Alex Caruso vs Marcus Smart: who to start in Week 1
Alex Caruso 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 51.5 for Alex Caruso. Over the season, Marcus Smart leads in both formats: 20.1 fantasy points a game to 17.2, and 191st against 193rd in 9-cat. 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #240
- 17.2 FP/G, slot 20.12
- 9-cat leagues
- #193
- -3.6 z, slot 17.01
- Points leagues
- #207
- 20.1 FP/G, slot 18.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #191
- -3.6 z, slot 16.11
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 20.1 fantasy points per game against 17.2, 207th on our board to 240th.
9-cat leagues: Marcus Smart again, -3.6 in summed z-scores against -3.6 (191st to 193rd).
Category by category, Alex Caruso is ahead in 3 (REB, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Alex Caruso produces more: 33.1 fantasy points to 25.9, on 18.7 minutes a night against 28.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Alex Caruso 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 51.5 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Alex Caruso | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 17.2 | 20.1 |
| Minutes | 18.7 | 28.0 |
| PointsPTS | 6.4 | 9.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 2.1 | 2.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.8% | 39.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.5% | 81.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 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 | Alex Caruso | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.1 | 25.9 |
| Points | 12.4 | 11.7 |
| Rebounds | 5.8 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 3.6 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 2.0 |
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 | Alex Caruso | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.7 | -1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | +0.6 | +0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.4 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.4 | +0.4 |
| Total | -3.6 | -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, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Alex Caruso.
| Punt | Alex Caruso | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#161) | -2.3 (#190) |
| REB | -2.5 (#164) | -2.3 (#148) |
| AST | -2.9 (#194) | -3.2 (#203) |
| STL | -4.3 (#260) | -4.5 (#273) |
| BLK | -3.1 (#176) | -3.0 (#171) |
| 3PM | -3.0 (#183) | -3.5 (#204) |
| FG% | -3.5 (#178) | -2.7 (#146) |
| FT% | -3.5 (#199) | -3.7 (#208) |
| TO | -5.1 (#217) | -4.1 (#177) |
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)
- Alex Caruso: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC).
- Marcus Smart: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Alex Caruso: 23.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 17.2 on the board.
- Marcus Smart: 13.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Alex Caruso playing tonight? · Is Marcus Smart playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Alex Caruso or Marcus Smart?
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 20.1 fantasy points per game against 17.2, 207th on our board to 240th. 9-cat leagues: Marcus Smart again, -3.6 in summed z-scores against -3.6 (191st to 193rd).
Who wins more categories, Alex Caruso or Marcus Smart?
Category by category, Alex Caruso is ahead in 3 (REB, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Alex Caruso or Marcus Smart?
Alex Caruso 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 51.5 for Alex Caruso.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number