron Wiggins: 27.1 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 19.9 on the board.
- Javon Small: 24.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Aaron Wiggins playing tonight? · Is Javon Small playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Javon Small
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Aaron Wiggins or Javon Small?
Points leagues: Javon Small. 20.7 fantasy points per game against 19.9, 193rd on our board to 206th. 9-cat leagues: Aaron Wiggins instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (183rd to 184th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Wiggins or Javon Small?
Category by category, Aaron Wiggins is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM and TO) and Javon Small in 3 (AST, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Wiggins or Javon Small?
Aaron Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Javon Small: 62.1 projected fantasy points to 59.6 for Aaron Wiggins.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number