Aaron Wiggins vs Marcus Smart: who to start in Week 1
Aaron Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 60.4 projected fantasy points to 59.6 for Aaron Wiggins. Over the season, Marcus Smart leads in points leagues (20.1 fantasy points a game to 19.9) and Aaron Wiggins in 9-cat leagues (183rd against 191st). 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.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- 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
- #205
- 20.1 FP/G, slot 18.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #191
- -3.6 z, slot 16.11
Day to day (Forearm)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 20.1 fantasy points per game against 19.9, 205th on our board to 206th.
9-cat leagues: Aaron Wiggins instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.6 (183rd to 191st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Aaron Wiggins is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 3 (AST, STL and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Aaron Wiggins produces more: 31.5 fantasy points to 25.9, on 22.7 minutes a night against 28.0. 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), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 60.4 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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Aaron Wiggins | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 19.9 | 20.1 |
| Minutes | 22.7 | 28.0 |
| PointsPTS | 10.7 | 9.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.6 | 2.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.1% | 39.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.0% | 81.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 65 | 62 |
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 | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 31.5 | 25.9 |
| Points | 16.9 | 11.7 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 3.6 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 2.0 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Aaron Wiggins | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -1.0 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | +0.0 | +0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.8 | +0.4 |
| Total | -3.4 | -3.6 |
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, threes, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Marcus Smart.
| Punt | Aaron Wiggins | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.4 (#194) | -2.4 (#188) |
| REB | -2.3 (#149) | -2.4 (#157) |
| AST | -2.4 (#172) | -3.2 (#205) |
| STL | -3.5 (#212) | -4.6 (#272) |
| BLK | -3.0 (#167) | -3.1 (#172) |
| 3PM | -3.6 (#209) | -3.5 (#205) |
| FG% | -3.2 (#163) | -2.7 (#147) |
| FT% | -3.1 (#182) | -3.7 (#207) |
| TO | -4.3 (#187) | -4.1 (#181) |
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.
- Marcus Smart: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Aaron Wiggins: 27.1 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 19.9 on the board.
- Marcus Smart: 13.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.1 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Aaron Wiggins playing tonight? · Is Marcus Smart playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Aaron Wiggins or Marcus Smart?
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 20.1 fantasy points per game against 19.9, 205th on our board to 206th. 9-cat leagues: Aaron Wiggins instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.6 (183rd to 191st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Wiggins or Marcus Smart?
Category by category, Aaron Wiggins is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 3 (AST, STL and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Wiggins or Marcus Smart?
Aaron Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 60.4 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