Alex Caruso vs Jalen Slawson: who to start in Week 3
Alex Caruso plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jalen Slawson 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Slawson: 57.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Alex Caruso. Over the season, Jalen Slawson leads in points leagues (19.0 fantasy points a game to 18.2) and Alex Caruso in 9-cat leagues (178th against 190th). 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #246
- 18.2 FP/G, slot 21.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #178
- -3.1 z, slot 15.10
Out (Ankle)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #234
- 19.0 FP/G, slot 20.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #190
- -3.4 z, slot 16.10
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Slawson. 19.0 fantasy points per game against 18.2, 234th on our board to 246th.
9-cat leagues: Alex Caruso instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (178th to 190th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Alex Caruso is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jalen Slawson in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Alex Caruso produces more: 35.6 fantasy points to 33.7, on 18.4 minutes a night against 20.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Alex Caruso plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jalen Slawson 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Slawson: 57.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Alex Caruso.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Alex Caruso | Jalen Slawson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 18.2 | 19.0 |
| Minutes | 18.4 | 20.3 |
| PointsPTS | 6.9 | 5.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 3.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.5% | 47.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.2% | 64.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 13 |
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 | Alex Caruso | Jalen Slawson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.6 | 33.7 |
| Points | 13.4 | 10.4 |
| Rebounds | 6.2 | 7.0 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 2.1 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Alex Caruso | Jalen Slawson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.7 | -1.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -0.8 |
| AssistsAST | -0.7 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | +0.4 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | -0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.5 | +0.9 |
| Total | -3.1 | -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 threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Slawson.
| Punt | Alex Caruso | Jalen Slawson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.4 (#134) | -1.6 (#141) |
| REB | -2.1 (#140) | -2.8 (#187) |
| AST | -2.5 (#174) | -2.7 (#187) |
| STL | -3.6 (#226) | -4.1 (#257) |
| BLK | -2.6 (#157) | -4.1 (#227) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#174) | -2.4 (#170) |
| FG% | -3.1 (#166) | -3.8 (#196) |
| FT% | -3.0 (#186) | -2.6 (#173) |
| TO | -4.8 (#210) | -4.6 (#197) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Alex Caruso: 4 games (Mon @CLE, Wed CLE, Fri @MEM, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
- Jalen Slawson: 3 games (Mon ATL, Wed @MEM, Sat DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Alex Caruso: 24.8 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 18.2 on the board.
- Jalen Slawson: 9.8 fantasy points a game over his last 6 of 2026-27, against 19.0 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Alex Caruso playing tonight? · Is Jalen Slawson playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Alex Caruso or Jalen Slawson?
Points leagues: Jalen Slawson. 19.0 fantasy points per game against 18.2, 234th on our board to 246th. 9-cat leagues: Alex Caruso instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (178th to 190th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Alex Caruso or Jalen Slawson?
Category by category, Alex Caruso is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jalen Slawson in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Alex Caruso or Jalen Slawson?
Alex Caruso plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jalen Slawson 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Slawson: 57.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Alex Caruso.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number